Clipper, February 14, 1946

              A&S Club Board Of Directors Meet
The Board of Directors of the Pan American Athletic and Social Club recently met in the Conference Room. Those present were Ray Colcord, President; Sal Riccobono, Vice President, and George C. Updike, Board Member.
Ben Paratore, Chairman of the Physical Activities Committee and Jennie Harnett, Chairman of the Social Activities were present ^as guests for the purpose of submitting' budgets for 1946 for their respective committees.
Mr. Paratore presented a budget for the PAC which, if approved by Management, will enable the Committee to plan a wide and varied sports program for the year.
Miss Harnett was not prepared to submit a budget for her Committee, but it was decided that the SAC would sponsor a dance in March, but the date is not as yet definite. It was also decided that some social function would be planned for May, August and October.
Mr. Paul Wollam was elected Secretary to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Mrs. Pat Shaw.
FIRST RETURNS ON
MARCH OF DIMES
DRIVE ANNOUNCED
First returns on the March of Dimes Drive, to aid in the fight against infantile paralysis, were announced by Chairman George C. Updike, Service Supervisor.
To date collections made by coordinators in each shop, section and department amounted to $249.37.
Coordinators for the drive were:
Accounting Airways .....
A-0
Communications .
Engineering ........
Executive .........
Industrial Relations
Meteorology .......
Operations ........
Public Relations .....
Traffic ...........
Services of Supply..
Jo Ozimek Earl Hall Marry Terry, Louis Steffins Rose Zadorozny .William Golom Richard Forster David Broadfoot .George Reynolds Jim Hyde Charlie McGee P. J. Nielsen Kathleen Clarke
SOUTHARD OF AUTOMOTIVE SHOP DIES SUDDENLY
Jim Southard, mechanic with the Automotive Shop for the past two years, died suddenly on January 31 of a heart attack.
Jim came with PAA in November 1942 as a seaman on the Beaching Crew. He stayed there for one year when he transferred to the Automotive Shop.
He is survived by his wife, Sarah, two sons and a married daughter.
First Commercial Round Trip of
Constellation Sets Traffic Record
Captain Robert A. Fordyce was skipper of the Constellation which set a new record in transatlantic air travel when he landed at NBA with 41 passengers from Europe, completing the first commercial round trip schedule of the new type plane.
The Clipper arrived a day behind schedule because landing conditions in this area were below minimum safety requirements.
Previous record for the west-bound crossing over the North Atlantic was 34 passengers, set by one of our Boeings.
(Shortly after the Constellation landed, another Pan American plane of the DC-4 type landed with 35 passengers from Europe.)
A total of 53 persons actually made the westbound trip on the Constellation, there being twelve members in the crew. Normally a Constellation is flown by a 5-man operating crew, together with a steward and stewardess. On this first commercial trip, five additional crew members were present as observers and to relieve the regular crew if required.
On its eastbound crossing earlier the Clipper set a new commercial speed record by reaching Hurn, England, airport for London-bound passengers, from New York in 12 hours and 9 minutes, point-to-point time, with 29 passengers. That flight, made over the standard route via Newfoundland and Ireland and in accordance with PAA’s standard operating procedure, bettered by six minutes the eastbound timetable time of 12 hours, 15 minutes published for the new Constellation service.
The return trip completed was substantially slower, as anticipated, mainly because of easterly gale winds prevailing over the Atlantic at this time of year. Also, practice approaches to airports enroute for crew experience added to the flight time of the England-to-New York trip.
Point-to-point flying time for the England-
U. S. trip was 17 hours, 15 minutes.
A flying technique completely different from that used on recent high-altitude, record-breaking flights of the new-type Clipper was used on the westbound crossing over tbe open ocean stretch from Ireland to Newfoundland. East-bound flights have been made at 17,000 to 19,000 feet altitude, with the Clipper’s special pressurization equipment maintaining a “cabin altitude” of a mile or so above sea-level.
The over-ocean flight completed was made at an average altitude of only 6,000 feet, with the interior remaining at sea-level conditions.
Commenting on the flight, Captain Fordyce said:
“The flight was routine because it made use of a technique we have followed in the Pacific for eleven years and in the Atlantic for seven.
“Before we began the 2,220-mile over-ocean hop from Ireland to Newfoundland, the weather maps showed us that on this flight a straight line would not be the shortest distance between the two points from the viewpoint of flying time. We set a northwest course which would allow us to skirt low-pressure areas and meet the least amount of unfavorable winds. This course, which we followed for more than 1,000 miles, actually took us away from our goal and before we turned southwest into our ‘down-wind’ leg we were only about 75 miles from Greenland. Incidentally, the northern lights were unusually spectacular, presumably because of sun-spot activity.
“When we turned south, we immediately picked up our predicted tail-wind and by remaining at fairly low altitude — 8,000 feet — took good advantage of it. If we had flown high, we would have run into less helpful tailwinds on the home stretch.
“Battling those gale winds at high altitude,
(Continued on Cage 3>
Captain Robert Fordyce makes Jeremy J. Nittle the youngest member of the mythical “Short Snorters.” The baby’s mother is a G. I. bride who flew by Clipper to join her husband, Captain Michael Nittle, here in the states.
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UASÔ34-M