1991.08.TARPA_TOPICS

LAST CALL FOR COLORADO SPRINGS !!!

GRAPEVINE BY J.T. HAPPY AIRLINE DEREGULATION IMPACT - W. GUNN

THE ACTIVE RETIRED PILOTS ASSOCIATION OF TWA AUGUST 1991

BOEING 727

TARPA TOPICS DEDICATED TO THE PIONEERS OF TODAY'S TRANS WORLD AIRLINES WHOSE VISION, EFFORT AND PERSEVERANCE MADE IT ALL POSSIBLE, WE EXPRESS OUR SINCERE GRATITUDE. EDITOR A. T. HUMBLES Rt. 2 Box 2900 Belhaven, NC 27810 919 964 4655

GRAPEVINE EDITOR JOHN T. HAPPY Nine East Lake Drive Haines City, FL 33844-9320 813 439 2223 HISTORIAN AND CONTRIBUTING EDITOR EDWARD G. BETTS 960 Las Lomas PACIFIC PALISADES, CA 90272 213 454 1068

TARPA is incorporated as a non-profit Corporation under the non-profit corporation laws of the State of Nevada. As stated in Article II of the By-Laws, its purpose is social, recreational and non-profit, with a primary goal of helping its members to maintain the friendships and associations formed before retirement, to make retirement a more productive and rewarding experience and to assist those active pilots approaching retirement with the problems that are inherent in the transition from active to retired status.

TARPA TOPICS published quarterly by THE ACTIVE RETIRED PILOTS ASSOCIATION OF TWA. OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS, 1990/1991 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE President RUSSELL G. DERICKSON 5344 N. Via Sempeverde, Tucson, AZ 85715 Phone 602 299 6325 First Vice President Harry A. Jacobsen 848 Coventry Street, Boca Raton, FL 33487 407 997 0468 Second Vice President David M. Davies 233 S.E. Rogue River Hwy # 181, Grants Pass, OR 97527 503 476 5378 Secretary/Treasurer Richard M. Guillan 1852 Barnstable Road, Clemmons , NC 27012 919 945 9979 Senior Director A.T. HUMBLES Rt. 2 Box 2900, Belhaven, NC 27810 919 964 4655 DIRECTORS Associate Member Albert J. Mundo 36 Jane Road, Marblehead, MA 01945 Associate Member William A. Kirschner P.O. Box 3596, Stateline , NV 89449 Ex-President Joseph A. Brown, Jr. HCR 77 Box 352, Sunrise Beach, MO 65079

671 831 7820 702 588 4223 314 374 7028

NOTHING REPLACES GOOD JUDGEMENT ON THE FIRING LINE !

CONVENTION

COLORADO SPRINGS

1991 CONVENTION - COLORADO SPRINGS, CO.- Co-Chairpersons Cliff & Mary Sparrow VERY IMPOORTANT

THINK POSITIVELY!

COME ONE, COME ALL, LET'S HAVE A BALL!

Make this 1991 Convention the very best!

READ THE MAY ISSUE as well as this one to see the tremendous amount of activities and sights ever offered at any convention. It has the complete outline and description of all events offered. Come and have the best time you've ever had with your buddies.

Only you can make this the vacation to be long remembered. TWA is still going to be here in September.

We've tried to give you a variety of activities from which to pick and choose. Don't try to do all of them in 3 days. You can do some of them at your own leisure by arriving early or staying later. There is much to see and do here, that a longer stay would really be worthwhile. DON'T FORGET, you will tire more easily at this altitude of 6100 ft., plus. Arrangements have been made with the hotel for week early arrivals and week later departures.

LOOK IN THE MAY ISSUE OF TARPA TOPICS FOR THE COMPLETE OUTLINE & DESCRIPTION OF: TOURS ACTIVITIES AIRLINE TRANSPORTATION (Flights in and out of Colorado Springs and Denver) AIRPLANE PARKING AND TIEDOWNS CAR RENTAL LOCATION VOLUNTEER INFORMATION FOR REGISTRATION TABLE (see below) WEATHER CONDITIONS R.V. PARKS AND CAMPGROUNDS SPECIAL: COLORADO ROCKIES COLOR TOUR SPECTACULAR COOKING CLASS/LUNCHEON - Dress Code: CASUAL, but no shorts BANQUET HOSPITALITY ROOM (see next page) VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR REGISTRATION: Co-Chairpersons; Betty Humbles & Betti Wind The Registration Table will be open parts of five (5) days. In order for each person who volunteers to participate in the daily events, we need many people who would be willing to give a couple of hours to the Registration Table. The two Betty's and the other experienced people will be happy to instruct you. There will always be an experienced person with you. Contact Betty Humbles at RT #2 Box 2900 Belhaven, N.C., 27810 - Tele: (919) 964-4655.

Or send a note with your registration and we'll forward it.

CORRECTION: Price for Hotel R.V. hookups, electrical only is $35.00 as printed on hotel reservations form in May issue.

1

$15.00 per night NOT

THE TARPA CONVENTION SEPTEMBER 9th to 13th

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR HOSPITALITY ROM BAR ENDING:

The Hospitality Room should be ample. It's on the 3rd floor and is opposite the elevator. Your hostess will again be the wonderful Katy Buchanan with her trusty assistants, Ev Green and Chuck Hassler. If you are willing to donate some time during the Hospitality hour and have some knowledge of bartending, please contact Mrs. Katy Buchanan, Box 3822, Stateline, Nevada, 89449, Tele: 1-(802)-496-3779. See the Convention Agenda Schedule for the exact times.

CORRECTIONS AND ADDITIONS TO THE PAY ISSUE If anyone wishes to attend any additional activities, please nark them on the registration forms in this issue, label them "EXTRA" and send in your remittance.

HOTEL - deadline for guaranteed reservations is August 8th.

NORAD - Two tours have been approved for 35 people on Monday, the 9th and 13 people on Saturday, the 14th. Check description for time. All requests must be accompanied by a Social Security number or Canadian Social Insurance number for all participants and ABSOLUTELY must be in our possession no later than August 20th, 1991.

GOLFERS - The"amount line" was accidentally omitted from the Golf registration presentation in the May issue. It is absolutely necessary to receive your golf remittance along with your registration. If this omission pertains to anyone who has already sent in your registration, please fill out the corrected golf registration in this issue, and send it along with your remittance, marked CORRECTED REGISTRATION. CANCELLATION of guaranteed hotel reservations is 24 hours prior to arrival instead of 48 hours.

THE AIRPORT EXPRESS transportation between Denver and Colorado Springs has discontinued its service.

SAY LUNCHEON is not a dressy affair, but no shorts are allowed. Tour of Old Colorado City follows immediately.

THERE WILL BE PLENTY OF PARKING SPACE for all motor homes, but at the present time, there are only 3 hook-ups available at the hotel, electrical only, because of shortage of outside power. The price is $35.00. So, first come, first served!

BE PREPARED to get your TARPA lapel pins, tie tacks, and tie bars at the convention.

Larry Fauci is in charge of them.

HUGE FLEA MARKET at the Greyhound Dog Race Track in Northern Colorado Springs every Saturday and Sunday.

RESTAURANTS within walking distance of hotel: Denny's, Shoney's, Hardee's, Red Lion Inn, and a 7-11. A list of good restaurants will be in your Registration Packet.

PIKES PEAK VINEYARDS - A wine tasting tour and catered dinner at 415.00 per person can be arranged for various sized groups. The vineyards are close to the hotel.

Get a group together and make reservations!

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THE TARPA CONVENTION COLORADO SPRINGS, CO.

SEPTEMBER 9th to 13th

NORAD: MONDAY, Sept. 9th -- Depart hotel 1pm - Return 5pm SATURDAY, Sept. 14th -- Depart hotel 7:15am - Return 11am A request for a Tour of NORAD (NORTH AMERICAN AEROSPACE DEFENSE COMMAND) has been submitted, but only 35 people will be allowed to tour the facility on Monday the 9th, & only 13 on Saturday the 14th, c o there will have to be a drawing for the lucky winners if the registration requests exceed this amount.

IDENTIFICATION: Each guest must present some form of identification, such as a drivers license, school or military I.D., that includes a current photograph.

Additionally, each person must prove their social security number.

Social security, passport (non U.S. citizen) or Canadian Social Insurance Number disclosure is voluntary; however, failure to do so could prevent entry into Cheyenne Mountain AFB. All Social Security Numbers must be into Clifford Sparrow.

PROGRAM CONTENT: The tour lasts approximately 2½ hours. It begins with briefings on the Soviet Threat, some of "Desert Storm", the NORAD MISSION and the Cheyenne Mountain Complex overview. The briefings are followed by a tour inside Cheyenne Mountain AFB which includes a visit to the NORAD Command Center (if available) and the Industrial Area.

No cut-offs, short shorts, DRESS: Appropriate attire is required. tank tops, halters, etc. are allowed. Individuals inappropriately dressed may be denied entry into the facility by Security Police.

You should dress casually, but warmly; light sweater during summer and fall and jackets during the winter and spring. Comfortable Military members walking shoes are recommended - no heels please! are not required to wear uniforms.

HAND CARRIED ITEMS: No weapons (including pocket knives), cameras, recorders, or paging devices are allowed on the tour. All handcarried items, including purses will be inspected by Security Police.

All guests will be required to pass through a metal detector before entering Cheyenne Mountain AFB. DINING: There are no dining facilities available for tour groups at Cheyenne Mountain AFB. Fruit such as bananas and apples will be permitted on the tour.

The approximate altitude of Cheyenne Mountain AFB is 7,300ft. A portion of tour also involves climbing "three flights of stairs".

The group sponsor should make this known to group members who have physical limitations or medical conditions WHICH MAY BE ADVERSELY AFFECTED BY WALKING, CLIMBING, OR BY THE HIGH ALTITUDE. (The Cost is $5.00 for the bus) SEND YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER 3

I'M FINE, I'M FINE There is nothing whatever the matter with me,

"Old Age is Golden" I've heard it said,

I'm just as healthy as I can be,

But sometimes I wonder as I go to bed

I have Arthritis in both of my knees,

My ears in a drawer, my teeth in a cup,

And When I talk, I talk with a wheeze,

My eyes are on the table until I get up,

My pulse is weak, and my blood is thin But I'm awfully well for the shape I'm in.

Ere sleep dims my eyes I say to myself, Is there anything else I should lay on the shelf?

But I'm happy to say as I close my eyes

My teeth eventually have to come out

My friends are the same as in the days gone by.

And my diet I hate to think about I'm overweight and can't get thin

When I was young my slippers were red,

But I'm awfully well for the shape I'm in

I could kick up my heels over my head, When I grew older my slippers were blue,

Arch supports I have for my feet Or I wouldn't be able to walk on the street.

Sleep is denied my every night, And every morning I am a sight, My memory is failing, my head is in a spin I'm practically living on aspirin But I'm awfully well for the shape I'm in.

But I still would dance the whole nite thru.

Now I'm old my slippers are black.

I walk to the corner and puff my way back.

The reason I know my youth has been spent My "Get and Go" has got up and went.

But I really don't mind when I think with a grin.

Of all the places my "Get up" has been.

The moral is as this tale we unfold

I get up each morning and dust off my wits,

That for you and me who are growing old

I pick up the paper and read the "Obits"

It's better to say "I'm fine" with a grin,

If my name is missing, I know that I'm not dead,

Than to let them know the shape we're in.

So I eat a good breakfast and go back to bed.

THE TARPA CONVENTION SEPTEMBER 9th to 13th

COLORADO SPRINGS. CO. TIME

AGENDA

9

AGENDA

10

TARPA TOURS

By CHUCK HASLER We have been home from Our Panama Canal cruise for about a month now and we are rested up and just about back to normal weight. Everyone enjoyed themselves immensely and we all overate. I have to hurry with this as the copy has to be in A.T.'s hands by July 1st for printing in the Aug. issue of the Topics.

Every trip or cruise that we take seems to get better and everyone seems to have more fun. I wish you could all join us sometime. We are off to Alaska Aug. 6th and looking forward to a great time as we have a great group going.

Our schedules were somewhat messed up this year as a direct result of the Gulf War. Thousands of people canceled their overseas vacations and turned to the so called domestic cruises, Panama Canal, Caribbean, Alaska Etc. This left us interliners scratching for space with our discounted fares while the cruise lines had all the full fare passengers they wanted. We managed to get everything arranged O.K. The only thing was that when someone had to cancel they would not allow us to replace the canceled space with one of u3. They grabbed the space and sold it at full fare. Everything should be back to normal by 1992.

We do not have our 92 program finalized as yet because things are not back to normal, but it will be together soon. One thing we do know for sure is that we will have a cruise from San Diego or Los Angeles following the 1992 TARPA Convention in San Diego, Sept. 13th through the 16th. Don't forget to save the time after the convention for our cruise. Remember that you will already be there. Hope to see you in 92 (& in Sept. 91, COS).

Pat & I have been organizing & escorting the TARPA TOURS for two years now. It takes quite a bit of time & effort to put these things together but the end result is well worth it. We would like to thank everyone for their support & we hope to continue for many more years.

President's Message July 1, 1991 The September 10 - 13,1991 TARPA Convention is almost upon us.

Mary and Cliff Sparrow are expecting a large turnout. I HOPE BY NOW YOU ALL HAVE YOUR RESERVATIONS IN THE MAIL. IF YOU HAVE NOT FIRST CHECK THE MAY 1991 TOPICS FOR INSTRUCTIONS, THEN CHECK THIS ISSUE FOR CHANGES, AS SOME CORRECTIONS HAVE BEEN MADE, AND THEN RUSH TO THE POST OFFICE. We have now scheduled Guest Speaker Captain John Testrake to address all members, wives and all other guests at the Banquet on the evening of September 13, rather than at the business meeting as previously planned. As you all know, John was in command of TWA Flight 847, on June 14, 1985. (See biographical information on next page) I have written to the TWA Retirement Board regarding the integrity and handling of our "B" Plan. The members of the Board are Captains W.A. Murphy and H.O. Van Zandt for ALPA and Messrs. Gary Dilley and William Hart for TWA Management.

The following excerpts are from this letter which was dated May 31,1991. "

It has been more than five years since the TWA Pilots Trust Annuity Plan was amended to add a Lump Sum as a normal retirement option; Article 9.7. The Trust Annuity Plan was not designed with a Lump Sum option, thus this controversial option did not meet with universal approval.

Many retirees and a number of active members are convinced that the lump sum has had a negative impact on the Plan, citing various plan statistics. In August 1990 one retired TWA Pilot filed a complaint with the Department of Labor against ALPA and TWA who are, as we know, the Fiduciaries of our Trust Annuity Plan. At this writing I do not know the status of this complaint. I am sure the Retirement Board is as anxious as we are to separate fact from fiction.

There is too much anxiety and concern over our lifetime retirement programs, we need to know the truth.

In view of the above, I am respectfully requesting, on behalf of all retired TWA Pilots (most all retirees are TARPA members) that an independent study be arranged by the Retirement Board (financed by the Plan) to ascertain factual information on the integrity and proper handling of our equity over the past six years. Hopefully the Retirement Board will consider this to be a reasonable and responsible request. I feel that it is absolutely necessary."

The Retirement Board has not as yet responded to the above request. We plan to have more information at the Convention if not before.

On the morning of Sept. 13th (7:30 AM), at our business meeting, we will have two (2) Actuaries -- Vigold Hems from the ALPA National Office in Washington and Austin Herzog, the Chief Actuary from EBASCO in New York City -- join us. They will give us up-to-date information on our "B" Plan and answer questions from the floor.

See you all in Colorado Springs in September!

14

Russ Derickson

CAPTAIN JOHN TESTRAKE BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Captain John Testrake, 63, is the author of Triumph Over Terror On Flight 847. He was born in 1927 in Ripley, New York, and grew up on a farm. He entered the Navy after high school graduation in 1945 and later completed his aviation training at Spartan School of Aeronautics in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with FAA Licenses as an aircraft mechanic, flight engineer and pilot in 1950.

After a second tour of active duty during the Korean war, John began flying for TWA in 1953 and moved to Kansas City. He was promoted to Captain in 1970 and transferred to TWA's International Division in early 1985.

He lost his first wife to cancer in 1976. In 1977 he married Phyllis Hiser. His family includes three children, three step-children and ten grandchildren.

His public ministry began on June 14, 1985, on TWA Flight 847 as a routine trip from Athens to Rome turned into a 17-day ordeal involving brutal beatings, murder and a gruesome hostage situation. Through it all, Captain Testrake was able to draw hope and strength from a rock solid assurance of God's care and protection.

Captain Testrake finished his airline career flying the Lockheed L-1011 Tri-Star between New York, Paris, Tel Aviv and Cairo, and retired at the mandatory age of 60 in December 1987. He and his wife now make their home on Lake Viking near Gallatin, Missouri, and travel extensively doing volunteer promotional work for Mission Aviation Fellowship.

MAF, headquartered in Redlands, California, is a worldwide group of Christian airmen providing air transport service to missionaries and other Christian workers in remote parts of the Third World. Captain and Mrs. Testrake participate in these flight operations and share their experiences with interested groups across the United States.

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SECRETARY/TREASURER REPORT

7/1/91

The phone number listed for 2nd V/P Dave Davies on the Officer's page of the 1991 DIRECTORY should be 503-476-5378. The error discovered when the S/T, returning a call to Dave late one evening (PDT) awakened former 2nd V/P Jack Donlan (EDT). My sincere apologies Jack.

By the time you read this report, TARPA should have a new S/T. Dick Guillan, Chairman of a three man Committee assigned by the Board to locate a replacement, finally gave up and volunteered to accept the job himself.

He has resigned as 1st V/P and Harry Jacobsen has agreed to fill the spot until the Convention elections.

Dick's computer knowledge was limited. Rather than an abrupt change to a new S/T that failed on two occasions in the past, the transition has been gradual.

The Board has provided Dick with a new, modern computer system.

He is being tutored by a tech at home plate and with my assist by phone.

Dick is calling the signals on this play.

When he is confident that he is able to assume full responsibility for the S/T chores, this tired old boy will step down.

We will continue to work together so long as needed. Both of us are determined to make the transition successful this time.

All matters relating to the S/T job should now be directed to: Capt. Richard M. Guillan 1852 Barnstable Road Clemmons, NC 27012 919-945-9979 Hoping to reduce the workload of the S/T, I have been in contact with the TWA Credit Union for several months. Discussions include the possibility that the C/U would handle dues receipts, address changes and mailing labels for our publications. The need remains for the S/T to handle financial requirements, correspondence and permanent record keeping.

Details have yet to be worked out.

As previously advised, TARPA accounts for '88 & '89 were audited by the IRS earlier this year. Final conclusions have not been reached but it has been determined by the auditor that recent Supreme Court decisions rule that all income (other than dues & contributions) is taxable at the 15% Corporate rate. There is no question as to TARPA's non-profit status.

TARPA may conduct any income producing venture so long as profits/losses are declared.

Note the number of address changes once again in this issue. Actually, this continues to be an unnecessary cost item. PLEASE, when a move is contemplated, don't delay advising the S/T. Thanks for your cooperation over the past six years.

I'm sure you will be as cooperative with Guillan. See you in Colorado Springs.

McCombs 16

TO: SUBJECT: FROM: DATE:

OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS OF TARPA B-PLAN ANNUAL EVALUATION R. C. Sherman, B-Plan Observer June 23, 1991

Last week the actuary presented the (long delayed) history of the Plan during 1990. It was the Thirty-sixth year of operation.

Most of the details were sent to you some time ago and published in the last Topics. Austin Herzog enumerated the various factors that reduced the Unit Value about 9.5% during 1990. He noted that the 44 deaths (5 Active; 38 Retirees; 1 J.A.) resulted in 38% greater mortality reversions (dollars) than anticipated, adding 10.8 cents to the Unit Value. Investment experience was -$4.193; all expenses -16.1 cents, about 0.3% of average assets.

My earlier suggestion to the R+I Committee that the Plan should have some additional tables and computational methods for Art. 14, "Amendment or Termination " , was modified to a distribution to the R+I Committee rather than an addition to the Plan booklet. We will of course be given copies. The majority of the time was spent discussing the impact on the Plan from the two methods of computing lump sums.

While working with Plan records in his data base, Pat Murphey discovered that the difference in methods amounted to several million dollars as it applied to the four (or five?) opportunities when F/E transfers into the B-Plan were made during the 1970 ' s.

According to Plan rules, transfers were valued at their account balance, adjusted by the Index of Change. At year end they were converted to Units using the year end Unit Value. The difference being the latter encompasses all adjustments, including mortality, while the Index of Change does not. This difference applies to all l ump sums, particularly to those taking their own contributions.

The company representative echoed the sentiments of all by saying, Lets face it, this Plan was never designed for lump sums.

It was agreed to have the actuary and Pat study the matter to quantify it and suggest a fix if necessary. The unspoken problem i s the withdrawal of large sums should the DAP become a reality.

TWA is in a lull ... probably the one before a storm. A court stopped the discounted purchase of debt until the objections of the senior bond holders addressed. More large payments are due in July.

Despite the problems that seem to be insurmountable, we must acknowledge that TWA has continued in business nearly a year longer than anticipated; the magician may still have a rabbit left.

Last week the Negotiating Committee was at the Mount to discuss a number of items including the dormant DAP. TWA said the latter was being reviewed at KCAC; they would talk about it again next month.

In any event, beginning with the decision on the challenge to the AAL/LON route award before the first of July, the next 40 days should prove to be very interesting to say the least.

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% DIFFERENCE

DECEMBERS UNIT VALUE vs Adj. I.of C.

In Memoriam Capt. Victor Bohsen 3 April 1991 * * * Capt. Alex Klotz 1 May 1991 * * * Mabel Older (Joseph) 24 Feb. 91 * * * Flight Engineer Harold E. Ramey 5 June 91

First Officer Joe A. Dalton 20Dec.90 * * * Capt. Robert W. Michel 14Apr.91 * * * IRO Harold Patrick 25May91 * * *

HAROLD EDWARD RAMEY Sent in by Lew Judd Flight Engineer Harold Ramey was born in 1920. Hal, as he was known to everyone, joined Canadian Pacific Airlines in 1940 as a mechanic and became a Flight Engineer ferrying airplanes to Europe. In 1941 the Royal Air Force took over the ferrying and he flew with them until the end of the war in 1945. After a brief period with Canadair as Flight Engineer on their Rolls Royce powered DC-4 he joined British Overseas Airways Corporation in 1946 as a Flight Engineer. He flew Constellations until they moved their flight operations back to England from Canada. He left and joined Northwest Airlines as an Aircraft and Engine mechanic in 1950. In the spring of 1951 he came to TWA as a Flight Engineer.

Hal was a quiet man liked by all his peers. Thirty years later a hi-jacker entered the cockpit of a 707 in Cleveland on which Hal was the Flight Engineer. Quite, mr nice guy, Ramey grabbed the hi-jacker and wrestled him out of the plane onto the aero stand TWA had borrowed from American Airlines. When they hit the side of the stand it collapsed sending both Hal and the much larger hi-jacker to the concrete ramp. Unfortunately, Hal landed under the hi-jacker breaking Hal's back. He never flew again and officially retired in 1982.

He contracted ameloyditis, a rare disease with no known cure, that brought down his death. Another of our flying buddie s has gone west". He leaves a wife, Christine; a brother, Dick, also a retired TWA Flight Engineer; a daughter, Cheri; a son, Gary; a sister, Claire; and another brother, Sandy Ramey.

OLD AVIATORS SONG They're going to a better land, They fly there every night, And cocktails grow on bushes, So everyone stays tight.

They've torn up all the calendars, They've busted all the clocks, And little drops of whiskey. come trickling through the rocks.

19

IN MEMORIAM FLIGHT RADIO OFFICER H.A. Patrick Sent in by R.W. Goldthorpe Pat was the victim of a sudden heart attack May 25th at his home in Indiana.

He leaves his wife, Dorothy, 4 children, 8 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.

Mrs. Patrick's address is 1634 Aubert St., Plainfield, IN, 46168. Telephone 317 1839 3870.

Pat joined TWA August 19, 1942, as an ICD Flight Radio Officer and continued serving in this capacity in the International Division after the war. He was based in Washington, DC, and New York until June 1957 when the FRO's were furloughed.

He was then employed by the Federal Aviation Administration in Indianapolis serving as an air traffic controller until 1969 when he received medical retirement.

After joining TARPA several years ago he attended every convention and was looking forward to Colorado Springs this year. Pat was friendly, outgoing and ever enthusiastic .

He was widely know and liked by his many friends and fellow crew members. He will be sorely missed.

CAPTAIN EDWARD R. BOLAND Sent in by Ev Green Edward R. "Bud" Boland, 68, a Raymond, Washington, resident most of his life and a long-time Trans World Airlines Captain, died Friday,. January 18, 1991, at an Olympia hospital. He was born December 14, 1922.

Bud had worked 34 years as a pilot for TWA and was a Captain for 26 years. he retired in 1981 as Boeing 747 Captain. At his request, he was buried in his TWA uniform.

During his years as a pilot, Bud had flown every type of commercial airplane that the Boeing Company made. He was domiciled in Kansas City for 24 years before returning to Raymond, Washington.

Bud was an Army Air Corps veteran of World War II, a member of the Hump Pilots Association, a member of the Raymond American Legion, a life member of the Pacific Post 968 Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Elks, Eagles and Masonic Lodges in Raymond.

In Kansas City, he was a member of the Scottish Rites and Aballaha Shrine. He was also active in the Airline Pilots Association and a member of the TWA Retired Pilots Association.

Survivors include his wife, Eleanor, of the family home in Raymond; a son, Edward Jr., of Sonoma, CA; a stepdaughter, Linnea Hosford of Kent; a stepson, Howard Hosford, Jr., of Olympia and two grandchildren.

From Mike Larkin; I was really saddened at the death of "Buddy" Boland which I read in the Skyliner.

He was an excellent pilot, as well as a lot of fun to fly with. A lot of guys in my seniority group were copilots on the 707 with him in the early 60's.

Bud had a lot of good stories from the early jet days as he flew copilot for a lot of the older guys who were transitioning from props to jets. Some of these were pretty hairy!

One of the best ones, though, was flying with Virg Elliott. As you know, Virg would spend weeks setting up a practical joke and then grin for weeks afterward.

Had a long talk with Buddy's widow, Ellie, and due to the fact they were not married at the time Bud retired, her pass is only good for six months. Doesn't seem fair to treat a Captain's widow this way. Anyway, this is for Bud Boland.

20

EDITOR'S DESK It seems we no more than get out one mailing of the TARPA TOPICS than it is time to start working on the next issue. Betty and I are fine and keeping busy.

I am president of our Lions Club and Betty belongs to the Lionesses; I am service officer of our Veterans of Foreign Wars Post and Betty belongs to the Auxiliary; I am deputy commander of our American Legion Post; Betty is treasurer and I am secretary of our local volunteer fire department; Betty belongs to the Winsteadville Women's Club and we give CPR training to school personnel, civic organizations etc. This in addition to our other hobbies. Betty hospital volunteer one day a week.

I hope this edition does not have so many typographical errors but it is more work as the typewriter belonging to TARPA became inoperative and I had to fall back on mine which isn't quite as sophisticated making more work.

We want to sincerely thank all those that contributed to this issue and hope it is enjoyed. I just wish we could receive more news about TWA for I know we are all interested and praying for its survival. Now that TWA has decided to cut even more of its expenses by denying us the Skyliner I guess this missile will have to take up the gap. At least, you won't be bored by pictures of Icahn or some of the other propaganda usually found in Company newsletters.

You might be interested to know that not only have our printing costs gone up our mailing costs are much higher. We have to pay a yearly fee for the bulk mailing and ten years ago it was $30. then $40. then $50. then $60 and next year it will be $75. Every time the U.S. Postal Service (?) raises the price of a first class stamp they up everything else at a bigger rate. You might be interested to know our May issue printing cost was $4677. and our mailing charge for the bulk mail was $895.65.

So, you can see why I try to utilize every bit of space in our book. For those of you who might send in something keep in mind printing cost. Quite often when I get letters you waste practically a third of a page with the heading, date and salutation. In such cases, I re-type to save space. We really appreciate material being print-ready which means single space printed material. Also, on my machine, I set the left margin to 10 and the right to 90.

NOW FOR SOME CONVENTION INFORMATION - Rather than print 2 pages please refer to our May issue for information on obtaining a Budget Rent-A-Car. Their phone number is 1-800-222 6772. Let them know you are with TARPA and you get a special rate.

Hope you have checked the convention material in this issue as Mary Sparrow says there are come corrections. Also she says, "Talked to Keith Yates. He is back in Colorado and is doing very well. Still has some chest pain but it's gradually subsiding. He's playing golf and has decided to be the golf chairman again, Hooray!"

He made the comment, "I and my TWA golfing buddies didn't see any place where it told us to send the registration so we figured we would register after arriving in Colorado." Mary told him he didn't read the bottom of the last page of the 3 registration forms. He said that it should be at the beginning. His other comment was that there was so much interesting material in the May issue that they just skimmed over the Convention outline when they finally got to it. I guess they have forgotten their checklist function.

We are getting some people who haven't been to many or even any Convention so I guess it's confusing to them. We just followed John Lattimore's and Vic Hassler's outline. Maybe that's why they had trouble with some of their people. Who could have guessed?

21

EDITOR'S DESK Walt Gunn to John Happy - Cheers, John. The enclosed is a paper I delivered in May at Ohio State University to the International Symposium on Aviation Psychology, a four day affair. Some real giants in aviation Human Factors attended (500 plus); NASA, FAA, NTSB, Air Force, Navy, Army etc. plus 27 nations, 19 domestic carriers, 18 foreign carriers along with researchers and academicians!

Hope your task with the Grapevine is a "love labor" effort, you're doing great!!

I'm staying active at KUMC and Central Missouri State University in their aviation program. My focus has shifted from clinical and alcohol/drug research to aviation psychology and Human Factors.

Stay happy, John.

As always, Walt Gunn

[Dr. Capt. Gunn's very interesting article appears elsewhere. Editor] * * * * * * From Howard Hall - Howdy, A.T. - Thank you, I do appreciate. [Howard had asked us to send his brothers and son copies of the May TARPA TOPICS at his expense.]

Yes, If I'm able to be present for be the oldest old devil there. I'm brothers, Floyd and Wes, will also record, three brothers in the same

the reunion in Colorado Springs I'll probably going to try. I'm hoping that my two younger be there. Believe these Halls will set a active uniform of an airline.

Charlie is my adopted son, my first marriage. He once was a small airline pilot.

Lynn says he was once my co-pilot in World War II. He left TWA to assist his uncle in a Kansas City insurance business. Now owns the business, Very successful.

I'll try to get him to the banquet but he's busy now. He has a Lear Jet and two full time pilots.

You might be interested to know I was the first pilot ever assigned as a Military Attache to a President of the United States - December 1928 - President Coolidge.

Flew Presidental mail Washington, DC, to Saplo Island, Georgia, where the President was visiting for the holidays. * * * * * * Someone sent us the following letter to the editor of the San Jose Mercury News.

WE CAN'T AFFORD TO LOSE WIRE AIRLINES Juan Trippe of Pan American Airways, Jack Frye, TWA; C.R. Smith , American; William Patterson, United; Eddie Rickenbacker, Eastern; and Bob Six of Continental Airlines, the pioneering heads of six of our country's once-noble airlines, must be cringing in their graves.

Eastern is gone; Continental and Pan Am are teetering on the edge of financial doom; TWA struggles. American and United are bloated colossi seeking to dominate the industry. Only Delta and Northwest seem to retain some sense of proportion.

The ultimate insult to this retired airline pilot was reading that Secretary of Transportation Skinner had said that neither the loss of Pan Am or TWA would have any significant impact, that the United States could have a competitive industry with as few as three carriers (Pan Am survival questioned," May 27).

Baloney! Skinner has forgotten, if he ever knew, that too few railroads, thus less competition, contributed to the decline of that once dynamic industry.

Guess he wants the airlines to go down the same track - no pun intended.

William A. Dixon San Jose. * * * * * * 22

EDITOR'S DESK From Capt. Robert Adickes, President of AVTEC Corporation, Thousand Oaks, CA; Dear A.T. - Your pithy comments in the TARPA TOPICS are always welcome, but somehow I dread to open the excellent report, for fear that I will find more of our friends listed as having "gone west".

A couple of funny letters and columns, when you need a "filler" to complete a page.

Helen joins me in sending best wishes to you and that great water skiing Best wishes, Bob. buddy of yours, Miss Betty.

[Look for letter from Hank Gonzales, riches man in Mexico, some place]

From the Arizona Republic newspaper - America West Airlines announced plans to begin flying to St. Louis July 1. The move is expected to give American West a toehold in St. Louis should financially ailing Trans World Airlines fall apart.

TWA handles 79 percent of the passenger traffic in St. Louis. America West will offer 3 daily, non-stop, round trips between Phoenix and St. Louis and one daily non-stop, round trip between Las Vegas and St. Louis with a second one to be added July 15. By July 1, American West will be flying 9 A-320's with 7 more to be put in service this year.

From Harold Mokler; Dear A.T. - The Far East tour was great though someone passed the flu bug around. I wasn't bad but I thought F.L. Smith was going to die before he got home. Others like Bill Mayhew, Bill Fischer, Gene Exam, eventually succumbed.

The latest TOPICS is great - full of interest and information... I think we should accept that TWA is headed down and (like Ed Betts) review all avenues early. I still think the computation for those taking lump sums is improper.

It needs another review before the "Big Hit".

Our best to Betty, Harry.

From the New York Daily News in letters to the editor; CITY'S PLIGHT Howell, N.J.: A dead dog on the subway tracks makes headlines, yet when I to the city I always see piles of garbage in the streets and repulsive graffiti everywhere, but not headlines about that. I see and smell demented people in the subways and in every possible refuge from the cold. I hear obscenities shouted and I am insulted by dizzy sales clerks and waitresses. I an shoved in the subway and am accustomed to stepping over piles of vomit. I have to sidestep morons on skateboards or in break dances at the Port Authority Bus Terminal. This is makes New York a hive of degeneracy; not a dead dog. If we would get as riled up over the real problems instead of the emotional flash in the pan perhaps even a dog's life would be worth something.

Ed Toner.

From Myrna (Sonny) Bettinger; Dear A.T. - My children and I wish to thank The Active Retired Pilots Association of TWA for your thoughtful tribute to our beloved husband and father with your gift to the TWA Pilots Retirement Foundation.

Your kindness is very much appreciated during this difficult time in our lives. I know Claude would feel honored. Sincerely, Sonnie Bettinger & family.

23

EDITOR'S DESK From Dave Wadsworth in Harwichport, Massachusetts: Dear A.T. - Just dropping a line to tell you how much we enjoyed Chuck Hasler's TARPA Panama cruise.

Am enclosing a few snapshots, some of which you might use. Some are quite clear, others not. The one of June and Howie McClay ought to bring some amusement.

Do with them whatever you want.

While on the cruise a rather weird thing occurred at home. Our cat somehow turned on the water in the upstairs bathroom and also managed to close the drain.

When our daughter, who was taking care of him, came in water was running down our stairway. Fortunately for us, she had everything repaired just hours before we arrived home. Insurance will cover most of the cost.

If you can't read my writing I can blame it on an operation I had on my wrist this morning - carpal tunnel. (May 21) . It should kee p my hand from going to "sleep" and aid its circulation.

Best wishes, Dav e.

[Dave, thanks for the pictures, have the pictures in this issue. Thanks for sending them. We are going on the TARPA Alaska tour in August. Best wishes, A.T.]

JOE & BETTY PETERSON

AL & JEANETTE GRANDSAERT

24

TARPA PANAMA CRUISE

HOWIE & JUNE McCLAY (Howie didn't really hit June, she had tripped the day before.

Her glasses smashed giving her a laceration which required sutures. June was a real trooper, making no complaints.)

Taken by the head waiter on our "Dutch" dinner, wearing Dutch caps.

Cut out of picture at left was Muriel Wadsworth, then left to right are; DAVE WADSWORTH, AL & JEANETTE GRANDSAERT, MARIAN SMITH (blocked), George Miller, FRANK & MARY LEE SAYLOR.

MARIAN SMITH & GEORGE MILLER

25

TARPA PANAMA CANAL CRUISE

LEON & BONNIE PIERSON

MARY LEE & FRANK SAYLOR Second dinner serving DAVE & MURIEL WADSWORTH

26

EDITOR'S DESK From Bill Flanagan of Port St. Lucie, Fl; Dear A.T. - First - let me repeat that all the work done by you and many guys and gals is greatly appreciated. Where all of you get the time and energy is beyond me.

Going back to the February 1990 issue of TARPA TOPICS (I should have written sooner), I congratulate Hank Gastrich on the way he "makes with the words" in his writeup about his first carrier landing (on page 36). I have made many carrier landings in biplanes but could never describe them as interestingly as Hank did.

One thing that impressed me was the marvelous way in which the "sailors" quickly and expertly unhooked us after the landing. Incidentally (WITH THEIR HELP) our three plane section led by Lt. Dozier hooked on (landed) eleven seconds apart and the next day the interval was eight seconds. This was in SBC-3's (biplanes) and before electronic landing aids or jets. (I wish that I could tell it the way HANK GASTRICH did). As you can see, I have once again procrastinated!

HOWEVER - The main reason for this note is Ed Bett's writeup on our late beloved Captain Dave Kuhn. Although I had very little contact with Dave and never flew with him, I greatly admired him as a man and am thankful for all that he did for the rest of us pilots. Once, on a layover at LAX, I played the Riviera golf course as a guest of Capt. Arnie Lundberg and I used Dave's clubs. (In those days I was a golfer).

I don't write to TARPA TOPICS very often but you may remember a long time ago when I suggested that TARPA TOPICS run a copy of Dave's "Visit to the Home Office). Perhaps that may be done soon. Some readers may get nothing out of it but us "Old Fuddy Duds" would really enjoy it! (If there is any cost involved in doing this I will be most happy to contribute).

I don't read the TARPA TOPICS as quickly and thoroughly as I used to because of my Macular Degeneration in both eyes.......... Sincerely, Bill.

[Bill, I had written Dave some time back and asked permission to run his articles and got the okay.] * * * * * * From George Seaborg in Tobyhanna, PA; Notice how our government wants no association with religion as to prayers at a commencement while on the other side the Department of Health & Human Services tells churches how they should behave. I wrote those clowns. Hope others will.

Won't make Colorado Springs as my Navy Squadron is having its bi-annual reunion in Portland, Oregon, at the same time and our group keeps getting smaller all the time...... Sincerely, George.

Do any of you have Dave Kuhn's booklet called Sex, Seniority and Salary you might loan your editor for a while? Shortly before Dave passed away he granted me permission to publish any of his stuff. Many haven't noticed my address has had a slight change; it is A.T. Humbles, Rt. 2 Box 2900, Belhaven, NC 27810.

September must be a good month for reunions The Delta Golden Wings will hold their reunion in New Orleans Sept. 15-18.

The Retired Eastern Pilots Association has theirs in Charleston, SC, Sept. 16-18.

The Soaring Eagles (U.S. Air) will be in Nashvilled, TN, Sept. 13-15.

27

EDITOR'S DESK From Bob Buck in Moretown, VT; Dear Betty & A.T. - Thank you very much for the card. It was very thoughtful and I appreciate it much.

Interesting how things get mixed up in the telling. I did not break my hip, rather my ankle -- and I didn't fall off a ladder, but simply slipped on a wet slope while doing some bursh cutting. It sprained the ankle and fractured the fibula which they had to put 4 screws in. I've been wearing a cast for 5 weeks and hobbling around on crutches which is more of a chore than I ever realized never having anything like this before. I've had no pain and the cast is supposed to come off next week and the doctor says I will be playing golf before the end of May. So you see it's no big deal and I'm sorry the word ever got out.

I am busy on a new book that I'm hoping to get finished by June. Otherwise, I'm just a Vermont forester that aside from being clumsy around slippery hills has been fortunate to be in good health.

Hope you're the same and you sound that way. I certainly appreciate and enjoy all your fine TARPA work. Thanks very much ...... Sincerely, Bob. [While this is rather belated, we always enjoy hearing from the illustrious Captain Buck who set the trans-continental speed record at the age of sixteen!] * * * * * * From a letter to Russ Derickson from Claude Girard, Vice President, Operations, TWA Paris; Dear Russ - I was so surprised upon reading your letter that I almost fell out of the chair!

I do appreciate the honour that the TARPA Board of Directors bestowed upon me by voting unanimously to recommend by election as an Honorary Member of TARPA. I do hope that Uli will be with you ...As you may or may not know, I have also re-married a German girl a couple of years ago.

Thanks again to all of you... Kind personal regards, Claude.

From Roger (Goldy) Goldthorpe; The attached skit, "NO PIE IN THE SKY", is based on another true incident in "Cy" Gates flying career, this time a well-known one. . Beth Gates Miller says, "I have heard many variations of Cy's landing at Harrisburg for dinner but this is Cy's own."

Also the reference to Husak..a long time friend of mine dating back to early 1940 when he was a weatherman at IGA...is no random name dropping. Beth adds, "Paul Husak remembers the incident well. He was the dispatcher on duty."

Finally, I thought the "railroadeese" and "trucker-talk" in the first few paragraphs high-lighting the importance of eating to employees on the line, might pique the curiosity of your readers.

Between us we can decipher it...right? ...Very best regards, Goldy.

[The above-mentioned article appears elsewhere. The thing that bothers your editor is that Cy was punished, he should have been applauded and the punishment should have been fought. Proper diet and regular meals are important to the safety of flight. Even the FAR's stipulate the pilot's responsibility for safety and personal well-being.]

A golfer looped several new balls into a lake, onto the highway and into the woods.

He lost them all. "Why don't you use an old ball?" asked the caddy. The duffer lamented, "I've never had one."

28

THE TARPA

GRAPEVINE AUGUST, 1991

Well here we are again. Looking right straight at Colorado Springs next month. Hope you all have your plans made and are READY for a GREAT time. Mary and Cliff Sparrow have out done themselves. You may have to go a day early and stay a day late to cover all the bases, WOW! There are lots of things going on concerning our Lead ership at this Convention. Everyone should be there for input. Some of the guys have done MORE than their share and could use a break. How about some of you younger folks volunteering instead of waiting to be asked? This organization has talent unheard of in most associations like ours, lets all spread it around so no one has to do more than his fair share. If everyone took a year at one of the slots, we would have enough folks for 100 years. How about that.

Would like to say about here that all donations to the TWA PILOTS RETIREMENT FOUNDATION are most appreciated.

Its no less than fitting that we should do all we can to take care of our own.

We especially thank you for your generosities in sharing your experiences and adventures with us through your letters. *** GOD wisely designed the human body so we can neither pat our own backs nor kick ourselves too easily. ********************

****

The Preacher came to call the other day. He said that at my age I should be thinking about the ' Hereafter'. I told him "I do all the time.

No matter where I am, in the Parlor, upstairs, in the kitchen, down in the basement-then I ask myself, now what am I here after . Old Yes! HAPS RULE...If you don't care where you are, YOU AIN'T LOST 29

Grapevine, August, 1991 Con't.

LOU COOK, (LORRAINE),10410 East Prince Rd. Tucson, Az. 85749 I sometimes wonder just what the guys are up to now-a-days, so I thought I'd better report in.

Here I am, 71 years old, and must be losing my mind. Enclosed are photos of my latest projects. One completed, the RV-4 and one under construction, to be completed soon. Next project will be a taper wing Waco.

We have a lot of fun here in Tucson with our airplanes, tooling around the country, dog fighting, etc.

I was in on the newly formed TWA Seniors Club Chapter herein Tucson called the "Sonoran Seniors" and we must have 80 or so members. It Is GREAT 4 See you all in Colorado Springs !

Best Regards, L.G. Cook

LEFT-RV-4

RIGHT-N8LC TWO-PLACE BIPLANE

30

Grapevine, August, 1991, Con't .

JOHN THERWHANGER, (PEGGY), 8326 Delphian, Universal City, Tx. 78148 I certainly enjoy receiving the TOPICS. Many thanks to all who put so much time and effort in making it such a success and an enjoyment to all who receive it.

Was saddened to learn of Capt. Dave Kuhn making his "LAST FLIGHT WEST*. I'm sure he had a smooth flight with a tail wind all the way. There will NEVER be another like Capt. Huhn.

I'm sure that the receipt of this letter will not cause you to call out "STOP THE PRESSES" But I do have some good news for the Therwhangers that might be of interest to a few. Enclosed is a recent photo of my son and myself in FLIGHT ENGINEER uniforms.

I retired from TWA when Scott was 13 years old, in 1974. Scott is now 30 and joining the ranks of Pilots and Flight Engineers with American Airlines.

After graduating from Texas A&M University in '83 he joined the U.S. Air Force as a Flying Cadet. He did his flight training at Laughlin AFB in Del Rio, Tx. From there he was assigned to Little Rock AFB as Co-Pilot on C-130's. He soon moved up to the left seat in the cockpit with the rank of Captain, while taking extensive training flying low level heavy air drops.

Scott finished his contract 'tour' with the Air Force while serving in 'Desert Shield' in Saudi Arabia. He is now flying the line for AAL, based in Dallas.

For the picture, I took my uniform out of storage. To my surprise it fit pretty good. But my DOG tried to bite me. Guess he thought I was the Mailman !!!!

As Ever John Therwhanger Ed. Note: This is what Topics and Grapevine are all about John, and families are for sure, included. Your son Scott may want to check his roster of the troops at Little Rock in C130's. Bill McMinn's (Tsk Tsk) grandson was at Little Rock in C130's about the same time. Maybe they knew each other.

Guess you know the guy on the left is John. On the Right is Scott who must have genes from his Mom's side, he is really nice looking !!

31

Grapevine, August, 1991, Con't JERRY & RITA CONDON, 508 Cindertree La. Boulder City, NV. 89005 NATE GREEN'S STORY ON PAGE 34 OF THE MAY '91 TOPICS, TRIG GERED A RECALL OF A TRUE STORY THAT I HAVE BEEN TELLING FOR YEARS. IT HAS TO BE ABOUT THE SAME CAPTAIN THAT NATE WROTE ABOUT. AS I REMEMBER, THE TITLE OF THE BOOK WAS now TO FLY IN TEN EASY I'VE SEEM HIM CARRY IT UNDER HIS ARM WHILE DOING THE LESSONS'. " AISLE WALK" DURING FLIGHT. LET'S CREDIT THE EPISODES TO CAPT. " JIM".. .

DURING THE LATE FIFTIES, I WAS ASSIGNED AS STATION MANAGER AT PEORIA, IL. (PIA ). OM GOOD WEATHER WEEKENDS, WE ATTRACTED MANY NEIGHBORS WHO GATHERED IN OUR EXTERIOR PASSENGER HOLDING AREA TO WATCH THE "BIG BIRDS" (M-202 & 4O4'S) ARRIVE AND DEPART. OH ONE OF THESE DAYS, I WAS STANDING AT THE WINDOW OF THE AND OUR OPERATIONS OFFICE OBSERVING THE PASSENGERS DEPLANING, GROUND STAFF HANDLING BAGS, MAIL AND CARGO. AFTER THE LAST PASSENGER HAD LEFT THE AIRCRAFT, THE FOUR STRIPER CAME DOWN THE REAR STAIRS. HE WAS WEARING VERY DARK SUN GLASSES, WALKED HOLDING THE ARM OF THE CO-PILOT WITH ONE HAND, AND CARRIED A WHITE CANE WITH A RED TIP IN THE OTHER HAND. THIS UNIFORMED DUO PROCEEDED ACROSS THE RAMP, THROUGH THE HOLDING AREA FULL OF VISITORS AND PASSENGERS AND INTO THE TERMINAL BUILDING. I DIDN'T KNOW WHETHER TO LAUGH OR CRY. I DO KNOW I CERTAINLY WISHED THAT I COULD DISAPPEAR INTO A VERY LARGE HOLE. WHILE MY MEMORY IS STRONG ON THE INCIDENT, I REALLY CANNOT RECALL WHAT THE COCKPIT CREW AND I SAID TO EACH OTHER. A VERY ORIGINAL GAO, (AT THE TIME ) AND A TRIBUTE TO THE COMIC GENIUS OF THE PERPETRATOR. IF HE IS AROUND TO READ THIS, I OFFER HIM MY THANKS FOR CREATING A SITUATION THAT I HAVE SO MUCH ENJOYED RELATING.

ALL THE BEST, ALWAYS.... JERRY

UP, UP, AND ASTRAY... "I no longer expect my career to take off" said the tired executive.

Now I'd be happy if it would just taxi down the runway a little'.

32

BOB SMITH, (DELORES-DIZ) 6331 W.Bopp Rd. Tucson, A2.85746 Hi guys, news from Arizona. We have a one day TRAP SHOOT here at Tucson Trap & Skeet Club the 12th. (May ) Russ (Derickson ) and I plan to shoot together. He beat me a couple of weeks ago at Casa Grande so I'll have to work a bit harder, to see if I can out-shoot him this time. Russ was on jury duty Wed. so he could n't get out to practice. It was windy but I managed 69 out of 75, so felt I am ready for him, Sun the 12th.

We plan to head for Montana on Wed. the 15th of May and stay ' til the first week of June when we'll go to Penna. for most of the summer. I plan on going to the Grand American Trap Shoot at Vandalia, Ohio for a week in August. Shot there in '88 and had a great time even though I didn't win anything. Got my name in Trap & Field Magazine for a 93 out of a 100. Big Deal, eh Sincerely Bob Smith..... AAA Bullshooter ) passed away last A very sad note however, Bob Michel Marion Bob was our TOP GUN, TOP SKEET, TOP TRAP, TOP EVERYTHING April. at Hershey last year. We will sorely miss him. John Callamaro has suggested TARPA name the COS shoot The Bob Michel Memorial Ed. Note Bob, Can't imagine calling it anything else.

Shoot".

MORE ON "BOAT VS SHIP" From ED TONER, (MARLENE ) 52Newbury Rd. Howell, N. J. 0 731 Boat vs Ship isn't that clearcut.

Even the largest submarines are still called "'Boats". Goldy makes a fax good points.

To the right is a picture from a magazine about cargo "Ships".

Editors Note: This note from Ed was on a note pad called "Scratch Pad" and shoved the backside of a guy scratching his backside. Also, on the bottom was a stamp that read 'IMPORTANT S---". I would like to thank Ed for his Italian address and salutation, Grappa Vino "Guiseppie Feleciano, Editor". WOW! Ed, I always LOVED ROME!!

This photo, taken by the author, demonstrates not only the loading of a sailboat aboard the Wellington, but the fundamental difference between a "ship" and a "boat." Seamen will tell you that "a ship can carry a boat, but a boat can't carry a ship."

************************************************************************************************************* In 1988, the government collected about 400 billion in individual income taxes. With a population of about 250 million, this means that every man, woman and child paid $1600 each. In 1950, the government collected $17 billion with a population of 150 million only $113 per person !! Is this a spending spree or what ?

33

Grappa Vino, Augusta, 1991, Continuaro, HERB BECKER, (RUTH), 3200 Willow Creek Rd. Prescott, Az. 86301 Herb Becker has been nominated for Flight Instructor of the The Year for 1991. Nominations are submitted to the FAA FSDO's. awards are sponsered by the AOPA Air Saftety Foundation, FAA, GAMA and the NBAA. This award is to recognize general aviation professionals who make outstanding contributions to safety and the advancement of the industry.

As a flight instructor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Univer sity ( Arizona), since May, 1980, Herb has soloed over 174 stu dents and recommended 124 for Private Pilot Certificates. Herb was originally designated as a flight instructor in 1941 and worked for the Army Air Corps in Georgia instructing in Stearman PT-17s.

Herb flew as co-pilot with TWA on DC-3s, DC4s and Connies and as Navigator with TWA and United. He has been in aviation over fifty years.

His concentration in the area of new /primary students has been extremely effective in teaching this important area of early flight training.

As Herb turns 70 this year the wealth of aviation knowledge he brings to his flight students and the ERAU has had a profound positive impact.

All TWA TARPA Members laud Herb in this continuing effort to bring new pilots into the Fantastic world of Aviation. The Right Good luck to you Herb and we sincerely hope the nomination WAY. becomes the Award you so richly deserve.

MRS. ADOLPH M. URBAS (JEAN) Rt.3, Box 83A, Fontana, WI. 53225 Since Adolph doesn't get around to writing, I feel his friends would like to know that Adolph still enjoys flying a Cessna 172, which son Bob Urbas, Captain, Midway Airlines owns.

Quite a few TWA off-spring are Piloting Midway Airlines Our daughter Susan is a litigation Attorney with a top Aircraft.

Chicago (NY and Dallas) law firm. I'm busy selling Real Estate in and Wisconsin and studying for a Private Pilots License. I Ill. should also mention that Adolph sails his Sea Ray boat (Ship or Boat) off the Shore Station in our beautiful Geneva Lake, DAILY. Thank We both enjoy and appreciate the TARPA publication. you all for your work on our behalf.

Most Sincerely, Jean Urbas *** But ven he vash asleep in ped, So quiet as a mouse, I prays der Lord, "Dake anyding, But leaf dot Yawcob Straus.

By....Yawcob Straus

34

Grapevine, August, 1991, Con't JAMES ROLLISON, ( BETTY), 4115 Skyhawk La. Vacaville, Ca. 95688 Betty Rollison became a member of the Chinook Salmon Club, Rogue River in Hay. This sucker was a 33 pound Salmon from the Rouge River, Gold Beach, Oregon.

Ed. Mote: Sorry Jim, Looks to me as though Betty is holding the fish as close to the camera as she can to make it look bigger !! How about a side view ? Just kidding....

DOM

DI GERONIMO , ( LEE) , 22 Rhodes Dr. New Hyde Park, NY, 11040

John, I spotted that sly mention of going to Colorado. All I can say is that we will try. I would like to say HELLO to all my fellow retirees and wish them good health, especially to those who may be having a problem now. Stay with it.

Lee and I have been pretty much "stay at homes". Lee is not a good traveler. ( Sounds like my bride Bette, Dom) We do go back and forth to our winter home in Clearwater, Fl. That is about the extent of our trips. It sure is a pleasure to read about others, in TOPICS . Brings back fond memories of the wonderful people I had the privilege to "work" with. If I do not get to Colorado Springs, please pass along my HELLOS to everyone.

Yours Truly, Dom. PS Did Arlie Nixon really get married ? ( See page 31 May Topics)

35

Grapevine, August, 1991, Con't.

EARL HEINRICH (FRANCES) 34 Amherst Dr. Massapequa, NY 11758 We are just about finished on the house in Illinois, which we started remodeling last May, 1989. I did about one half of the inside work. Did the yard in late August and moving grass at the end of September ('90).

We were in III. all of November for quail hunting but it was warm and dry. In the '60s in the middle of the day. Hard on the dogs but went out from 07:30 to about 09:00 and did get. in some shooting.

Earl and Frances Heinrich 'JACk' O.H. HANSOM (DOROTHY), 2822 Wright Ave. Melbourne, F1 32395 As I go through the TOPICS for the 'umpteenth time it dawned on me how important it is to keep TARPA healthy, especially in light of the TWA situation. I am another Eagle who wants to contribute to what may be our only Bourse of news about our fellow Airmen.

Sincerely, Jack BOB LANG (ANGELA), 641 Blue Ridge La. Mahwah, NJ, 07430.

The following is a description of a fantastic trip through the Panama Canal with TARPA Travel Directors Pat and Chuck Hasler (the one 's' Hasler).

The saga began on Friday evening, the 26th of April at the hotel Pier 66 in Fort Lauderdale, Fl. At that time, the following TARPAN'S gathered to meet new friends and reminisce with old ones; Richie and Shirley Beighlie, Howie and June McClay, Tom and Vi Welch, Ken and Nell Hippe, Bob and Ruth Milford, Joe and Bette Peterson, Jim and Bobbie DeVeuve, Dave and Muriel Wadsworth, Jack and Donna Baker, Frank and Mary Lee Saylor, Bob and Angela Lang, George Miller and friend Marian Smith, Leon and Bonnie Pierson, Jeanette and Al Orandsaert and Chuck and Pat Hasler. One couple, Gene and Nancy Dolan were a last minute cancellation due to illness.

The next day we boarded the Nieuw Amsterdam for a 14 day cruise through the Panama Canal with stops in Georgtown , Grand Cayman, Cartagena, Columbia, Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica, Acapulco and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The time spent in port varied from as little as six hours in Grand Cayman to over twelve hours in Costa Rica.

Each port had something different to offer. The ladies seemed to especially enjoy Columbia as there was a virtual ! 'shopping frenzy' for emerald bargens in Cartagena Another favorite was the three hour (each way) bus and train tour from Puerto Caldera to San Jose', the Capital of Costa Rica, where we enjoyed a buffet lunch and visited the National Museum and the National Theater.

Con't.

36

Grapevine, August, 1991,

Con't.

Grandsaerts, Lanes, Haslers and a day of shopping in Columbia

Naturally, the highlight of the cruise vas the seven hour trip through the Canal and despite some morning shovers, most everyone remained on deck to watch the "iron mules" move the ship through the three locks.

Rest stop on the way to San Jose, Capital of Costa Rica

Con't.

37

Grapevine, August, 1991, Con't Another interesting aspect of the trip was that prior to entering the Canal, we had to drop anchor so that two scuba divers could check the ships hull for cocaine. Apparently, this has become a favorite way of slipping the drug into the United Mates, so now it is required that all ships that stop in Colum bia must have this search performed before entering the Canal. We also learned that the average price to use the Canal for a liner the size of the Nieuw Amsterdam was e 85,000 -one way. The money is paid UP FRONT in greenbacks, no checks or credit cards !!!

The eight days at sea were spent in a variety of ways but mainly by eating, eating, eating! However, there were many means of getting rid of those extra calories such as swimming, aerobic dancing, volleyball, deck tennis, jogging or just plain walking.

Our group was always well represented at Bingo and we had several winners including two who hit the big jackpot prize of the day.

Chuck Hasler enjoying one of the games aboard ship.

The cruise ended in Los Angeles on the 11th of May, with everyone well rested and well fed.

This was my third trip with the Haslers the others, Alaska and Africa) and I would like to plug their Tours. They both work very hard at keeping everyone happy and that is not always easy with a large group. Incidentally, Angela has already started "skimming" the butter and egg money towards the next Pat and Chuck TARPA TOUR !!!

Regards to All, Bob Lang ..............................

When I go on vacation, I don't make any decisions. The boss tells me when, the wife tells me where and the bankbook tells me how long.

38

Grapevine, August, 1991, Cont.

FROM AMAL RESSEGGER (BILL),11360 Clow Corner Rd. Dallas, Or. To Joe McCombs.

I was deeply touched by your nice letter and your concern.

Bill often talked about the old days, during the war and TWA, with fond memories; memories of youthful, exciting days and of many people he befriended and cared so much about.

Bill was a good and loving husband and father and an honest man. We miss him.

Thank you for the Honorary Membership card in TARPA, which I gratefully accept and the contribution made in Bill's name.

Thank you and TARPA members for your expressions of sympathy and your condolences.

Sincerely, Amal Ressegger * ELLA LARSON,

(ROBERT), 513 Curtin Lane, Sonoma, Ca. 95476-6441

To Joe McCombs, Dear Joe; It was kind of you to write to me and thank you very much for the memorial to Robert in the TWA Pilots Retirement Founda tion.

I'm happy to be an Honorary Member in TARPA and will enjoy it very much.

I miss Robert very much, we had lots of fun together and more every day, I know what a remarkable man he was.

Sincerely, Ella Larson

TARPA TOUR DECO RATADION PARTY Left to right; BETTE PETERSON RICHIE BEIGHLIE JUNE McCLAY CHUCK HASLER PAT HASLER

39

Grapevine, August, 1991 ,

Con 't

few things can be In closing out the GRAPEVINE for AUGUST, said for keeping in touch except we were and are a GREAT GROUP. Not one of us is alike, thank GOD, but we all have one thing, definitely, in common---We are birds of a feather. 'Course there kinds of feathers, from the mighty Eagle to the tiny are all 'Hummer'. We need to flock together, as the saying goes.

Thankfully, we are not in the shoes of the Eastern and some other guys---yet---But the Real Eastern and the Real Continental And for that matter Pilots put it on the line for all of ALFA. Pilots under deregulation, Kennedy, Kahn and Entrepreneurs all and downright thieves.

Eastern has a publication like our own TOPICS called REPAr91 tee Retired Eastern Pilots Association). In their Spring ' in a section called 'Mail Box', there were over ONE HUN issue, DRED short notes and letters.

We have maybe from 350 to 400 at our Conventions each year, depending on many variables, but with approximately 1200 Regular members and 400 more Associate and Subscribers, the only way the folks that can't make the get togethers can stay in touch is through the TOPICS. Send in your notes and SHORT letters about your adventures with family and friends and memories of times long passed. We all enjoy the passed and present happenings of fellow TWA'ers and related Aviation friends. Help keep us all on the GRAPEVINE.

40

JOSEPH P. CARR, 280 Egret Street, Ft. Myers Beach, Fl. 33931 -4412 Even though the crush of the "snow-birds" has just begun to lessen, I stirred myself to fight the bumper-to-bumper traffic and get across the river to see Howard Hall. I hadn't heard about his recent illnesses so I was surprised to see him so thin--- but the sparkle is still there in his eyes and his voice was clear and strong.

In January, he was visiting an old co-pilot friend at Palm Beach and didn't see the step to the sunken living room. He fell and broke his hip. The doctors patched him up with a pin and a plate and he was up and about until an inflammation in his diver ticulum ruptured and he was back in the hospital while antibiot ics cleared up the peritonitis.

He had been home only a few days when I made my surprise visit so he hadn't had time to gain back some of the weight he lost on hospital food. But given that old Hall fighting spirit, I feel sure he will be up and at 'em again soon.

A photograph of Howard in front of a C-54, brought out the information that this was the first of that model provided to ICD and assigned to him to scout the weather around Newfoundland, Greenland and Iceland. I then recalled that Special Project and that it took us almost two years to get the Air Corps. to accept Hall's recommendations so we could fly westbound in the wintertime across the North Atlantic instead of the long route through Dakar to Natal and then across the South Atlantic.

Best Regards,

Joe

TARPA PANAMA CANAL CRUISE, April-May 91 OXEN WERE IN SHORT SUPPLY IN SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA, SO CHUCK HASLER AND JIM DEVUUE VOLUNTEERED TO HELP OUT. OBVIOUSLY A MOST ENJOYABLE TOUR!

"What is your profession?' asked the cannibal chief. "I was editor of a newpaper," replied the American captive. "Good!" smiled the cannibal chief. "Tomorrow you be editor-in-chief."

41

TWA

SENIORS CLUB

TWA SENIORS CLUB MEETS ON HOTEL QUEEN MARY - ELECTS OFFICERS The TWA Seniors Club met on the Queen Mary at Long Beach, May 14-15, for its Annual General Meeting. Captain Joe Brown represented TARPA at the Board of Directors meeting May 13-14.

Over 600 attended the concluding banquet and dance, which was held in the dome housing Howard Hughes` famed "Spruce Goose". By all accounts, it was an outstanding convention, with dramatic decorations in the dome featuring a huge TWA logo constructed of red and white helium balloons.

The 1991 AGM was sponsored by the Southern California chapter of the Seniors Club, with Captain Lum Edwards as Chairman of the arrangements committee. Next year the AGM will be on May 18-19, 1992, in Orlando, Florida.

Officers elected for the 1991-92 term were: Captain Bill Dixon, re-elected president; Tom Sawyer, first v.p.; Robi Mueller, 2nd v.p.; Emmet Condon, re-elected international v.p.; Irvin Sutter, public relations v.p.; Larry Gardner, treasurer; Helen Litvak, secretary. Dorothy Bush continues as immediate past president.

Gordon Parkinson is life-time chairman emeritus.

TARPA CANAL CRUISE MIDNIGHT BUFFET WAS SERVED EVERY NIGHT IN CASE YOU HERE STILL HUNGRY!

42

PARKY'S CORNER Saturday morning, May 4th, no golf today - it's raining - we are now in a rain cycle knocking out golf 3 days a week.

I'm having a hard time trying to follow the post office directions on how to address mail. I don't have any solutions re TWA and Icahn but did run across a quote which gives a thought on the problem; "Never argue with a fool, that only proves you are both fools". The news gets worse though a financial analyst said on TV the other evening that TWA would probably last 5 more years with Icahn and maybe 6 more years with Kerkorian.

I had a very enjoyable time with my youngest daughter, Melody, in Port St. Lucie, Florida, where her husband, Bob Floyd, is coordinator of the New York Mets minor league baseball operations. Jim Thrift is one of his assistants and Syd Thrift is his father. Syd ran the Royals Baseball Academy in Florida then was general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, then the New York Yankees, but didn't get along with Steinbrunner so he quit. Syd has now written an excellent 000k, "The Game According to Syd" and it has some of the best ideas on "positive" management I've read. Syd is supposed to be sending me 2 copies. Syd has some good ideas on colors, lighting for an office, et al from Dr. Ott. For example, the underside of the bill on baseball cap should be gray and now almost all , baseball teams do that. I'm going to get some gray cloth today for my golf caps, also gray sun glasses.

At the TWA Seniors annual meeting on the Queen Mary, we had a meeting of the Board of Directors and all Chapter Presidents and several suggestions were made that we send get well cards to some that were not doing too well. Finally someone suggested we send one to Jim Hendrix wishing him a speedy recovery. Then we heard he had died that morning; May 14th. Re-checking after a break, we found that he had passed on that morning and they were positive about it so I added that to the card and sent it to his "widow" with our sympathy. Yesterday I received a letter from Jim (copy enclosed)...It was suggested I send it to you, thought the whole story might be good for the next issue of TARPA TOPICS. I am going to dig up some early days info for Les Burns, son of Art Burns, and will send. Art was a great Captain who left us in 1936. He and his wife were divorced when Lee was 1 year old and pictures and stories of Art were thrown away. Lee is now a retired Lieutenant Colonel living at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

And the letter from Jim Hendrix to Parky; As Mark Twain said, "The report of my death has been greatly exaggerated ".

Appreciate your kindness and concern. Considering I've been feeling pretty good - no nausea and mo pain. The chemotherapy causes a lack of stamina and strength.

Nothing functions quite up to snuff. Don't hear as well as I should, can't read very long at a time, concentration not too good etc. Have numbness in my fingers which bothers my writing and can't type at all. Still no major complaints so feel fortunate.

Probable cause of the confusion; We had reservations on the Queen Mary but had to cancel as my chemo session fell at that time.

Anyway, thanks for your thoughtfulness. Depending how well this chemo-theraphy works I'll be around for a while yet.

From Joe Brown - Lake of the Ozarks Eliese and I had a great experience on Memorial Day weekend.

We drove to Columbia, Mo Regional Airport in our 1966 Chevrolet convertible and joined the "Save a Connie" group, who had come from MKC, for the air show. It was quite a show!!!

An estimated 30,000 people attended, despite threatening weather, and I think all of them went thru the Connie in the course of the day. I wore my uniform (still fits) and had my picture taken in the cockpit with Frank Fitzgibbons just for nostalgia.

The people who fly "37 Charlie" and work on refurbishing, repairing and maintaining her are a dedicated group.

Several have not missed an airshow since the group was formed and many more spend all of their spare time working on her at MKC during the week. She's a real beauty and a credit to these people.

On Sunday evening we attended a banquet, along with the Save-A-Connie group, honoring all Veterans. Among those honored was the pilot of one of the B-25's that flew from the Carrier Hornet on the bombing raid over Tokyo. Also there was the Chinese gentlemen who rescued him after he crashed landed in China. It was truly a memorable evening.

On Monday, with the top down and threatening skies above, we were a part of the two hour long parade down the main streets of Columbia.

We were assigned the Korean War Veterans from STL. When the marching got too much for them, they hitched a ride which was one of the reasons for our being there. Right before we got to the reviewing stand, our Connie flew over the parade route on her way back to MKC. What a spectacular sight to see!!!!

In addition to Fitz the other crew members were Capt. Al Gettings as F/0, Capt Richard Neilsen as observer and F/E Wil Crawford.

F/As Patty Burke and Zana Allen were in uniform of Connie days, including spike heels brown and white spectator pumps.

F/Es Stan Scoggins and Willie Davis drove up from the Lake of the Ozarks for the day to join in the festivities.

Here is an excerpt from the Seniors Newsletter with a schedule of Connie airshows.

Many of the dates have passed but it will give you an idea of how active the group is and may entice you to join the group.

44

From Joe Brown The SAVE A CONNIE Corporation is a very active, enthusiastic group which is doing an excellent job of restoring a Super G and have now added a Martin 40A to their "fleet".

They are busy acquiring hat rack sections, Flight Attendant Manuals, covering seats and making curtains, and making bookings to attend air shows. They are looking for any special tools or parts for the Martin. If you have any, or know of any, please contact SAC at 816 421-3401.

If you would like to see these regal old planes when they may be in your area, their Air Show Schedule is as follows -JUNE

1-2 8-9 14-16 22-23 29-30 JULY 12-14 20-21 26-Augl AUGUST 1 24-25 24-25 31-Sepl-2 SEPTEMBER 1-2 7-8 OCTOBER 4th

London, Ontario (confirmed) Kalamazoo, MI (confirmed) Oklahoma City, OK (confirmed) Wilkesbarre, PA (confirmed) Mt Carmel, IN (confirmed) Rogers, ARk (confirmed) Muskeegan, MI (confirmed) OSHKOSH, WI (confirmed) OSHKOSH, WI Springfield, IL (pending) Cape Girardeau,MO (pending) Toronto, Canada (pending) See line above Harrison, ARk (confirmed) Downtown KC Airport (confirmed) Clipped Wings International Convention.

Both the Connie and 404 will attend.

To receive their Newsletter and follow the progress of the restorations, send $10 per YEAR ($15 Foreign) to - Save a Connie, Inc., P 0 Box 9144, Kansas City MO 64168. A Regular Membership is $10 per MONTH or $110 per year.

JOE BROWN LEFT SEAT FRANK FITZGIBBONS RIGHT SEAT CONNIE 37 CHARLIE

45

From Joe Brown (again) - Lake of the Ozarks Eliese and I attended the Seniors Convention in Long Beach this year and I am sure it will have a lasting memory for accommodations on the Queen all those who attended.

Our Mary were very British. Wednesday evening, after enjoying a cocktail hour given by the TWA Credit Union, we (all 620 of us) had a sit down banquet under the wing of Howard Hughes Spruce Goose.

Thousands of red and white balloons decorated the area with the TWA logo as a backdrop for the orchestra.

You can't afford to miss any of these conventions for they get better each year. Our hats off to Capt "Lum" Edwards.

TARPA's I attended the Seniors BOD meeting as representative.

TWA no longer donates to the support of the Also, TWA will no longer Seniors Annual General Meeting. print and mail the Seniors bi-monthly newsletter. It will be mailed only to dues paying members of the TWA Seniors Club.

Address etc. below:

Effective Jan 1, 1992 the TWA Seniors dues will be $10.00 per year.

The Annual Wickenburg Round-up is scheduled for Oct 31 and Nov, 1 and 2. Your registration should be sent to: E.C. "Curt" Twing 5108 E. Tunder Phoenix, AZ 85044

by Sept 1st. Include names, address & phone number.

46

BULLETIN BULLETIN BULLETIN STOP PRESS---IMMEDIATE ATTENTION Would you like to see the L-1049G Constellation at the TARPA Convention? Would you be willing to contribute MONEY toward getting it to Colorado Springs? Before you say no, read on. The Connie can only fly whenever the cost of fuel, oil and crew rooms is paid for by the event which it attends. SAC tries to cover all other costs by public tours through the airplane at $2.00 per person ($5.00 per family) and the sale of related i tems such as caps, T-shirts, pins, etc. on the scene.

It will require $5,500.00 to pay for the flight and crew costs. That comes to a tax-deductible average donation of only $12.50 from each of the 440 people expected to attend the convention. Each convention donor will, of course, get a free tour of the airplane.

The COS FBO has promised free parking for Connie and to allow the public entry for tours through his facilities. Local press and TV coverage will be pursued to encourage local participation. As an included "freebie", Gordon Hargis will plan to attend the convention in the P-51 Mustang

"

StrawBoss 2 " and

display it beside the Connie. This will be subject to A/C availability and "Over-the-Rockies" weather conditions. An Alexander EagleRock may also attend for display.

Connie would arrive COS early Thursday, hopefully with a hotel flyover for photos, be on display Thursday, Friday and Saturday, departing late Saturday.

Send your check for $12.50/single or $25.00/couple to: Save A Connie Attn: COS Project P.O. Box 9144 Kansas City, MO 64168 In the event of insufficient participation and cancellation of the trip, all donations will be returned to the senders. Of course, donations from any TARPA member for this and any other SAC projects are welcomed. Those interested may subscribe to the monthly SAC bulletin for $10.00 per year to the above address.

47

Letter to Russ Derickson from Russ Means Thanks for the "B" Fund formula. I had 40 copies made and have distributed them in the KC area.

Enclosed is the latest company Trustee addresses and phone numbers for TWA Retirees.

I did call Brian Leddy of Equitable for an assurance that my "A" Fund annuity was in fact paid for. Brian assured me it was and the company responded by letter to that effect. Copy enclosed.

Above mentioned letter Mr. Russell Means - Re: Group Annuity Certificate AC5984-5023 - This is in response to your recent inquiry.

Retirement benefits, in the form of 50% Joint and Survivor Life Annuity, were purchased for you by your former employer T.W.A. under a Group Annuity Contract with the Equitable. The monthly benefit you receive is guaranteed by the Equitable, and will not be impacted by any subsequent financial problems associated with T.W.A. If we can be of any further assistance, please feel free to contact us.

Sincerely, Maureen Brosman, Manager.

TAKEN ABOARD NIEUW AMSTERDAM, TARPA PANAMA CANAL CRUISE Front row, left to right; SHIP'S HOTEL MANAGER, Jeanette Grandsaert, Marian Smith (friend of George Miller), Shirley Beighlie, Richie Beighlie, Ship Captain, Chuck Hasler, Pat Hasler, Bette Peterson, Ruth Milford, Bob Milford.

2nd row; Al Grandsaert, Bobby DeVeue, Vi Welch, Bonnie Pierson, June McClay, Donnie Baker, Nell Hippe, Joe Peterson, Bob Lang.

Row 3; George Miller, Jim DeVeuve, Tom Welch, Leon Pierson, Howie McClay, Jack Baker, Ken Hippe and Angela Lang.

Missing from picture; Dave and Muriel Wadsworth, Frank and Mary Lee Saylor.

48

TRUSTEE ADDRESS & PHONE LIST FOR TWA RETIREES CONTACT TELEPHONE

TRUSTEE / MAILING ADDRESS

Lori Gilkes Belinda Smith

203-636-5262 203-636-5259

Nancy D'appley James P. Oleksky

708-402-4341 708-402-5296

Lisa Robbins Daniel Sheridan

617-382-9892 617-382-9579

Equitable Life Assurance Society 200 Plaza Drive Secaucu s, NJ 07096

Brian Leddy

201-392-5581

John Hancock Life Insurance PO Box 111 Boston, MA 02117

Brian Woods Paul Sheehy

617-572-1711 617-572-1716 800-624-5155

Metropolitan Life Insurance One Madison Avenue New York, NY 10010-3690

Marie Giovanniello NY State Residents

800-638-6224 212-578-4766

Prudential Asset Mgmt. Co. PO Box 5320 Scranton, PA 18505

Lori O'Keefe Group Pension Dept.

Group #5119

717-341-6000 x 6532

AEtna Life Insurance Company 151 Farmington Avenue, MB43 Hartford, CT 06156 Allstate Life Insurance Company Allstate Plaza West, JlA 3100 Sanders Road Northbrook, IL 60062-7156 Boston Safe Deposit & Trust One Cabot Road, WT02G 1 155-5 .1 . . 'V

Shawmut Bank of Boston One Federal Street, 4th Floor Boston, MA 02211 Sun Life of Canada (U.S.) One Sun Life Executive Park Wellesley Hills, MA 02181

Rachel Schmooker

617-292-3847

Debbie Webster Group Pension Dept.

800-225-3950 x 6829

TWA BENEFITS PHONE NUMBERS FOR RETIRED EMPLOYEES Retirement/Trust/Annuity Plans Group Life Insurance Medical/Dental Coverage Under Age 65 Aetna Claims Office Pre-Certification for Hospitalization TWA Medical/Dental HMO Medical Coverage Over Age 65 Connecticut General Claims Office Age 65 Plus Plan - TWA 3/91 TRUSTEE 49

(816) 464-6447 (816) 464-6449

1-800-541-3682 1-800-541-3682 (816) 464-6445 (816) 464-6457 1-800-777-2141 (816) 464-6423

AIRLINE DEREGULATION: IMPACT ON HUMAN FACTORS W. H. Gunn, Ph.D. Captain T.W.A. (Ret.)

With nearly four decades as an airline pilot, half of which as a psychologist, I would hope that concurrence with the issues presented here would be likened to "delivering a sermon to the choir."

The destabilization of longstanding air carriers through bankruptcy, forced mergers, takeovers by corporate raiders, or piecemeal liquidation by financial entrepreneurs has inflicted untold stress on a skilled work force, at times impacting air safety. The demise of 193 carriers, as of 1989, that have entered bankruptcy or ceased operations since 1979 should suggest inordinate stresses on those so affected.

In citing "Failures of Airline Deregulation," Paul Steve Dempsey, Director of Transportation Law at the University of Denver College of Law, summarized the status of the deregulated industry by stating: "Airline transport is too critical to the productivity of the economy and the well-being of our citizens to abandon it to private concentrations of power." As a lawyer for the CAB before its demise, Professor Dempsey once favored deregulation! Perhaps the industry should be seen more as a public utility as opposed to a high corporate venture (Dempsey, 1990).

Advocates of deregulation defend the relaxed government surveillance of industry economics by citing statistics, which deny the notion that air safety has been compromised.

Statistically, economists find no impact on air safety coincident with the industry's economic anemia. Airline executives agree and defend their safety records. However, technical experts vow that "the margin of safety" has diminished since deregulation. Academicians suggest further study and research.

By definition, safety implies absence of risk exposure; however, in aviation with such a multitude of ever-changing variables, it defies statistical agreement among those with varying biases and data bases.

Dr. John Lauber, NTSB member, cautions that "absence of an accident does not demonstrate that safety has been achieved." Lauber defends the use of "anecdotal evidence" suggesting the establishment of a "set of leading safety indicators" similar to the "leading economic indicators" used by the business community (Steenblik, 1987).

In addressing the Aero Club of Washington, D.C., Lauber stated, "...our search for someone to blame takes real priority over our search for solutions, and this seems especially true in matters of aviation safety...performance of individuals never takes place in a vacuum, but always occurs within an organizational and cultural context" (Lauber, 1989).

John O'Brien, ALPA safety and engineering officer agrees suggesting study of a host of documented safety trend indicators for determining risk exposure (Steenblik, 1987).

Such safety indicators should intensify consideration of whatever psychosocial factors prevail as contributory variables in human performance error. Investigative findings could then be translated into more effective prediction, prevention, and proactive measures to enhance air safety.

Surely one must question "safer travel" when assessing those air tragedies where human error results from:

50

1) lack of crew experience or training; 2) maintenance neglect of aging aircraft; 3) breakdown of support resources due to economic downturns; or, perhaps uppermost, 4) psychosocial stresses impacting performance of operating personnel assigned critical tasks.

Jerome Lederer and John Enders, leaders of the Flight Safety Foundation suggest a variety of deleterious effects of deregulation on airline safety to wit: 1) increase in air traffic straining the ATC system and infrastructure (controller stress overload); 2) reduced financial ability of carriers to exceed FAA minimum safety requirements; 3) cutbacks in engineering and safety staffs; 4) cutbacks in medical and health maintenance staffs; 5) increased pressure to meet schedule demands; 6) relaxed maintenance and compliance with minimum equipment requirements; 7) increased flight crew duty time (fatigue); 8)decrease in average experience level of flight crews; (Steenblik, 1987) A monumental study comparing stress factors among pilots of a critically destabilized airline and a stable carrier was conducted by Little and Gaffney (1989). The study concluded: "when people issues are ignored on the work site...frustrations mount, ineffectiveness and accident proneness develop, and not just the worker, but the whole company suffers...and they suffer severely" (Little, Gaffney, Rosen, & Bender, 1989).

Pilots reporting "symptoms of stress 'frequently' or 'almost always' revealed significance (p.<.05) as follows: Table 1 Reported Stress by Pilots Employed by Unstable and Stable Airlines Unstable Airline (n=212) 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Feeling hopeless future Irritability Excessive anger Unable concentrate Decreased attention Accident proneness

17.9% 14.6% 5.2% 9.4% 9.9% 2.8%

Stable Airline (n=220)

4 .0% 8.0% 2.2% 2.0% 3.1% 0.2%

Note: Research data, Little and Gaffney, 1989 A further study of the "Aviation Research & Education Foundation" sought to assess those psychosocial factors of stress affecting adjustment in domestic, crew, company, personal, and flight operational matters. Patterned after the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale, results disclosed a rank ordering of stress in family and career areas (Table 2):

Table 2 Ratings of psychological stress in domestic, crew, company, personal and flight operational matters. Patterned after the Homes and Rahe Stress Scale, results disclosed: Setting

Mean (on a 5.0 scale)

Domestic Crew Company Personal Operational

3.1 2.8 2.3 2.3 1.9

Note: Lehrer, Erickson, & Gilson, 1990 Alkov concluded where "pilot error" was viewed as the major contributory factor in accidents, major stresses prevalent among the aviators centered around difficulties in coping with family, finances, or career decisions (Alkov, 1985).

Crisis management practices have threatened careers with a domino effect, heightening job strain for many. The concept of "job strain" was recently addressed by the AMA. Job stresses were defined as "a two dimensional construct for which high levels of psychological demand and low levels of perceived control (decision latitude) must both be present for strain to occur."

This controlled study found that with job strain, "significant physiological changes in blood pressure and structural changes were a risk factor for working men." These physical findings coupled with emotional stresses should be seen as increasing the risk of task error. (Schnall et al, 1991).

To appreciate the disturbing effects on airline employees, particularly flight personnel, two job factors, seniority and job security are potent determinants in work satisfaction and adjustment.

SENIORITY: determines advancement, duty assignments, pay rates, vacation, domicile preferences and overall working conditions. Pilots live by their seniority, which is not transferable when leaving a carrier, for whatever reason.

JOB SECURITY: labor protection is nil in the aviation industry since the demise of the CAB and salary assistance is non-existent, unlike other organized labor groups vis-a-vis the auto industry. The feeling prevails their job is a lifetime investment not easily transferred.

Aviation skills, so specialized, rarely adapt to non-aviation employment.

Job erosion in skilled technicians is reflected in the more than 10 percent reduction of mechanics per aircraft among ten major airlines from 1982 to 1987 (Dempsey, 1990). Flight crew concern for equipment safety appears justified.

Less tangible factors such as morale and teamwork diminish in an unstable, stressful atmosphere wherein individuals perceive little or no control of their destiny.

52

Mergers, even when careers remain intact, threaten long cherished traditions held dear by dedicated airline workers. Pride is taken in company excellence and public image. Affection for emblems, logos, and corporate colors are symbolically reminiscent of school allegiances.

Imagine the impact on students (and alumni) were a forced merger of "Buckeyes and Wolverines" to take place in academia.

Conflict prevails among commingled employees. Seniority grievances endure painfully.

For flight operations, varied policies and procedures intensify crew coordination problems.

Airline cockpits are intolerant of conflict or confusion.

As an airline pilot I've had more than a casual concern for each airline disaster as it occurred. I find it appalling when probable cause findings focus on the crew behavioral faults in explaining "what happened " factors, rather than assessing "why it happened. " Crew selection screening processes target those more emotionally predisposed to tolerate stress. Rarely are psychosocial job stress issues addressed as causal factors in determining the "final causes" of air carrier accidents.

A review of post-deregulation airline disasters affirms the assertion that psychosocial stresses, lack of training and/or experience, or diminished economic resources were significant factors in many tragic mishaps, but were benignly considered as attributes of deregulation.

Consider the following: CASE #1: Air Florida B737 Washington National Airport on January 13, 1982. 70 passengers and four crew fatalities, plus four fatally injured on the ground.

NTSB probable cause: "Flight crew's failure to use engine anti-ice during ground operation and takeoff...and limited experience of the flightcrew in jet transport winter operations. " This tragedy was depicted by "live TV coverage" ad nauseam. Of little mention was the fact that Air Florida had expanded abruptly from an intrastate carrier (within Florida) to interstate, and even international carrier status as a sequel to the ease of entry afforded by deregulation. Such operation change led to crew training/experience deficits.

CASE #2: NWA DC-9 at Detroit Metro Airport on August 16, 1987. 148 passengers and six crew fatalities. One survivor.

NTSB probable cause: "Flight crew's failure to use the check list to ensure that the flaps and slats were extended for takeoff. Contributing to the accident was the absence of electrical power to the airplane takeoff warning system which thus did not warn the flight crew that the airplane was not configured properly for takeoff. The reason for the absence of electrical power could not be determined."

Extraneous factors: Captain and copilot were ex-Republic Airlines employees displaced in seniority (by the merger) and assigned domicile choice of Detroit or Minneapolis from Phoenix.

The Captain was further demoted from B757 equipment to DC-9 with attendant pay loss and career setback.

Cockpit voice recorder data documented gross distraction from the taxi and takeoff procedures by the cockpit crew commiserating career changes since the merger. Even when focused on operational matters, concern with NWA policies, as differed from Republic, suggested confusion and uncertainty in departing procedures.

Experience and training was not a factor as in the Air Florida accident. Concerns of seniority and job security plus operating policy differences must be viewed as distractive concomitants to this tragedy.

53

CASE #3: Midwest Express Airlines at Milwaukee, Wisconsin in September of 1985. 31 fatalities including crew.

NTSB probable cause: Improper crew management of engine failure on takeoff, implicating a shortfall of training or experience, or both!

Extraneous factors: Not addressed in the investigative findings was the origin of the carrier by a large corporation with nil experience in airline operation. Startup with aged equipment and minimal airline or turbojet experienced personnel must be viewed as a major contributing factor.

The demise of the CAB with deregulation resulted in an "ease of entry" and questionable determination of "fitness" for certifying new air carriers. Shortage of FAA inspectors to meet the burgeoning industry expansion left voids in the investigative and certification process of new entrants.

In reporting an accident by Aloha Island Air on October 8, 1989, where training and experience factors were questioned, the NTSB acknowledged "...insufficient oversight of rapid operational expansion" (Golbey, 1991).

CASE #4: CAL DC-9 takeoff at Denver on November 15, 1987. 28 fatalities including two pilots and one flight attendant.

NTSB probable cause: "Captain's failure to have the airplane deiced a second time after a delay before takeoff that led to upper wing surface contamination and a loss of control during rapid takeoff rotation by the first officer. Contributing to the accident were the absence of regulator or management controls governing operations by newly qualified flightcrew members and the confusion that existed between the flightcrew and air traffic controllers that led to the delay in departure."

Again, a blaring lack of experience wherein the total time of Captain and First Officer was less than 100 hours on the DC-9 model being operated. A combination of mergers and bankruptcy action by the carrier accentuated the need to meet schedules with marginal and minimally trained flight crews. A management view acknowledged such conditions were "not unusual in a rapidly expanding industry."

CASE #5: US AIR B737 failure of aborted takeoff at LaGuardia on September 20, 1989.

Two fatalities, 61 survived.

NTSB probable cause: Findings determined that confusion in procedures played a major role in determining "pilot error."

Prior to the accident, US AIR merged with financially distressed Piedmont Airlines, which required scheduling "mixed crews" from the two airlines. The US AIR Captain, in allowing the Piedmont-trained copilot conduct the takeoff, met with a "confusion of task responsibility" for aborting takeoffs.

The reaction delay led to a runway runoff with major aircraft damage and two passenger fatalities. Commingling of crews does not lend itself to effective cockpit management.

The problem of aging fleet since deregulation must be viewed as exacerbating stresses on the air crews as well as the air frames. Spectacular examples continue to proliferate.

1) Aloha Airlines Flight 243 of April 28, 1988, a high-time-cycled B737, suffering outer skin and structure fatigue became an "open air cabriolet" with the loss of one cabin attendant.

Heroic performance by the pilots managed a skillfully safe landing with their traumatized passengers.

Probable cause cited "failure of the Aloha Airlines maintenance program to detect the presence of significant disbanding and fatigue damage...."

2)UAL B747 out of Honolulu experienced a cargo door failure with a loss of nine passengers through the gaping hole spanning three rows of cabin seats. Again, skillful management by the cockpit crew resulted in a safe return and landing.

54

3) A more dramatic scenario was played out repeatedly, "live and in color" by the media, of the UAL DC-10 crash landing at Sioux City, Iowa. Magnum force skill by the flight crew with superb support from ground rescue forces resulted in a miraculous saving of more lives than the 111 fatalities. Hull damage was a total loss.

The cockpit crew had only engine thrust for control of turns and altitude following a serious turbine failure in the tail-mounted engine severing all hydraulic flight control lines.

Undetected engine turbine fatigue was determined a contributor to the failure. Aging and laxed preventive maintenance cannot be ruled out.

CONCLUSION Human error confounded by mechanical faults are legendary in aviation safety. In truth, the human factor extends well beyond the cockpit. The chain of responsibility for air safety links a multitude of players from original research, manufacturing and certification, FAA inspection surveillance, ethical industry management with dedication to safe operating policies and procedures, coupled with care in selection, training, and skill maintenance of the workers.

Pilot error should be viewed as a result of precipitous factors, not a cause! The effects of personal psychological stresses impacting crew performance is all too often ignored.

Where human behavior is deemed a precipitant to accidents, internal personal stresses should be considered along with all external situational factors in fairly assessing accident causation liability. Assigning cause as human error is a gross injustice where "extraneous" factors are ignored.

References Dempsey, P. S. September, 1990. Failures of airline deregulation. Air Line Pilot. p. 22.

Steenblik, J. W. September, 1987. Debate without dialogue. Air Line Pilot . p. 27.

Lauber, J. K. June, 1989. Human performance and aviation safety. Air Line Pilot. p. 10.

Little, L. F., Ph.D. Gaffney, I.C., M.S., Rosen, K.H. M.S., Bender, M.M., Ph.D. Address 42nd International Air Safety Seminar, Athens, Greece. November 1989.

Lehrer, H.R., Erickson, L.K., Gilson, R.D. June/July 1990. Pilots identify stress. Air Line Pilot p. 22.

Alkov, R.A., Gaynor, J.A. Pilot error as a symptom of inadequate stress coping. Aviation Space Environ. Med., 1985, p. 244-7.

Schnall, P. L., M.D. et al. April 11, 1991. Relationship between 'job strain' work place blood pressure. Journal American Medical Association.

Golbey, S. B. March 1991. Retrospective. AOPA PILOT, p.110.

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I' m Not Old. . . I'm Merely Mature!

FLOYD VALENTINE sent this in.

Tax collector: "You should pay your taxes with a smile." Pete: "I would but you insist on money".

A street cleaner was fired because he couldn't keep his mind in the gutter.

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Sent in by Gene Gifford

Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

Capt. A. T. Humbles Belhaven, NC

Hank Gonzales The Richest Man in Mexico

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"To fly west, my friend, is a flight we all must take for a final check. "

Flying West

By Michael J. Larkin

B-26 reunion relives ups and downs of fabled bomber.

By Robert A. Erlandson [Joe Brown's sister sent him this article which appeared in the Baltimore Sun on April 21, 1991 which he sent on to me. I am sure some of our members will be interested. Russ Derickson flew B-26's during the Great War] They're nearly 50 years older. They've gained a few pounds, lost a few steps and a lot of hair. But the crews' memories are still green: bombing runs under heavy antiaircraft fire, beating back Nazi fighter attacks, bringing planes back with an engine on fire and even being shot down.

After a shaky start, the B-26 Martin Marauder became World War II's first "hot" bomber. And even though "Carolyn", the only Marauder still flying didn't make it to the reunion, hundreds of the men who built, maintained and flew the planes were in Baltimore yesterday to pledge loyalty to its memory.

Twin-engined Marauders started rolling off the Glenn L. Martin assembly line in Middle River in 1941. "It was on the cutting edge of technology at the time; it had a lot of firsts," said retired Major George W. Parker, 68, of Columbia, Missouri, President of the 2400 member B-26 Marauder Historical Society. He was a 62 mission pilot over Europe.

The 3 day reunion, which brought about 1500 people to Baltimore last week, was a B-26 first. Major Parker said yesterday individual B-26 bomb groups and Squadrons hold frequent reunions, "but this is the first time we've gotten all the B-26 people together."

Most Marauder crews were used to pound European targets, although some distinguished themselves in North Africa and the Far East.

The French Air Force and the Royal Air Force also flew B-26's and both countries were represented during the reunion at Baltimore's Marriott Inner Harbor Hotel and at Martin State Airport.

Pilot George B Fallon, 66, of Towson, MD, and turret gunner Clarence Syford, 72, of Owings Mills, who count themselves strong "Marauder Men" were in the Baltimore contingent. Mr. Fallon, who went on to a career as an aeronautical engineer at the Martin Company and IBM flew the first of his 65 combat missions in the 387th Bomb Group on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

"That first mission was very easy, but in two or three days the bad weather closed in and it got tougher. We were flying at 2,000 to 3,000 feet instead of 10,000.

We were worried about getting hit by our own fire," Mr. ' ,anon said. In 1945, he was shot down over Germany and spent the three months until V-E Day in a prison camp.

What was his worst memory of World War II? Not his captors; "They treated us well. We got Red Cross packages and they fed us rutabaga and potatoes. I still like them, but I can't eat Spam. I hate it every way you can fix it," Mr. Fallon said.

Mr. Syford flew 72 missions as himself in a taxi heading to a was returning to England after missions. "My mother asked why

a top turret gunner. On D--Day, however, he found railroad station. The highly decorated flier a 30 day leave following his first 55 combat I was so upset and I said because we had done continued next page 60

B-26 Reunion in Baltimore all this softening up and now I wasn't there for the big day," he said.

On his 66th mission, Mr. Syford recalled, "We were leading a bombing run when the right engine was hit and started burning. We couldn't do anything because we were the leader and the other planes were marking on us."

When the second engine weakened, the pilot made an emergency landing near St. Lo, France. Mr. Syford said, "If it had been another type of bomber I would not be here. No other plane could take this kind of punishment to fly again and again."

The ex-airmen were disappointed that "Carolyn", owned by the Confederate Air Force in Harlingen, Texas, was forced down in Bluefield, West Virginia, with engine trouble and never made it to Martin State Airport for yesterday's ceremonial fly-past and ground inspection.

However, the huge tent set up at the airport was warm on a dank day with the friendliness of shared experience. The visitors did see an A-10 Warthog attack bomber, which performed well in the Persian Gulf War, an old T-6 trainer and a 1943 L-2B observation plane.

One man who spent a lot of time in Baltimore with B-26's is Capt. Harry F. Clark, 70, of Santa Maria, California, a retired TWA pilot who worked at Martin's as a civilian test pilot during the war.

"The B-26 was a beautiful aircraft, but you had to fly it. It was very light on the stick but very sturdy," said Captain Clark. He had two near-misses during testing that led to changes in the Marauders.

After an engine quit and he crash-landed on a runway - "The only time I ever scratched an aircraft," he said - it was found that a gauge showed a fuel valve open when it was actually closing under engine run-up pressure. In another accident, "rough paint" on one wing of a test model caused it to flip over in a stall.

The B-26 had a terrible early reputation because so many crashed in training.

Only experienced air crews could handle it successfully and at the time the U.S. was training rookie pilots. A U.S. Senate committee led by then-Senator Harry S. Truman recommended that production halt.

The wings were too short for the heavy, high-powered engines. The design was changed and production continued with ultimate success. Once the design was perfected, the Marauder went on to compile a sparkling record as a medium bomber that could swoop in over bridges, rail yards and enemy troop concentrations with devastating effect.

"That's what it was designed for, ground support," Major Parker said," and it did it."

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HARRY F. CLARK 2360 LAKE MARIE DRIVE SANTA MARIA. CALIFORNIA 93455 805-934-3406

05/23/91 Capt. A.T. Humbles Rt. 2 Box 2900 Belhaven, NC 27810 Dear A.T..

Thanks for sending the copy of the article. A friend also sent the clipping from the Baltimore Sun. When I returned home I had a message on my answering machine from Jimmy Fox, who was one of the test F/Es at Martin. He had received a copy of the article from a friend in BAL. I had not heard from Jimmy since about 1950 and had a nice long conversation with him when I returned his call. He is still flying for Pan Am--been there 26 years and says he will stay until they make him quit. He is instructing in the 747 simulator.

Also got to see Ray Nessly and Jimmy Taylor while in BAL-both of whom were test pilots at Martin. I had not seen them since 1944 when I left to join TWA. So far I have been able to locate only four of us who were pilots there during that time.

There may be more but as we went down the list it was pretty much the same answer--gone west.

I enjoyed the work at Martin and flying the B-26 and A-30.

It was interesting and challenging work and was experience which I have never regretted--although there were anxious moments on occasion .

The young reporter who interviewed me was very nice but seemed to have had limited aviation exposure.

The "stall" reference occurred while doing tests on a B-26. The B-26 had good stall characteristics--gave plenty of warning and had a nice clean break, falling straight ahead with no tendency to fall off to the right or left. In this instance, well before the time I expected the stall, it broke sharply to the right and did about 1/2 turn of a spin before I was able to recover. I thought that I must have not been paying attention, getting sloppy or something. I climbed back up and prepared to do another--this time alert and paying close attention--which I was sure that I had been the first time.

Again, well before the proper stall speed, with little warning, a sharp break and fall-off to the right. I tried several different combinations of flap settings, all with the same results--although it did seem to be worse with full flaps.

I advised the tower of my intention to land with less than full flaps since it was possible that the flaps were not properly rigged.

Pat Tibbs, the Chief Pilot, took the airplane out after they had checked flaps, etc. He had the same results that I had experienced.

After several tests they decided to put tufts 62

on the wings and photograph the results. This showed that the right wing was stalling well before the left. The paint on the right wing seemed to be rougher than normal so they removed the paint from the wing and then tried it and the stall was normal. I guess you could consider that further confirmation of the old admonition to not attempt a take off with frost on the wings.

The other incident was caused by an engine failure very shortly after takeoff. I had flown the airplane about 2 hours and all tests were satisfactory_ I had landed and returned to the runup block for a second takeoff. All power checks were normal and I started the takeoff. Shortly after liftoff I called for "Gear Up" and the F/E moved the gear handle to the up position. About that time the right engine quit cold.

I had applied full left rudder and aileron to try to keep directional control and had to reduce power on the left engine to keep control. It was obvious that I was not going far in that configuration so I decided to land straight ahead and had called "Gear Down" to the F/E. I knew the gear had not had time to retract so I hoped that it would have time to extend. I was settling toward the runway and again called "Gear Down" since I had not felt the gear touch the ground.

About that time the right engine started but by now we were cutting up the runway with the prop tips.

I took a quick glance out my left window and saw the sheets of sparks coming off the prop tips and immediately chopped the mixtures.

Had I not done that the blower drain would have dumped all of that fuel out into those sparks and it would have been rather warm in a short time.

While scooting along the runway and shutting off everything I could get my hands on I advised the F/E "Get ready to get out of here". He unlatched and opened his overhead hatch and started to stand up in the hatch. He had neglected to unfasten his throat mike and headset and these practically sat him down again in the seat_ Although I was as busy as a "one armed paper hanger" at the time trying to keep this thing under control I saw this out of the "corner of my eye" and believe I may have even chuckled_ He opened my hatch and was on his way out when I decided it was time to get out of this thing. I beat him to the ground!!!

There was minimal damage to the airplane. They jacked it up. put new props on it and started the right engine. To my chagrin it ran fine and continued to run. Remembering that the engine had started to run again when I had reduced the power on the left engine (I had both throttles in my hand and reduced the right equally with the left) I suggested running it up to full power. After a few seconds at full power the engine quit. Boy did I feel better.

They discovered that although the main fuel shutoff valve position indicator in the bomb bay indicated the valve was open the valve itself was not latched in the full open position and the combination of fuel pressure and vibration had moved it toward the closed position. Sufficient fuel was being supplied for a reduced power setting but not full power.

Procedures were changed to require a check of the valve to insure that it was latched in the open position. believe they may have modified the valve and linkage.

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The A-30 (Baltimore) was a nice flying airplane and had performance like a large fighter when it was empty. Being a tail dragger you had to pay close attention to it on the ground.

I usually made 3 point landings with it much like the DC-3.

They lost several of them during ferry operations when they had the bomb bay tanks installed. If you ground looped it and wiped out a gear this would rip open the bomb bay tank and usually cause a fire. It was a single pilot airplane with a navigator/bombadier forward of the pilot and the radio operator/turret gunner aft of the pilot. The French used them in the Africa campaign.

I enjoyed the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the first flight of the B-26 since it gave me an opportunity to see old friends and make some new ones. I thought Russ Derickson might show up but I never did see him. It was too bad that the CAF B-26 didn't make it. That was going to be the highlight of the whole event.

There were about 1500 people at the banquet and the big Civic Auditorium at the waterfront was filled to capacity.

The program had the usual speeches by politicians etc. In addition there was the Premier showing of a video about the B-26 called "THE B-26 STORY". Shortly after the beginning of the video there was a picture of a B-26 on the ramp with someone in the cockpit looking out the side window. I recognized the picture immediately since I had the picture at home and it was me in the cockpit. It was a picture that had been taken by the Martin Company. A short time later the picture appeared again with the narrator superimposed in front of the picture but there was no one in the cockpit.

The next day I saw Col. Tad Hankey, the man who put the video together and did the narration. I mentioned the picture with the person in the cockpit and that when the picture appeared again that there was no one in the cockpit. He replied "Yeah. we airbrushed him out. I said "That was me".

He turned to the fellow beside him who helped him with the video and said "You remember the fellow we airbrushed out? That's him standing there". I enjoyed the video very much--even if they did take the airbrush to me. It is a good story.

They also have available several videos that they have put together from the archives of different organizations--Martin. Air Corps etc.

While browsing thru the various items for sale at the event I picked up a book titled The Martin B-26 Marauder" by J.K. Havener.

While turning the pages I saw a picture of a B-26 with the left engine feathered, coming around the control tower at the Martin airport with the dead engine down. I recognized the picture since I was there when it happened and remembered the show that "Squeek" Burnette put on that day with the B-26. I guess I must have said aloud "I was there when that happened". A petite lady standing beside me said "My husband was flying the airplane". That petite lady was Evelyn Burnette, widow of Col. Vincent W. "Squeek" Burnett--one of Americas great pilots.

I first saw "Squeek" fly at an airshow in Clarksburg, WV. He had a J-5 Travel Air and did things with that airplane that proved that he was the master. I had seen a number of acrobatic pilots but none that could compare to him. He won 64

the Freddie Lund Trophy at Miami in 1939 which was to be one of many awards that he would receive during his lifetime. I tried to see every air show that I could when he was involved. talked to him at every opportunity and listened while he was talking to others. "Squeek " was from Lynchburg. VA and I had lost track of him until he showed up at the Martin plant that day. It was good to see that he had not lost his "touch". He became a technical advisor to Gen. Jimmy Doolittle and remained in that capacity throughout most of WWII. I recently received a nice letter from Evelyn Burnett in which she asked me to try to recall anything that I could about "Squeek".

She is in the process of writing a biography and would like to have as much input as possible from anyone who knew him during his flying activities.

As you can see the trip back to Baltimore was an eventful and enjoyable one for me.

I am still keeping busy here with the Santa Maria Museum of We have numerous projects under way and invite any Flight. of the gang to stop and visit the museum when they are in the area.

If you travel the coast road between LAX-SFO you pass right thru our area.

I have heard that there are TWA pilots who learned to fly or instructed at Hancock Field here in Santa Maria. We have a special section of the museum that we are dedicating to that era and would welcome donations of any memorabilia or artifacts which may be gathering dust. We would even accept restored vintage airplanes if you have any or even if they are in baskets--but prefer them restored. naturally.

A major studio filmed the flying scenes for their movie "Rocketeer" here at the Santa Maria Public Airport. They built several buildings for the movie which they donated to us rather than tear them down. We are in the process of trying to sell the 2 small (307140) hangars and grandstand.

We will keep the large hangar and move it across the airport to a position adjacent to our existing facility. This will give us about 5000 sq.ft. of much needed space for our disIf you see the movie watch for a red Great Lakes, plays. yellow Cessna Airmaster and cream Monocoupe. All belong to a friend here in Santa Maria. All of the extras came from the area and I have many friends who participated in the movie.

Our contract with the studio require that we not advertise who donated the buildings.

What started out to be a short response to your letter has wound up as quite a tome. Hope I haven't bored you.

Best regards,

Harry F. Clark HFC/tih

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ZAMBIA OIL LIFT From a portfolio by Bill Piper.

A small Country in Africa, Zambia, due to political and other problems was just about to run out of fuel oil. As a last resort, Zambia asked the World Bank for help, which was approved and the Zambian 011 Lift was under ray.

TWA and Pan Am each supplied one B-707 aircraft.

The Contract called for 222 trips from January, 1966 to 11 April, 1966. Pan Am started two weeks before TWA with three trips daily and TWA started with two.

-

TWA had three Crews, were given shots, anti-malaria pills, Meteor ology and Operations briefings, Flight plans from Madrid to Leopoldville, Jepp approach plates and boarded the 331C which was also loaded with two fork-lift trucks, a spare engine, wheels and tires, three sets at pallets and 'spare parts".

Ground personnel were from Paris, Rome Geneva and Frankfurt.

There were nine maintenance and six cargo people led by project Manager Oink Hill, DTI! from PHX. To get the operation going these talks worked 20 hour days initially.

Leopoldville had a 15000 ' runway and Elizabethville had 9000' at almost a mile high. The conditions at the Airport at E-Ville limited weight to 247,000 pounds. The original planning was to carry 112 barrels each trip but ground and flight crews stripped the A/C of all but the bare essentials, increasing the payload to 144 barrels. Of course there was no fuel at E-ville so they had to carry return fuel plus fuel to Lubana the Alternate 500 miles south.

The plan to Sly Malicite on the return trip was scrubbed because of costs.

Empty drums were carried back, and made a beautiful song on decent from altitude known as the "Song of the Drums" The time from "LEO' to E-ville averaged 2:10 either way, nil Doppler was winds, with TRW+ and 50 mile deviations common. invaluable. Traffic Control was "I'm here where are you?" as TWA and Pan Am were mostly the only traffic at jet altitudes. There was ILS and VOR at LEO and E-Ville and one VOR in between.

The Controllers spoke local dialect, French and marginal English.

Both airports had no high intensity runway lights, sequence flashers or VASI. You talk about your black holes at night, There were no ground lights in the vicinity of the airports.

On the ground at LEO the standard Boeing pallets are preloaded with 12, 55 gallon drums, fork-lifted into the aircraft, slid into place and locked down. Loading or unloading of the 12 pallets takes 45 minutes to en hour. One pound of fuel was burned (round trip) to carry one pound of oil to E-ville.

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The living at LEO was adequate but not like the Athens Hilton.

The Apartments and Hotel used were owned by the U.S. Embassy. The Water was a beautiful shade of brown and had to be boiled and/or filtered if used at all-The food was not all that bad but very expensive, dinner averaged $25. The going exchange rate was 437450 franks to the buck (150 Official).

Crews were on a One for Four plus two from JFK to JFK . The tour, two weeks at a time. Two round trips a day were flown and with three crews, each crew flew one trip per day for two days and the third day off. There wasn't a lot to do on that day off as the pool, golf course and tennis courts were an elusive rumor.

Bill Piper, on his days off spent time doing public relations work for TWA distributing 50 pounds of See America via TWA propa ganda, and showing 40 minute color films of TWA and the USA, football films of Penn. State supplied by Rip Engle and Server Toretti, to United Nations, State Dept., TWA & Pan AN, RCAF personnel and American School students. He also visited four Travel Agencies with the GOOD WORD. Just some of the people Bill talked to about the operation and possible future operations were Jay Gillespie and Andre Nusumbu of the US Information Service; Erv Wilde, Principal of the American School in LEO; Fran Weston Fenhagen, US Embassy; Aubert Kizito Mukendi Directeur of Air Conga. Jim Plinton, W. L. Trimble, Hr. Bob LeSpater, Mary Horstman, Manager of Flying New York; Force, Paris Sales and Dale Ecton of Advertising in New York.

TWA flew seven days a week, Pan Am flew five with weekends for maintenance.

TWA averaged 2.56 flights per day, FAN AN 2.15 PAN AM reportedly blew 50 tires and tore up numerous brake assem blies.

TWA didn't blow a single tire and changed brakes only on TWA scheduled maintenance. Pan Am averaged 6 landing per tire, 13.

Dink Hill as project director, maintained excellent morale, there was nil sickness, and the approximately 185 personnel who were on the operation at various times, had a wonderful and pleasurable experience.

How did the Oil get to Leopoldville ? It was loaded onto a tanker at Dahran Saudi Arabia, brought through the Suez Canal, around North Africa, south to the mouth of the Congo River, offloaded onto a barge and into 55 gallon drums, transported 150 miles inland on the Congo River, placed on trucks and driven to the Airport at LEO. Ho Check Rides, No FAA, No paperwork, One Dispatch Release on first trip, One Flight Plan in right seat pocket. Those were the days.

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68

NO PIE IN THE SKY

by Goldy Goldthorpe For most of us breakfast, lunch and dinner are routine. But for transportation people working on the line meals can be anything but...Like snacks in the hangar cafeteria, meal trays in the cockpit, corn beef in the caboose or steak and eggs at a truck stop. Never-the-Less you MUST eat.

Feeding the innerman on the line can be a serious matter. If the hogger haunt ordered the head shack to bend the iron at Wadlow siding to get the - peddler off the main so the entire crew could grab a bite without whistling out a flag, that little way-freight would have been in for a cornfield meet with a west bound string of varnish sure as shooting.

And if "Rusty Nail" who was rolling beck door to "Rubber Duck" and "Giddiap Co" hadn't pulled his eighteen-wheeler off the Rye-Hiner-Five at the Elkton Union 7A for chow and java, he might have bought the fern when the dream queen got to him.

Oh, I know, three fingers of Beechnut could have kept him awake too but with the floor boards of today's sharp Petes and K -Ws covered door-to-door with fancy carpeting?

NO WAY! Now take airline crews. On passenger flights they are fed more-or-Less on schedule.. that is they are fed when the customers are fed. But on cargo flights? That's something else again. Ground service may be ex p ert at filling the airplane's belly but not the crew's!

For example, when Capt. George (Cy) Gates and his First Officer were mid may between MKC and CGO they discovered that there was no food onboard their DC-3 cargo plane.

The tolerant Cy shrugged it off as one of those things but radioed CGO to be sure to put on some food there.

Although CGO replied in the affirmative when they took off for PIT they found the results were mostly negative. There was plenty of delicious coffee and a can of Carnation but no meats! Well, even El Exigente's best couldn't still the rumblings in that dedicated crew's digestive systems.

"Got anything to eat?" Cy asked the F/0 as he searched his own pockets and flight kit. Between them they came up with one Hershey bar without the nuts, a stuck together roll of Life Savers and two boxes of animal crackers the F/0 had bought for his kids. This helped...but not much.

Cy called PIT and laid down the law. They simply had to board crew meals for the final PIT-LGA leg.

But, unbelieveably, on takeoff they found that not only were there no meals..again, but CGO's delicious coffee had been replaced bye container of hot but tasteless THAT DID IT! Pittsburgh water!

Cy called Harrisburg.

"Harry? Is that airport restaurant still open? It is! Good! Have them whip up two orders of beef stew. And get us a clearance to land, too."

"I know; I know! We're not scheduled into BAR but we're coming in anyway. My Company clearance says: 'Subject to Captain's discretion' and my little, old discretion tells me we- just gotta eat!"

"No I don't care what Husak or even Hughes says. This is an EMERGENCY!" Next day the word got around and Cy became quite a hero to the troops. He had stood up for the rights of all crew members to be fed, even on cargo flights. Of course the word got around in official circles, too and Cy was called on the carpet.

Grounded. Two weeks off without pay!

Cy took it in stride.

"Most expensive meal I ever ate, that's for sure. But, you know, it was worth it.

Nobody, but nobody makes beef stew like they do at the Harrisburg airport!"

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June 24, 1991 Chuck Hasler Dear A.T., This is a letter of explanation ,to go along with the enclosed pictures taken on our Panama Canal Cruise, for those people who have not been on a cruise that has daily horse races. The miniature horses are usually made of wood and mounted on a pedestal. There are usually 6 horses and there are 6 lanes marked out across the dancefloor. Some ships ( like the Nieuw Amsterdam on our Panama Canal Cruise) use a dice cage, with three dice inside, to move the horses along. To go along with this there are 10 spaces marked out in each lane & the cage is turned upside down and the dice are dropped to the opposite end.

Each time a horses number comes up he advances a space. It sometimes happens that the same number comes up on all three dice and that numbered horse really goes ahead. The first horse to go ten spaces & then cross the finish line wins that race. They have about 6 races every day & the bets, odds, & payouts are the same as at your local racetrack.

About midway through the cruise these horses are put up for auction in preparation for the big race on the final cruise day. All of the auction money is put in a pot and given to the owner ( or owners ) of the winning horse. The horses are given to the owners the day before the big race. The owners take the horse & decorate it, name it, write a brief history about the horse & name a jockey who is also expected to dress with the horse's colors. Our TARPA group has always participated in the horse auction & had a great time. We each put in a certain amount of money ( this trip $10/ person ) & one person does the bidding. Our jockey is chosen by drawing names out of a hat from volunteers among our group. There is also a prize for the best dressed horse ( picked by applause from the audience ). Our horse is usually decorated at a decorating party by our group. Our horse this trip was named TWA & won the prize for the being the best dressed. Unforunately TWA lost by a nose in the big race & the pot was $ 1980, but we all had a lot of fun as you can see in the accompanying pictures.

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We read the following letter to the editor, Bill Malone, in the Eastern REPArtee news magazine, about the finest book we have seen put out by retired groups. The letter, we think, will be of interest to you. I wrote Capt. Foley for permission to reprint it in ours. His answer; Dear Capt. Humbles - I'm most flattered by your request to use my letter and would be very pleased to see it in your magazine. If, as you mentioned, you're able to send me a copy I'd be grateful.

Your address caught my eye. Years ago I used to live on a boat and went up and down the Intra-Coastal Waterway several times between Miami and New York and often tied up in Belhaven overnight. That was in the fifties. It probably hasn't changed much.

I'll say hello to Bill Malone for you. Be is certainly a fine gentleman.

[Hank, you probably docked at the River Forest Manor , a fine old ante-bellum mansion and marina with the fluted columns out front. Axon Smith ran it then and their rates and smorgasbord were famous. A little more expensive now days but still good. After a couple of nights when my wife, Betty, played Axon's player piano and sang he was all ready to hire her for his nightly entertainment.]

HANK FOLEY, 19100 SW 280th Street, Homestead, FL 33031 We've had another fine year at Tamiami Airport (also known as The Fountain of Youth). Our old stalwarts are still stalwarting along in great shape. Recently, after a long and tiring acrobatic coaching session, we met in the coffee shop for debriefing. While some of the younger fellows, all fagged out and bushed, were trying to recuperate, Monty Chumbley, now age 81, said, "Sorry, I'll have to leave early. I have a tennis date." I'm always impressed by the technical perfection of George Wills' photos of early Eastern aircraft. Between George's pictures and Art Furchgott's historical treasures, we're fortunate to have an authentic record of our Company. While looking at a picture of a Curtiss Condor, George and I got to musing over the changes during our lifetime. To think that just a few years ago, the airlines were using fabric covered airplanes. In the life span of our retirees, we've gone from horse and wagon to space craft. Truly an amazing generation. We pilots tend to think most often of the great advances in aviation: the speeds, load carrying, altitudes, electronics. But the changes in people's personal lives has been almost unbelievable (some would say horrifying). The thought stuck in my mind and for weeks I've been steering conversations with friends around to the subject. Some people that I spoke to about "changes" thought first of changes in vocabulary.

When we were kids, we heard words like rumble seat, button hook, rotogravure, rugbeater, ink-well, penny candy, but we had never heard of electric blankets, air-conditioning, TV, frozen foods, contact lenses, bumper sticker. Once while showing a group of kids around his airport, Dick Neubauer was trying to explain the use of weather maps and mentioned high and low pressure areas. Some of the younger boys who had grown up with digital watches and docks didn't understand what counter-clockwise meant. A neighbor brought me a Xeroxed copy of an article (author unknown). "Consider the changes we have witnessed. In our time, closets were for clothes, not for coming out of. We thought fast food was what you ate during lent. We were before gay rights, house husbands, computer dating. We 71

never hear of tape decks or yogurt. The term `making out' referred to how you did on exams. The 'hard stuff' was trigonometry. In our day, grass was mowed, coke was a cold drink, pot was something you cooked in, rock music was a grandma's lullaby and aids were helpers in the principal's office. Almost everyone, when considering changes, mentioned inflation. The usual accounts of their first used car for fifty dollars, fifteen cent a gallon gasoline, twenty-five dollar suits, a room at the Henry Grady or the Miami Biltmore for two dollars. Those of us that were hit hard by the depression shake our heads a the young people who believe that their spendable income for the month is their salary plus their credit card limit. I read of a credit card thief who was apprehended by the police. Upon returning one of the stolen credit cards to its owner, the police asked the woman's husband why he had not reported the theft. His reply was, "The thief was spending less than my wife had been." Herb Smith put it this way, "If I had my life to live over again, I'd do all the same things, but I'd need a heck of a lot more money." Closely related to inflation are medical and health care costs. There's a general feeling around that modern health care is just a system for transferring the savings of older folks to the medical industry or, as one person phrased it, "A means of turning the middle class into the elderly poor. People joke about it. What else can you do? They bring you into the hospital FEE first. The first test they perform is the insurance scan." At a local college they offered a course in writing. When a student asked, "What are the best paid writers writing these days?" The answer was, "Prescriptions." Then of course there are the changes in morality and behavior. Jack Lewis was concerned about the ethics of politicians, business men, bankers, lawyers, and so-called health care specialists. Of course there was plenty of wrong-doing in years past, but the scoundrels seemed to be more discreet, less greedy. One friend's comment comes to mind. "Notice how the word `honesty' is usually preceded by the words `old fashioned'." Probably most of our shell-shock about today's morals comes from news reports of young people's behavior. In today's city living, where no one knows or cares what anyone else is doing and with the sorry behavior portrayed in movies and TV, the mystery is how so many young people stay out of trouble. An apt comment I read somewhere, "Since the 1920's, the movies have gone from silent to unspeakable." Bill Preissner referred to the permissiveness trend in child rearing, fostered largely by Dr. Spock.

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According to Bill, Spock would change the Ten Commandments to the Ten Suggestions. I was chatting with John Randall and Nelda about an item in the paper about teen-age behavior and sex education. When I was a kid, we probably would have thought "sex education" meant learning to kiss without bumping noses. John's comment was, "Giving modern teenagers sex education is like giving a fish a bath."

Nelda said they had sex education at her school, but it was called "recess." A pilot listening to us said that the young people in his neighborhood refer to the place they go parking at night, not as "Lovers Lane," but as "Sex Drive." Another friend said that in his part of town, the birds and bees follow the teen-agers around taking notes. We old fogies have to be forgiven for being confused by modern marriage customs. In our younger years there was concern about rising divorce statistics.

That's all out of date now. The "old fashioned" couples today are not the ones who stay married, but the ones who get married. One captain who recently retired told of a stewardess coming up to the cockpit. During the conversation she mentioned that she was married. The fresh young second officer asked if she was faithful to her husband. She replied, "Sure, lots of times." Somewhat akin to the above is the women's lib movement, which has left all us old male chauvinists completely amazed. Why should the gals want to descend from the pedestal of privilege, power and purity into the mud and mire of the street? Long before the phrase, "women's rights" was ever heard of, does anyone doubt that Dottie and Betty ran the Miami Base Chief Pilot's Office? But the movement is be and we have to live with it.

I'm fascinated by the strained, awkward vocabulary such as, "chairperson" and "spokesperson." A university course on maternity and child care was offered for "pregnant persons." Finally, there are the changes that are more poignant, more bitter-sweet. The changes in ourselves. There's no ignoring the fact that we just "ain't what we used to be." I was in the TacAir Coffee Shop and a retiree from another airline was at another table with his wife. Evidently , many years ago she had been with Eastern. She walked over to me and asked , "Didn't you used to be Hank Foley?" Oh, how that hurt! "Didn't I use to beâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; Good grief! I know it's a very common verbal slip people make, but it's a stab in the ego just the same. One of our REPA colleagues tells of attending a dinner and getting a similar jolt from a young lady who was wearing a low-cut, strapless gown. Having a technical curiosity, he asked what held it up. Her devastating response was, "Your age, mostly." Even Charles Lindbergh must have been crushed when he attended a banquet in Paris shortly before his death. A young woman, upon being introduced to him, inquired, "Is this your first trip to Paris, Mr. Lindbergh?" It's easy to joke about it, but underneath we know it's not funny. Still we must not imagine things to be worse than they are. There's a lot of precious nonsense tossed around concerning "the good old days." People tend to be nostalgic about things they weren't too crazy about the first time around. I don't completely buy the poet's idea, "Grow old along with me; the best is yet to be." Ageing certainly has its rough spots, but most of us are still able to laugh and enjoy some pleasures. In a lifetime of reading, I've rarely read of a wise man who wished to be young again. The life-long affection and loyalty of the married couples that I know is surely more than a fair swap for the selfish passions of many young people. As one older wife put it, "All the sugar was in the bottom of 73

the cup." I've never done much Bible thumping or psalm singing, but I do observe that my retired friends who have a foundation of religion in their lives seem to be more content. Young people in the hurly-burly world of making a living have distanced themselves from religion and churches . I read a comment somewhere, "If your life has become removed from God, who moved?" Many years ago in a DC-3 cockpit, Don Cole told me a few lines of poetry by Francis Thompson: The angels keep their ancient places; Turn but a stone and start a wing.

"Tis you, 'tis your estranged faces That miss the many splendored thing.

There's an old saying that ageing is like climbing a mountain. As we get higher, we're more tired and breathless, but the view is more glorious. One of my teachers told me in school, "An attractive young person is an accident of nature. An attractive old person is a work of art."

Hank Foley

GETTING READY FOR THE BIG RACE! MURIEL WADSWORTH WAS CHEER-LEADER Front row; TRAINER, RITCHIE BEIGHLIE, OWNERS REP, CHUCK HASLER Middle row; SHIRLEY BEIGHLIE, HORSE, ANGELA LANG, VI WELCH, MARIAN SMITH (JOCKEY), DONNA BAKER AND JUNE MCCLAY Back row; BOB LANG, JIM DEVEUVE, JACK BAKER & TOM WELCH

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FROM FRED & NAN DOERY ON THEIR ROUND THE WORLD CRUISE

Hello everyone, Greetings from the Indian Ocean. We are enroute now from the Chagos Archipelago to Kenya. My last letter left off in Darwin so I'll pick up from there and try not to bore you too muc h.

Darwin was a really fascinating place ., not so much for the city ., but there are several national parks close by. We visited Litchfield Park: and Kakadu u

lwdo Park:. If I tried to tell you all about_ these places it take a small book so 1'11 just say that they were fantastic. Kakadu has loads of very pretty and strange looking birds, crocodiles and aboriginal rock art and the scenery is spectacular. We spent just a week: there but could easily have spent two . Most of our trips are spent in the company of other yachties and it certainly adds to . our enjoyment After spending five weeks in the Darwin area we departed for Indonesia and headed north through the Arafura Sea and into the Banda Sea. You'll have to look that up on your National Geographic Maps. The Banda Sea has loads of sea life. We saw at least three types of whales and three different types of Dolphins. We even had a whale swim under our boat and set of f our depth sounder alarm.

Some cruising friends called us on the radio from Flores Island and we met them there along with two other boats_ We spent a few days reaming the local area and then decided to hire a bus for us all and take an overnite trip to the Kell Pluto Volcano Park. We hired someone (actually a local policeman recommended by the local police chief) to watch our boat while we were away. We had anchored offshore near the town pier and felt pretty secure but we felt the added security would be worth the money.

Our trip was a lot of fun and we got to see three volcano lakes ., way up in the mountains and close together. They were each a different color and very pretty in the early morning as the sun came up. The scenery along the way was exciting and very different from anything we had seen before on our trip. We were at last in the Orient.

When we returned to Maumare we had quite a fright. We found our beautiful sailboat stern to on the beach. There was a small crowd of local people on the beach watching as we quickly dingied out from the wharf. We 75

saw that the bow was apparently still afloat ( the shore was rather steep) but the stern was about two feet aground. Waves were breaking around her and she was rolling from side to side with every wave. We clambored aboard with great difficulty and tied our dingy amidships to keep it out of the way. Nan went forward to try and raise the anchor and see if it was holding. It was clearly doing some good, otherwise our boat would hay e been broadside to the beach. I immediately started the engine and took: stock of the situation. The tide was quickly going out and we had to act very quickly. The boat was pounding a bit on the beach with each wave that came in. It seemed I had no other choice now but to try to power off and hope that the waves would help lift the boat free. I tried full power but to no avail so I kept a steady 1200 RPM a nd after a while I could feel us move just a bit when the waves lifted it ever so slightly. With Nan on the power winch and with the help of the waves, she finally re-floated. What a relief. When Nan brought the anchor up we found two other anchors wrapped around ours, one had its rode cut but the other was still attached to a long rope. With the help of a local fisherman we untangled the anchors from ours and went out to re-anchor.

It was soon obvious that one of the anchors belonged to the fisherman that had helped us and was probably the reason he had come to our aid. We motored out a short distance and re-anchored. As soon as we had things under control I went over the side to check the undersides for damage.

What I found was just a bit disheartening. The keel had some fiberglass gone from the rear four feet and the rudder had the bottom quarter missing and was split up the front and back for another quarter. The bottom of the skeg had about four inches missing as well. Apparently we had made it back just in time. Another 15 minutes and we would have been stranded.

The next two days were spent repairing the rudder so we could sail on to Singapore. Local help was non existant and so my friends and I dove down and bolted the bottom of the rudder together and fashioned a new hinge pin to replace the old one which we could not find. This pin was only wired in place and we worried about it all the way to Singapore.

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As soon as we had our temporary repairs completed we departed. Our plan was to sail to Singapore, stopping to see the sights along the way as long as our rudder held up. We sailed a little slower than we normally would of course and set our trim to ease the loads on the rudder. We then were able to stop at many very scenic and interesting places such as Komodo Island where we saw the famous Komodo dragon. This is the largest of all lizzards and is supposed to be dangerous but I doubt it. That's probably just a rumor started to keep the local guide/protector business fiourishing. The dragons are somewhat larger then I and look. exactly like their smaller cousins, forked tongue and all.

We worked our way slowly to the famous Bali where the channel between it and the island to the east was just like a Hollywood movie. There were whirlpools and strange looking water phenomenon all through the channel_ At one point we were in an area where the water looked like a large old fashioned washboard and off to the south the water was flat and about t hirty feet lower. This was all caused by very string tidal currents and a very irregular bottom contour.

Bali was quite different from the other parts of Indonesia that we had seen. This looked much more like the Orient I remembered. It was also very prosperous looking and there were loads of tourists from Japan, Australia and New Zealand. We spent a very nice two weeks there and then continued on our way. We only stopped at a few more small islands on the way and then at last Singapore.

Singapore is something else. If you ever need to have your boat worked on,

pray you are not near Singapore. We searched out the best boatyard on the island to either repair or replace the rudder and were given all kinds of assurances about the time it would take ( 10 days ) and the cost involved.

It eventually took 33 days and we had to stand over them every minute they worked on the boat to make sure they didn't cheat. They kept trying and it is a good thing I know a little about fiberglass repair. For one thing, they tried to make the rudder wells half as thick as was needed and then wanted to put it together without the internal filler. The replacement of the rudder was for a fixed price so every shortcut saved them money. We had to pay for each day we were on the hard so of course they were in no rush to work on the boat. Only when I started doing the work myself did they show up .

Singapore is still quite a place. We saw more well dressed people in the downtown area than in any other major city we have ever visited. The subway here is called the MRT and is the most comfortable and modern we have ever seen. The fare is reasonable and you are charged according to the distance travelled. The downtown areas are as modern and up to date as you will find anywhere in the world.. English is the main language but since most of the people are of Chinese descent , most of the people also speak some dialect of Chinese. Many stores that cater to the local population have fixed prices but any store that might conceivably sell to a tourist does not post prices. We found Singapore the toughest place by far to bargain. The Middle East and Hong Kong were easy by comparison. We also found that most items, like cameras, were cheaper in the US. For eating places, there are many excellent restaurants there and the prices are somewhat less than in the US. We often ate at the hawker stands. Here the government inspects often so they are always clean and safe. We never got sick from the food. The advantages to eating at the hawker stands are mainly two: they have a very wide variety of delicious foods and the prices are extremely cheap. We can have dinner for under $3 each and it is difficult to finish all the food .

Singapore does not offer a lot of sightseeing since it is just a small island. There are however, an excellent bird park and a really super zoo.

They are both very worthwhile but I wouldn't go to Singapore just to visit them. We had a good time here except for our adventure at the boat yard but felt that two weeks would have been enough.

After leaving Singapore with our new rudder and the security it brought 78

with it, we sailed up the Malacca Strait to Port Kiang, Malaysia . We found a very warm welcome at the Selangor Yacht Club and were moored there for about two weeks. The war in the Middle East had just started and none of us were too sure how we would be treated by the local population, especially the Moslem minority. As it was, we were treated quite well and the prestige of the US was considerably enhanced by the war. We were able to visit Kuala Lampur a few times; even drove in by car twice and took the bus once. The city is very large and bustling with activity '. It is a cross between Singapore and some of the more native villages we had visited in Indonesia. The language is almost identical to Indonesian and some English is spoken by the younger generation. Nice place to visit if you are nearby but you always feel a bit confused by all the people about . and all the action everywhere in the street markets After Port Kiang we sailed our way slowly up the starit stopping at some small islands here and there. I was finally going to visit the southern part of Thailand. As we got closer we saw a slow change in the scenery. Taller hills and lighter in color, sandy beaches and clearer water. The southern part of Thai land around the Phuket area is being developed as a tourist attraction and it has the beaches and scenery to do it. There is an area close to Phuket called Phang Na Bay. This is the real cruising area here and has some of the prettiest islands you will ever see. One island was even used in a James Bond movie and is now appropriately named " James Bond Island ". We cruised this area for about ten days and had a wonderful ti me. We spent two whole days at one place where most of the island was undercut by a cave that went clean thru to the other side. We dingi ed thru here several times, it was so spectacular.

The first af ternoon we were there some local fishermen stopped by and we bought a bucketful of shrimp and local lobster. The lobster here are quite different looking and the front of the things look like a praying mantis. They weren't all that good tasting thought but the shrimp sure were. We hated to rush through here but the season was running out for our next leg to Sri Lanka.

A few days after we returned to Phuket we boarded a Thai Airlines DC10 and flew up to Chaing Mai. This is the northern part of Thailand and of course is much different from the south. We ment two of our cruising buddies here who flew up from Singapore to tour with us and together we had lots of great fun riding elephants, river rafting, visiting hill tribes, 79

eating great food and just wandering thru the town. Lots of things to see and do here. I'm sure some of you have been here too so you know what I mean.

After returning again to Phuket and resting up for a few days, we began our sail to Sri Lanka. Most of the yachts going this way had already left and we were almost the last to go. The trip took just eight days and the sailing conditions were pretty nice. Our arrival at Galle on the south west corner of Sri Lanka ( formerly Ceylon ) was at night so we had to anchor out in the outer harbor. Very little shipping here so no need to worry. The next day we checked in, a very long complicated process in this part of the world. It was so difficult we had to hire an agent. ( It was mandatory ). It gives the local economy a boost. We found out later that the procedure was deliberately made this way so they could make a little extra money from us. They even insisted on having a doctor come and visit us. All he really did was to welcome us and then leave. The other forms we filled out were antique. Anyway, after all this, we were welcomed ashore by a local who loves to entertain visiting yachties. At his house we met the other yachties and also said goodbye to them since it was the end of the season here and were leaving for other sues. We spent three weeks in Sri Lanka and had a nice long tour of the island. It was certainly worthwhile. Beautiful mountains and tea plantations in the interior. The culture here is much like India and I could be lynched in Sri Lanka for saying that.

Our plans were to sail to the Maldives next and then to the Seychelles. The word was that the Maldives were Moslem and were not very friendly to Americans but there was a small group of islands about 900 miles south that were un-inhabited and a nice cruising ground. This was the Chagos Archepel ago. The main group here was Diego Garcia where the US has a big air base and you could not even approach these shores. There were two other groups about 120 miles north of here however, and these were where we would go. We would spend three weeks here and then on to the Seychelles. Our provisioning was predicated on being able to get fresh supplies in the Seychelles, spend a few weeks there, and then on to Kenya.

Our first day out of Sri Lanka when we checked in on the Indian Ocean Ham Net we found that the Seychelles were just about to implement new charges for visiting yachts. Instead of the US$10 per day the were upping it to US$100. This changed our plans entirely. When we spoke to our 80

friends in Chagos, they had all decided to spend more time there and skip the Seychelles entirely. We thought we would probably do the same. It took us seven days to sail down the 900 miles and it turned out to tie the fastest time of the group. When we got there our friends gave us a very warm welcome and we settled down to what came to be the best cruising of our entire trip.

We stayed five weeks at the Salomon atoll and the sixth week at Peros Banhos , about 1 5 miles west I t needs a really good writer, which I am not, to write properly of this place. To begin with, the islands are completely uninhabited except for us yachties and the US airbase down at Diego Garcia. The comradeship was great and although we were all short of supplies, the fishing was superb and we found other foods ashore.

I' m really not much of a fisherman but this place made me look good. Some days I went out in our dingy, just outside the reef, and went trawling.

Here you get the dingy so you are just planeing and put handlines over the sides with lures tied to the ends. The first day I did this I caught a fish in about five minutes and when I started to pull it in I noticed that the pull on the line suddenly increased dramatically . The fish seemed to have grown in size. Actually a shark had taken my fish and swallowed it whole.

We didn't find this out for quite a while however and I spent about an hour playing with him before we got the message. Three other sharks started bumping the underside of the dingy. I cut the line loose and we headed back to the lagoon. The next time we went out we caught twelve fish between the two of us and gave most of them to other boats in the anchorage.

Another nice way to fish here is to put a piece of bait on a hook and dangle it over the side of your sailboat. We actually caught several fish doing this including shark, grouper and snapper. The first time I tried it I had a fish before the line was all the way out.

The third went with way to do The third went with way to do snorkeled spotted a

and most interesting way was spear fishing. Here we usually four to six other people and went outside the reef. The best this was to have one of the group tow the dingy as we slowly and most interesting way was spear fishing. Here we usually four to six other people and went outside the reef. The best this was to have one of the group tow the dingy as we slowly along the reef in about 20 to 30 feet of water_ When someone fish he/she would dive down and try a shot. When a fish was 81

speared, we would get to the surface as fast as possible to keep the sharks from getting it. Yes there were plenty of sharks here and they loved t o take our fish from us. If there were sharks close enough for us to see we would just wait till they got tired and wandered off. Sometimes they would rush in before we could get to the surface and either grab the fish off the spear or just circle around it very close. We found that if this happened, it was best to just give him the fish. Other times we would see a shark. rush to the place where the fish had been speared even though the fish was no longer there. Usually they would then try to find it in the nearest hole in the coral and make quite a fuss doing it. If we saw that they were becoming irritated and swimming rapidly in tight circles, we got out of the water and moved to another location. We didn't feel we were in any real danger as long as we obeyed these rules.

Another source of fresh food was heart of palm. The islands here were overgrown with palm trees and so there were plenty of them to choose from without worrying about denuding the place. You must choose a tree that is not so high above the ground that you can't reach it of course and not so small that it will not have much to offer. You then take your machete and literally destroy the top of the tree. A good tree will yield enough food for two people for four days. It's quite good.

The most interesting and different thing we hunted here was coconut crab.

They are fairly plentiful and not too difficult to get. You start out with your machete, gaff hook and large, strong bag. These crabs are strictly land lubbers and live in holes that they scrape out in old logs or coconut tree bases. They usually leave telltale signs in the vicinity of their lair and it is up to you to find where it is. Most times you cannot see the crab in its holes so you use the gaff to poke around in it. You'll know if the crab is in. Basically, you try to hook the crab and pull it out of the hole . These things are one and a half to two feet across and are full of muscle with very big claws. The claws can easily break a finger clean off. When you get the crab out in the open you then have to grab it from behind and hold on. At first we would bag it and then bring it back to the boat but later we found it was much easier to kill it and clean it right there. A medium sized crab would feed two people to overstuffed and a large one would give you lunch the next day also. Almost as good as Maine lobster. We usually had crab once a week. The socializing here was also terrific. You could do as much or as little as you wished. Sometimes when you had enough beach partying or whatever, you just went off to another island 82

where no other boats were and relaxed by yourselves for a few days. The local radio net was like a big party line so you always knew w hat was going on everywhere . This is the part that is most difficult to describe and my writing abilities are just not up to it so I'll just say that it was really great and leave it at that.

The trade winds started to blow steadily near the middle of May and this signalled the end of the season here. Some boats will stay till the end of the n month but most will depart before then. As we sail off we all keep in touch by radio to see what the weather is like along the different routes and to help keep the boredom of a long passage at bay.

As we get closer to Kenya, we are in touch with the Kilifi net which is just 30 miles north of Mombasa. We expect to stay there till September before once again heading off, this time down the coast to South Africa.

I hope you all are well and enjoying life as I am. I send you our best Best regards, Fred wishes.

FRED & NAN DOERY TEMPLE VISIT CHIANG MAI FEBRUARY 91

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WHAT HAPPENED TO AMELIA EARHART.. II ?

R.C. Sherman Readers may recall (Topics Jan. 1987) that we left Amelia and her navigator Fred Noonan in Saipan, having been transferred there from their ditching at Mill Atoll. According to the latest and seemingly best theory of the early eighties, the winds that (supposedly) blew them north of their course to-Howland Island, continued to drift them north as they (supposedly) flew back to a ( probable) alternate in the Gilberts. A plot of that scenario reaches Mili at dry tanks. Interviews with crew members from the Japanese ship that (supposedly) took A.E. & F.N. to Truk where they were then flown to Saipan .. and other items that made that theory so plausible .. have not withstood the tests of critical examination.

Over the years researchers have sifted through the available reports, stories, and rumors of A.E.'s last flight. All agree that she was in the vicinity of Howland. Giving different weight to each piece of the puzzle accounts for the divergence of opinion of what happened after that. The reported radio calls from Amelia for some days after they were surely down, were brushed aside.

Lockheed was emphatic that the battery would have to be above water to produce current, and after some use would have to be charged.

Clearly the plane would have to have made a wheels down l anding on dry ground and Howland had the only runway available.

Researchers traveled to various parts of the Pacific looking for evidence, and tracking down rumors. Each claimed to have found information that appeared to lend credence to their theory.

Interviews of islanders that seemed to validate events may have had elements of auto suggestion and/or a desire to please those who came from afar. Nothing of additional significance to the subject occurred until two retired military navigators, each named Tom, chanced to meet in 1987. During their conversations they were surprised to learn that not only did both have an interest in what happened to Amelia Earhart, they had the same theory!

Thomas Gannon and Thomas Willi had the same feelings about navigator error as pilots do about pilot error. Fred Noonan was a highly experienced navigator.

He navigated to almost within sight of a tiny speck of land, 2223 N.M. from their departure point. His l ast operational message, through Amelia, was "..flying north and south on line of position 337 0 - 157 ". Why should anyone believe that they did otherwise? That was the place to start.

Northwest on 337 0 does not come near land for thousands of miles, but southeast, 157째 runs through the Phoenix Islands, along side Gardner Island, (aka Nikumaroro) about 350 N.M. from Howland.

There were at least two dozen radio messages over the next several days and 5 of the 6 reported bearings taken came together at or near Gardner. Could they have landed on Gardner or one of the nearby islands? To answer that and other questions they would need maps. and preferably pictures of the islands.

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NIKUMAROR ATOLL ( Gardner Is.) 1937 - Uninhabited

An aerial shot of Gardner was a revelation; a flat coral reef up to 600 ft. wide surrounds the nearly 4 mile by 1 mile island. A 3.5 mile l ong shallow lagoon lies between the narrow land and coral perimeter.

More than 8000 ft. of the reef on each side is relatively straight and averages 400 ft. wide.

It would appeal to a B-747 pilot. At low tide the reef is about a foot above water, and at high tide about 3.5 ft.

On July 2, 1937 the tide was at low ebb when below the water. their Lockheed 10-E could have arrived.

Gannon called Rick Gillespie, Director of The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) in Wilmington, Del. Then both navigators went to see him to explain their theory in Rick was sufficiently interested to begin an exhaustive person.

Before long nvestigation that considered only source documents. i he had accumulated numerous reasons for believing that Amelia had i ndeed flown Noonan's 137째 LOP, sighted some islands in the Phoenix group, and probably chose one of the long, wide, coral 'runways ' on either side of Gardner for a wheels down landing.

On July 9th., 7 days after their fuel was exhausted, Navy Lt. John Lambrecht from the Colorado flew over Gardner. He reported, "...here signs of habitation were clearly visible but repeated circling and zooming failed to elicit any answering wave from [The island had been uninhabited for possible inhabitants... " . many years].

Why didn't Amelia or Fred wave if they were there?

What happened to the plane? Why wasn't a signal fire ready to light? What were the " ..signs of habitation.. " Lt. Lambrecht saw?

The coral was not as smooth as it looked from the air. Its micro surface was generally rough and pockmarked with irregular small holes like Swiss cheese. There were enough larger "pot holes" that may have made their landing the roughest either of them had ever experienced. Very likely their tires blew and they may have lost control and ground looped, but the plane should have come to rest upright. With luck, an engine could be run.

85

Gardner in July was very hot. (40 south of the equator).

Whatever liquids were left over from the trip was all they would have.

They probably saw no need for any special recognition or distress signal because the aircraft was more visible than anything they could devise. Also the prominent, rusting hull of the SS Norwich City was stuck fast on the reef where it had ran aground in 1929. They used the radio for several hours at night.

After a day or so they must have noticed that the outgoing tide was pulling the plane nearer to the edge of the reef. By then the heat and lack of water and food was seriously sapping their strength.

Weak and without tools they could not anchor the plane, nor harvest any vegetation for a fire or to lay out some sign.

The plane soon disappeared over the edge of the reef. If either were alive on July 9th., they were too weak to drag themselves out from under the shade of bushes to be seen. Navy Lt. Lambrecht may have seen tracks, and/or possibly a lean-to from clothes or something from the plane.

On Labor Day 1989 Rick and 17 others left for Suva in Fiji. The two navigators stayed in Suva to handle communications while the rest boarded a converted WW II Japanese ship in Fiji to go to Pago Pago for provisions, then on to Gardner. The group was split into several working parties.

Four were divers, another group combed the narrow beach with metal detectors, and the "jungle rats" were to search the scaevola that grew between the beach and the 3.5 mile long l agoon that formed the center of the island, ("It i s difficult to describe scaevola without lapsing into profanity", a ' j.r. ' ) The ruins of a small village started just before Xmas. in 1938 were thoroughly searched.

Much could be written about the expedition but only three things are germane to our narrative.

The divers discovered to everyone's dismay that the reef sloped downward at a steep angle, and the bottom was probably 2000 feet.

A Ronson lighter was found on the beach, later proven to be of pre 1 938 vintage.

It could have belonged to Fred Noonan. Lastly, a number of flat aluminum pieces were found in the village ruins.

When fitted together as originally fabricated they formed an open ended box recognized as a navigators bookcase from a PBY. From one of the PBY supply visits to the wartime Loran Station?

Later investigation proved (from serial numbers and the drilled holes) that it was made by Consolidated for their model 28 flying boat prior to PBY production; very likely requisitioned by Navy Capt Harry Manning for the L-10E. Harry was the navigator for Amelia's round the world trip, but excused himself after her crash on T.O. at HNL. Far from being discouraged, TIGHAR believes more than ever that A.E. and Fred landed on Gardner.

On September 30, 1991, Rick Gillespie and party will leave HNL for Gardner.

The search for Lockheed NR 160020, call sign KHAQQ will be aided by a sonar vehicle towed beneath the water. Upon seeing anything of interest, a remote control submersible with TV cameras will be maneuvered to the place for more detailed views.

By late October we may know, " What Happened To Amelia Earhart " .

86

Charley "Black Dog" Davis 1420 N. Jameson Lane Santa Barbara, CA 93108

May 24, 1991

Dear A.T., I've noticed in some of the past issues that some of our brethern appear to have a literary bent. For the last two years I have been bending in this direction. My concoction consists of twenty five short stories based on actual happenings with a touch of unrestrained imagination added.

Getting them published is going to be a problem, according to my agent, because a book of short stories, unless they have been written by a known author, is the most difficult printed work to market. Oh well.

Anyway, playing at golf, tennis, and scuba diving (have a boat). I think I'm the second oldest scuba diver (73) right after Cousteau. Spent some time yesterday in ninety feet of water looking for a scallop bed.

Here is a short-short from my collection that you might be able to relate to.

Sincerely,

P.S. About six months ago I decided to enhance my languishing physique and took up weight lifting. The change in my body has been dramatic. The pectoral muscles (breasts) have become huge, the deltoids, mammoth, and the biceps, gargantuan. However, my shockingly thin wrists and ankles remain the same.

87

SEVEN MINUTES

By Charley "Black Dog" Davis The lights were on in the living room and the bed room when Gary Schultz turned into his driveway. Since it was only eleven o'clock there was plenty of time for the arguing to start in the living roam and work its way back to the bedroom. If it was after midnight only the bedroom would be lit up and his wife would be in bed but wide awake and in fine shape for a heated discussion. Nearly all of the married pilots lived or existed with this situation, particularly those with small children.

The wives were envious of their husbands' professional status because it allowed them to frequently escape the rigors and demands of a household and the responsibility of tending the young progeny. And, of course, there were the hostesses.

As soon as he walked in Eunice started in on him and they were off running.

"Well, did you have a nice trip? It's been hell here."

"Yeah, very relaxing," Gary said. "Like slick runways, low ceilings, mechanical delays, irate passengers, not to mention stale food on the airplane."

Eunice gave him a mock look of sympathy. "Too, too bad. Would you like to hear about all the fun I've been having? Your son broke a front tooth off and Mary sprained her ankle. You forgot to pay the phone bill and the faucet in our bathroom is leaking.

Want me to go on?"

Gary knew she would anyway and decided to respond with his usual rejoinder.

"Want me to quit flying?" You think you'd like to the breadwinner? I'd be glad to take your place. Give it some thought."

As he moved through the house Eunice followed him and the arguments varied in intensity but never broke off until they turned out the lights and retired.

Even then their voices occasionally rose and fell as a new disputation or a segment of a previous one presented itself.

Gary was a Captain and during his flights, if the copilot was in like circumstances, dissension at home would be the chief subject of conversation.

"They won't let up on us will they?" "Never." "What can we do about it?"

"Nothing." "It's driving me crazy." "I'm already there."

On his next flight there was a delay at one of the stations and Gary went back to visit and placate the passengers. One of them, an elderly gentleman, seemed interested in the airplane and its function so Gary took him up to the cockpit. After explaining the instrument system and describing the physical operation Gary asked him what his background was.

"I'm a psychologist. Studied under Freud." "Oh?" Gary said and hesitated.

"You seem to be weighing something," the gentleman said. "Do you have a problem?"

"Do I. Listen to this." Gary expounded on his wife's haranguing and ended up with, "And I guess there's nothing I can do about it." "Do you argue back?" "Of course. How can I keep from it?" "Do you think you can keep absolutely quiet for seven minutes during one of these exchanges?" "Sure, that's nothing." "It will be the longest seven minutes of your life but the argument will be over."

"How's that ?" "Because a woman only has seven minutes of knowledge. Try it, you'll see." "I can't belie..."

The psychologist interrupted, "Don't make a sound. Don't clear your throat, cough or blow your nose. Don't even move. Be absolutely quiet. Even one slight noise, the rustle of clothing, will act as a catalyst and she will be good for another seven minutes."

Gary arrived home earlier than usual and as soon as he walked in Eunice launched a verbal attack. Clenching his teeth he sat down and began staring at a clock on the wall. Two minutes dragged by and he thought the clock was malfunctioning. He had never seen a second hand move so slowly. After five minutes Eunice was still going strong and the urge to counterattack was almost more than Gary could handle. A minute later a curious thing began to happen. Her diatribe , which was always as steady as a torrent , commenced to falter. Sentences were left unfinished and there were gaps in the ones that did come through. She began to wear a puzzled look.

88

SEVEN MINUTES DAVIS Gary kept an eagle eye on the clock and as the second hand crept up to seven full minutes Eunice started sputtering. Mumbling a bit, she got up and left the room.

It had worked! The "seven minute formula" had created a miracle. On his first trip Gary began spreading the word. Within two weeks all the pilots who had been briefed reported that "seven" was a hundred percent successful.

Months passed and the cockpit conversation returned to normal subjects; airline gossip, sport cars, sex and seniority. Domestic bickering faded into the past until one of the pilots stopped at a bar on the way home and downed a few straight-up martinis (gin). When his wife started the harangue he slipped up and informed her of her intellectual limits. She immediately contacted all the other dummies and the ruse was up. Everyone of them went back to school to increase their knowledge and the arguments were reinstated.

On a flight some time later Gary ran into the psychologist and told him what had happened.

"Bad, very bad. There is only one thing that might save you." "What's that?"

Gary asked anxiously.

"Everytime she pauses to catch her breath give her an apologetic look and say, "Forgive me."

All of the pilots tried this and it didn't work so some of them started committing suicide.

"Pull over to the curb," said the policeman. "You don't have a tail light.

The motorist stopped, got out and stood quivering and speechless. "Oh, it's not that bad," said the cop. The fellow mumbled, "It's not the light I'm worried about - where are my wife and trailer?"

The child swallowed a dime and his mother was panicky, calling for help. A stranger, hearing the situation, promptly seized the child by the heels, gave him a few shakes and the coin rolled out on the floor. The grateful mother thanked the stranger and asked, "Are you a doctor?" "No, Ma'am," he replied. "I work for the Internal Revenue Service.

89

RANTINGS AND RAVINGS II by GORDON HARGIS Correction to R/R I: A further examination of my log book reveals that Capt. Rene Pinel was the pilot on my flight into the "snowed in" Harrisburg airport, not C. T. Morris as I said.

Also, I failed to mention that Stan Chichester didn't even go off schedule when he saw he was scheduled to fly with me in the B-747 simulator one time.

A few more thoughts prompted by mentionings in the February TOPICS, to wit: Ruby Garrett... I was a two month veteran the first time I flew KC-AB with Ruby. I wondered why he landed the DC-3 so fast at WD until I realized the yoke was against his frontside at touchdown.

Then when he let me fly to AB he said "Keep the speed up on final, I don't trust these little stinkers". Sure enough, when the yoke hit his tummy, I finished the flare by spinning the trimtab.

Ruby always said "I love to cook and (patting his stomach) this is my monument to my success."

Speaking of food, the first month I was on the line I would eat the Captain's dinner as well as my own when he declined it. The second month I was content with just my own. The third month I just went "Bleagh" along with him when the Hostess offered to bring it up. On the leg between Philip and LaGuardia, nearly always flown at 1500', Jack Burnham would always take the box and the other paper items with the TWA logo on them and, as we flew over this huge mansion, pitch them out of the window. When I asked what he was doing, he said 'I'm trying to hit that big five acre lawn in front of the house. I'll bet that guy hates TWA".

Dave Kuhn... one of his greatest stories, I thought, was the one he would tell about his planned retirement in Arkansas. He said he would get rich raising hogs- When queried about what he would feed them he laughingly replied 'Transmittals! I've been saving them in my basement for thirty years. Man, I'm going to have the world's smartest hogs!"

Seniority list trivia--- from the 1991 version. On Jan 1 there were 36 "old hires" left, of which eight were age 60 plus engineers.

Ten of the 28 pilots have reached age 60 since Jan 1.

Mark Guthrie was Number 1 pilot until May 5 when he was replaced

by R. L. Morgan for TWO days. Then Joe Orr took over, where he will remain, hopefully, until March 22, 1994. Thirty-one of the A and A-1 pilot/F-E's remained as of January 1.

Will there be a R/R III? Keep tuned...

GOLD CLICHES Grounds Committee ; A duly elected group which dedicates itself to one ultimate goal. Neglect.

Guilt: Putting down your score and then wiping your fingerprints off the pencil.

Flog: Golf spelled backwards. A reminder of what you really do to yourself.

Invention; The mother of necessity. If you put an eraser on those short little pencils, everyone would be eligible for the club championship.

90

INFORMATION, SUGGESTIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS The 586th Bomb Squadron (B-26's), Silk's Bridge Busters, will be having a reunion in Colorado Springs September 12-15 at the Best Western Palmer House. This is Russ Derickson's World War II outfit. For anyone interested their secretary is Jim Custer, 236 Brookway Road, Dayton, Ohio 45459. Phone 513 434 4202.

Don't forget our TWA RETIRED PILOTS FOUNDATION. For donations to this worthy cause donations may be sent to: Capt. Robert R. Thompson, Treasurer 807 W. Hintz Road Arlington Heights, IL 60004 REUNION IN DECEMBER IN SAN ANTONIO OF USAF CADET TRAINING CLASS 51-H. Those interested should contact Capt. David Gardner, UAL Retired, 2357 W. Viewmont Way W., Seattle, WA 98199.

Desktop airplane models . - TWA - commercial and military - authentic markings on all models. Brochure $2.00 - refunded with order. By TWA employee at JFK. N. Skrinikuff 154-17 12th Road Whitestone, NY 11357

John W. Malandro Home Office RPN C/O Secretary /Treasurer 2101 Westmoor Place Arlington, TX 76015 (817) 277-4170

President RPN Albert Anderson 2147 Crane Canyon Rd. Santa Rosa, CA 95404 (707)584-3534

We wish to advise TARPA members that the Retired Professional Navigators will meet for a second reunion October 18-20, 1991, at the Stouffer Concourse Hotel, 2399 Jefferson Davis Hwy, Arlington, VA 22202. The site is in the Crystal City area close to National Airport.

The meeting is most informal and all are welcome. Those who might want to attend should contact John Malandro, Secretary/Treasurer, at the address above for full details and costs. We wish to thank you in advance for your consideration of this request for notice.

G.A. Keating, Reunion Committee 909 Greenbriar Lane Springfield, PA 19064-3918 215 328 0900 or 543 3731

If something goes wrong it is more important to talk about who is going to fix it than who is to blame.

91

ADDRESS CHANGES & CORRECTIONS 07-01-1991

(R) BECKNER, RICHARD R. CAPT. (CONNIE) 112 OLD WHARF ROAD, E11 DENNISPORT, MA 02639 (MAY 15-OCT 15) 508-394-6351

(R) BECKNER, RICHARD R. CAPT. (CONNIE) 857 OAKWOOD DRIVE MELBOURNE, FL 32940 (OCT 15-MAY 15) 407-254-5508

(R) BROWN, THOMAS V. "T.V." F/O (JOANNE) 78416 LAYING COTTAGE GROVE, OR 97424 503-942-1460

(R) BURNS, JEREMIAH S. CAPT. (ABBY) 15 CHESTNUT ST. SALEM, MA 01970 508-744-7569

(R) CLOSE, ROY G. F/E (THERESA) 2765 HIDDEN SPRINGS CIRCLE PLACERVILLE, CA 95667 916-642-0810

(R) COLLINS, JOHN CAPT. (PATTIE JEAN) 31 NIGH STREET CONCORD, NH 03301 (MAY 1-OCT 15) 113-224-2495

(R) COLLINS, JOHN CAPT. (PATTIE JEAN) TARPON POINT MARINA 1430 ROSE GARDEN ROAD CAPE CORAL, FL 33914 (OCT 15-MAY 1)

(R) DEITCHMAN, WILLIAM C. CAPT. (DOROTHY) 1411 PARK ROW LA JOLLA, CA 92307-3710 119-239-7118

(R) DENSIESKI, BENJAMIN R. CAPT. (GAIL) 2670 AUGUSTA DRIVE SOUTH CLEARWATER, FL 34621-2703 813-796-3291

(R) DOUGLASS, FRANCIS R. CAPT. (CHRISTINE) II ALPINE TRAIL SPARTA, NJ 17871-1529 211-729-3633

(R) FAUSETT, NORMAN L. CAPT. (KAY) RTE 2, BOX 189-B HALFWAY, MO 65663 411-467-2191

(R) GIFFORD, EUGENE F. CAPT. (CONNIE) 13 ROLLING RIDGE ROAD UPPER SADDLE RIVER, NJ 07458 (APR 15-OCT 15) 211-327-4582

(R) GIFFORD, EUGENE F. CAPT. (CONNIE) 22 99 S.W. BROOKWOOD LN. MONARCH C.0 PALM CITY, FL 34990 (OCT 15- APR 15) 407-283-6012

(E) JESPERSEN, HARLAN V. CAPT. (ROSE) 3 TINGLEY ROAD MORRISTOWN, NJ 07960 (SEP 15-JUN 15) 211-543-4075

(R) KOLB, FRANK J. CAPT. (DOREEN) 16 CHAPEL ROAD NORTH HAMPTON, NH 03862 (APR-DEC) 603-964-8813

(R) KOLB, FRANK J. CAPT. (DOREEN) 1111 S. COLLIER BLVD. SNIPS LANDING, UNIT 211, PHASE 1 MARCO ISLAND, FL 33937 (JAN-MAR) 113-394-3317

(H) KUHN, EMILY MRS. (DAVID B.) 100 BAY PL., t1403 OAKLAND, CA 94610-4446

(R) LIMA, EARL F/E (ELEANOR) P.O. BOX 705 WILLIAMS BAY, WI 53191 (JUN-SEP) 414-245-6744

(R) LIMA, EARL F/E (ELEANOR) 11245 5th STREET, EAST TREASURE ISLAND, FL 33706 813-360-1319

(R) LUDWIG, RICHARD E. F/E (PEARL) P.O. BOX 1001, SUITE 92 ARLINGTON, WA 98223

(OCT-MAY)

92

ADDRESS CHANGES & CORRECTIONS

(R) MATEYCHAK, JOHN CAPT. 312 FAWN RIDGE DRIVE SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ 07016 908-232-3511

(H) MEHRMAN, MARY J. MRS. (JOHN M.) RR #3 , BOX 110 CANTON, NY 13617-9559

(A) RICHARDS, L. ROGER CAPT. (MARY) 505 AQUEDUCT CT. SIMI VALLEY, CA 93065-5455

(R) RUMPH, WALTER W. F/E (THERESA) 121 LUCENDA DRIVE BABYLON, NY 11702

(A) RUSSELL, ROBERT F. CAPT. 1909 BLUEGRASS OR. PARKVILLE, MO 64152 816-587-0917

(KAROL)

(R) SMITH, ERMON W. CAPT. (MARY LEE) P.O. BOX 104 ENTERPRISE, OR 91828 (MAY-SEP) 503-426-3466 (E) STEWART, CYRUS E. CAPT. P.O. BOX 446 BAYVIEW, ID 83803 208-683-2504

(NAOMI RUTH)

(R) SEBOLT, CHARLES E. IRO (VIRGINIA) 450 LAKESIDE DRIVE ESTILL SPRINGS, TN 31330-9334 615-649-2219 (R) SMITH, ERMON W. CAPT. 891 HWY 208 YERINGTON, NV 89441 702-463-2967 (E) TITTINGER, GEORGE J. 38702 MENLO, #167 HEMET, CA 92543 714-652-9711

(MARY LEE) (OCT-APR)

CAPT.

(LEILIA - "LEE")

(R) TRAUDT, WARREN E. F/E (FLORENCE) 1827 TAMARACK LANE HEMET, CA 92545 714-652-8650

(R) TUCCI, BERNARD CAPT. (DOROTHY) 204 WALTHAM I WEST PALM BEACH, FL 33417-6935 407-686-2633

(E) VALENTINE, FLOYD CAPT. (BETTY) 5002 SERENE SQUARE NEW PORT RICHEY, FL 34653 813-848-8112

(R) VAN TREASE, CHARLES Y. CAPT. (DORIS) P.O. BOX 43509 AUSTIN, TX 78145 512-462-1158

(A) VAUX, RICHARD A. CAPT. (CYNTHIA) P.O. BOX 202 HAMPTON FALLS, NH 03844 603-772-0716

(A) WALKER, ERIC F. CAPT. (SHIRLEY) 105 MASSOL AVE, #103 LOS GATOS, CA 95030-5929 408-354-7665

(R) WINTERS, JOHN R. CAPT. (CONSTANCE) 1301 NICKLAUS CIRCLE ST. GEORGE, UT 84770-7780 801-628-1009

NEW MEMBERS & NEW SUBSCRIBERS . . . . WELCOME ABOARD 07-01-1991

(S) BERLE, ROBERT H. MR. 2499 S. COLORADO BLVD., 1409 DENVER, CO 80222 303-759-1725

(S) BROWNELL, JAMES E. MR. 426 RIDGEFIELD ROAD HAUPPAUGE, NY 11788-2312 516-724-0594

(A) BULLOTTA, TONY CAPT. 1061 LYME COURT, RADLEY RUN WEST CHESTER, PA 19382 215-793-1443

(A) COLPITTS, JOHN G. CAPT. (CAROLE) BELGO ROAD LAKEVILLE, CT 06039 203-435-0143

(A) DAVIS, THEODORE A. CAPT. 23 BROOKDALE STAMFORD, CT 06903

(A) FAUSER, GEORGE W. CAPT. (REBECCA) 12914 AUTUMN VIEW DRIVE ST. LOUIS, MO 63146 314-469-1029

(R) FLANNERY, RAYMOND J. F/0 (VIRGINIA) 10308 BEAR CREEK DRIVE MANASSAS, VA 22111 703-330-0586

(R)HORSTMEYER, V. S. CAPT. (MARY) 6122 N. SCOTTSDALE RD, UNIT 16 SCOTTSDALE, AZ 85253 (JAN-APR) 612-998-7975

(R) HORSTMEYER, V.S . CAPT. (NARY) 3403 W. 87th LEAW000, KS 66206 (MAY-DEC) 913-649-1903

(R) JUSTMAN , LOUIS F/E (MARCELLA) 145 E. CABOT LANE WESTBURY, NY 11590 516-333-1921

(R) LUDWIG, RICHARD H. CAPT. (BERNICE) BOX 1042 191 HULEN WAY (ALL MAIL) KETCHUM, ID 83340 (JUN-DEC) 208-726-3989

(I) LUDWIG , RICHARD H. CAPT. (BERNICE) 2131 NIRADERO DR. ***** SANTA BARBARA, CA 93105 (JAN-MAY) 115-569-1373

(R) MARTIN, FLOYD E. FRO (DOROTHY) 17 OAK LANE STERLING, VA 22170 703-4 0-249

(R) PALMER, JAY C. CAPT. (GERRY) 8111 E. CHARTER OAK SCOTTSDALE, AZ 85260 612-948-1175

(A) RICHARDSON, JAMES K. CAPT. (LYNELLE) 9929 ROSEWOOD OVERLAND PARK, KS 66207 913-648-2387

(1) RUDE, JAMES A. CAPT. (PATTI) 1500 COVE II PLACE, 1 521 SARASOTA, FL 34242 (JAN-JUN) 813-349-5634

(R) RUDE, JAMES A. CAPT. (PATTI) 2 SPARHAWK TERRACE MARBLEHEAD, MA 01945 (MAY-DEC) 617-631-7549

(R) VASILAROS, NICK F/E (GERRY) 3113 VISTA LINDA NONTECITO, CA 93108 818-341-2244 or 805/969/0779

(A) WEEKS, COOPER CAPT. 3635 BELLEVIEW KANSAS CITY, MO 64111 816-931-6230

94

SOME FINAL INFORMATION & CORRECTIONS RE CONVENTION OXYGEN Some people with circulation and respiratory problems have inquired about availability of oxygen. Mary Sparrow advises both portable and stationary oxygen is available, however, you must have a doctor's prescription!

RV OWNERS The overnight parking fee for recreational vehicles is not $35 as shown but is $15.

GOLFERS

The golf fee shown of $80 includes the play for two days, the golf cart, box lunches and transportation to and from the golf course. Keith Yates will be the Golf Chairman. A.T. says the scoring pencils will not have erasers!

BRIDE PLAYERS Re the bridge section of convention information where it says late entries may pat it should have read may pay.

THE SOONER YOU GET YOUR RESERVATIONS IN THE BETTER PLANNING MARY AND CLIF SPARROW CAN ACHIEVE IN ORDER TO MAKE THIS THE GREATEST CONVENTION EVER. YOUR EDITOR CAN ATTEST OUR CONVENTION CHAIRPERSONS HAVE DONE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF WORK IN OUR BEHALF. SEE YOU IN COLORADO SPRINGS.