Clipper, Vol. 16, No. 3, March - April 1957

              Pan American World Airways
ATLANTIC DIVISION
UPPER
Read on four continents and four islands in between
VOLUME 16
MARCH-APRIL, 1957
NUMBER 3
The first production Boeing 707-121 jet transport — slated for delivery to Pan American late next year — takes shape as its nose section is lifted out of the construction jig and moves along the production line at Boeing’s Renton, Wash, plant. This first plane will go in service early in 1959.
Vacation Travel Eased For Pan Am Employees
Restrictions on employee travel in the Atlantic Division have been eased through reduction of restricted periods, lifting of restrictions on the outward portion of travel during these periods, and establishment of limited reservations control for SUBLO’s.
As can be seen in the box
	COEMP RESTRICTIONS	
	Eastbound	Westbound
North Atlantic	June 15-July 15	Aug. 1-Sept. 30
Mid-Atlantic	May 15-July 15	Aug. 1-Sept. 30
LON/BEY	Oct. 1-Nov. 30	None. (BEY/IST may be difficult during -Aug.-Sept.)
BEY/BKK	Sept. 1-Dec. 31	April 1-July 31
PAR/THR	None. (Par/ROM	Aug. 1-Sept. 30
PAR/ANK	may be difficult during June 1-July 15) Southbound	Northbound
Africa	Sept. 1-Nov. 30	April 1-June 30
(Coastal flight and		
flight 152/153) Bermuda	April 17-May 1	April 17-May 1
	(Although not restricted, space on week-	
	end BDA flights from	now through April
	17 will be difficult to obtain and travel is	
	not recommended.)	
		
Everything Moves Fast on the 707
By Olga Podkrivacky
“How soon can you get ready to go on flight?” asked my supervisors Ken Parratt and Phil Parrott in LIC one afternoon recently. “Two minutes,” I replied dutifully. “Fine,” they said. “You’re going on a jet to Seattle!”
It turned out I didn’t need to cut my time quite as short as I’d promised, but I did spend a frantic few hours getting my hair and nails into shape, uniform from the cleaners, and Pan Am passenger souvenirs from LGA before hopping a plane for Baltimore.
Early the next morning I presented myself at the airport, ready to act as the Pan American flight service representative on the return (westbound) leg of the Boeing 707 press flight that had just broken the speed record for a tran-U.S. journey.
This prototype of the jet aircraft that Pan Am has ordered for delivery late next year had just carried 52 aviation writers and Boeing officials the 2,350 miles from Seattle to Baltimore in 3 hours and 48 minutes.
My first surprise was the silken-smooth takeoff. It was completely different from anything I’d ever experienced during my 5,600 hours of flying in piston-powered aircraft. There was no pull, no vibration, no straining engine noise. We just seemed to glide up into the air without effort.
The passengers — including such famed writers as Richard
Olga Podkrivacky
Tregaskis — had already become accustomed to the 707’s smoothness during the previous day’s record breaking flight from Seattle. But it was hard to seem unimpressed during the breakfast service when I noticed that full cups of coffee sitting in the galley never even quivered!
Even more impressive was the test the Boeing people repeated on each leg of the trip. They’d prop two nickels, two cigarettes and a pencil on end on a table and leave them there for an hour. The objects
remained standing every time —without a wiggle or shimmy.
We were in Chicago by the time breakfast was cleared away — an hour and 18 minutes after we left Baltimore. I didn’t have much of a look at my home town, though, because we were back in the air in an hour.
In another hour and 51 minutes we were in Denver, where the group overnighted. It was only a short two-hour and 10 minute flight the next morning from Denver to Seattle. The skipper, Boeing’s famed Chief Test Pilot Capt. A. M. “Tex” Johnston, told me that the air time for the entire 4,921 mile flight from Seattle to Baltimore and back took only 9 hours and 7 minutes. Average speed: 540 miles an hour.
This means that when we start flying the 707’s early in 1959 it will be possible to have breakfast in New York, lunch in London, and a late dinner back in New York! No wonder the writers were impressed.
A final bonus on this flight was a beautiful chrome model of the Boeing 707 and a personalized guided tour through the Boeing plant. I personally touched the nose of Pan Am’s first 707 to go on the production line. And, after the wonderful flight I had, I’m entering my bid right now to help out on the inaugural flight.
HAM CLUB?
Some of the boys at ROB have become amateur radio enthusiasts. They figure that there must be a number of other “Hams” at Pan Am stations around the world, and they suggest forming a Pan Am Radio Club. If the idea appeals to any of you Hams at other stations, just drop a note to the Clipper Editor at Idlewild and we’ll be glad to help you get organized.
to the left, route sector restricted periods have been reduced substantially under those previously in effect in order to permit personnel to arrange for personal travel at 90% discount with the greatest practicable latitude.
Even these limited restrictions no longer apply to the outward portion of the trip on Transatlantic sectors provided an employee completes the return trip to his home base during an unrestricted period. For example:
(a)	Employees in the Eastern hemisphere can travel on the North Atlantic route at any time of the year, provided their return travel does not take place during the period June 15 through July 15.
(b)	Employees in the Western hemisphere can travel on the North Atlantic route any time of the year provided their return travel does not occur during the period August 1 through September 30.
This policy is based on the premise that a limited number of seats are available (usually in the middle of the week) even during peak periods. Hence these seats may be used by personnel to begin their travel provided the return trip will occur during an off-peak period, thus.
(Continued on Page 11)
Quick Thinking at IDL Adds $13,230 Flight
This is a story about a man who used his head. To be sure, he was only doing his job, but he did it well. So did a lot of other people, so it’s also a story about teamwork. It starts in the wee small hours . . .
At 3:40 a.m. on the morning of March 10 at IDL, Space Control Duty Supervisor Hugh Herndon got a phone call from Air France. They had an aircraft down in Gander with an engine change required. Their evening flight was fully booked, they said, and they had 54 passengers waiting to get out. Could we help?
Herndon checked the afternoon’s 114 and 64 flights. They were so heavily booked it would have been uneconomical to drop them into YQX for relatively few passengers. “But,” Herndon told Air France, “we may be able to
help you. I’ll call you back in twenty minutes.”
A quick check revealed that the 160 cargo flight was being operated that day with DC-6B equipment, only 2,600 kilos of mail, and no reserved cargo. After carrying cargo to FRA it was scheduled to ferry to LON for use as flight 71A/11. Why not, thought Herndon, use this aircraft?
He quickly outlined his plan to Schedule Controller Gene Mollyn, who concurred. Another quick call was made to IDL ASM Bill Putnam, who agreed that it could be worked out.
By 4:00 a.m., Air France had Pan Am’s commitment to pick up their stranded passengers.
Putnam’s men had already started to load the 160, so the unreserved cargo had to be (Continued on Page 6)