Classroom clipper, Vol. I, No. 8, May 1945

              May, 1945
Published by Pan American World Airways
Yol. I, No. 8
ATLANTIC CROSSED 5000 TIMES BY AIR
Africa-Orient Division of P.A.A. Sets Record in Operation for Army
When Captain R. A. Holman set his big four engine Skymaster down on the runway at Miami one day late in March to conclude a trans-Atlantic crossing with a full passenger load of ambulatory wounded from Europe’s fighting fronts, he thought it was just another ocean crossing.
It was that, all right, but it also was the 5000th time that the Africa-Orient Division of Pan American World Airways had flown the Atlantic in its contract operation for the U. S. Army.
Also, it helped fi> boost the total of ocean flying by the Division to more than 25,000,000 miles, equivalent to a thousand times around the world. Incidentally, the last leg of Captain Holman’s trip—from New York to Miami—was accomplished in just 5 hours and 10 minutes, believed to be a record over the route for fully loaded transport planes.
The Africa-Orient operation is exclusively a military transport operation— passengers and cargo fly only by direction of the Air Transport Command. It now
Captain Did Not Know He Was Making History
“I didn’t know it,” said Captain Holman.
He didn’t realize that his was the 5000th Atlantic crossing for the Africa-Orient operation of the Air Transport Command.
“We landed at night,” Captain Holman said, and when the operations office telephoned me the next day, I wondered ‘what have I done now?’ and was expecting a bawling out. Instead, they told me I had brought in Flight No. 5000 over the complete continent-to-continent run and wanted to congratulate us.”
flies an average of 10 flights daily across the Atlantic and operates more than a million miles a month from bases in Miami and New York.
From the division’s headquarters base in Miami, the planes operated by Africa-Orient for A.T.C. speed high priority personnel and supplies over a 4,000-mile route to Casablanca in North Africa by way of Bermuda and the Azores. From New York, where service was begun in December, 1944, an additional fleet carries out similar operations over the 3,500-mile run via Newfoundland and the Azores to Casablanca.
AIR POSTAGE LESS TO LATIN AMERICA
Reductions Up to 50 Per Cent Adopted by Post Office; Some Rates 10 Cents
New postage rates for international air mail to the nations of Latin America substantially reduce the cost of posting letters to those countries, in some cases as much as fifty per cent.
The reductions, announced by Postmaster General Frank C. Walker, have been effective since April 1, and apply on air mail matter sent from continental United States, Alaska, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands to the Canal Zone and Central and South American areas. The new rates range from 10 cents for many of the nearer countries to 20 cents for Argentina.
In estimates submitted to the Civil Aeronautics Board in connection with its proposal for expanded operations in Latin America, Pan American World Airways calculated that for the countries to which a rate of 10 cents per half ounce prevailed, post war air mail would amount to approximately 75 per cent of the 1940 first class and air mail volume to' those countries, which totaled 730,000 pounds.
(See schedule of nezv rates on page 2)
SKYMASTERS—A part of the fleet of Douglas C-54’s operated by the Africa-Orient Division is shown at a U. S. terminal. They are sister ships of the airplane in which Captain Holman made the 5000th Atlantic crossing, Captain Holman’s craft being
a newer model—the C-54-N—making its maiden transocean crossing.