Clipper, Vol. 15, No. 7, Summer 1956

              Volume 15
SUMMER, 1956
No. 7
Pan Am Rate Plan Approved
April 1958 Date For 3-Fare Travel
Mercy Drug Saves Congo Chii
A Gift Of Life Flown To Boy in Congo
•*** gSvtw;
Capt. Arnold Anderson takes the life-saving drug from a News reporter at IDL as flight 150 gets underway to LEO. Stewardess Edith Blatz stores the perishable penogene in the ice box of the Clipper Panama.
Photos Courtesy of The News, New York’s Picture Newspaper
PAA, Newspaper Aid In Saving Boy’s Life
An eight-year-old boy, who might otherwise be dead, is alive today as a result of cooperation between two ham radio operators, the New York Daily News, and Pan American.
On Saturday night, July 14, Harry Fendt, a ham operator in New York, picked up a call from the Belgian Congo asking for immediate aid for an eight-year-old boy who was
bleeding to death.
The boy, Jean Luc Poll, son of the Managing Director of the Belgian Construction Supply Co., in Leopoldville, was a victim of hemophilia, a disease of the blood which prevents clotting.
Several weeks previously the boy had cut his tongue and bled for 10 days. Then on July 7, he fell from his bed, knocking out four teeth. His doctor, Przemys-law Górecki, used compression to stop the flow of blood, administered plasma and penogene. But the supply of the desperately needed penogene—a blood-clotting agent—was running out. Without it, the boy would bleed to death.
As Mr. Fendt sat in his Staten Island, N. Y. home he picked up the faint signal of Julian Boca, a ham operator in Leopoldville. Could anyone please send some penogene?
Mother and son after ordeal.
Mr. Fendt contacted Civilian Defense officials in New York City and told them the story. Civilian Defense officials located a doctor
Thanks to splendid cooperation by DT/SM John J. Nelson in Leopoldville the story of the mercy drug flight to save Jean Luc Poll’s life received wide coverage in the New York Daily News, America’s largest paper.
Daily stories, provided by a flow of wires from Leopoldville, kept the readers of the News, over two million strong, informed of the boy’s progress.
When the drug was delivered to LEO and administered to the boy, Nelson sent photographs off to New York via a Sabena flight which connected in Lisbon with a Pan American flight and then backstopped it with duplicate pictures on a later Pan American flight.
The pictures appeared on a special picture page of the News and one was featured on the front page.
who knew where the drug was produced.
The doctor, Irving F. Klein, secured the drug and then called the New York Daily News to see if they could help. It was Saturday night by now and the News, America’s largest paper, was rolling with its Sunday edition. But time was found to get the life saving cargo on its way.
A reporter from the News called the IDL PUBREL office. Could Pan American fly out the 10 grams of Penogene? A check showed we had a flight leaving the next day for LEO—the 150/ 15.
Early the next morning a News employee delivered the drug to Stewardess Edith Blatz. She took it to IDL where the cargo team of Robert C. Faurot, Bob Velez and Phil Bergen went to work securing the necessary papers and waybills for special handling.
The drug was placed aboard the Clipper Panama, piloted by Capt. Arnold Anderson. The flight left on schedule.
In Lisbon the drug was passed along to Capt. Bernard N. Coley who, a few hours later, harmed it over to Dr. Górecki in LEO. A short time later it was administered to the boy.
Back in New York a few hours later Mr. Fendt again received a message from Leopoldville. It said simply: “the bleeding has stopped . . . the baby is in good condition . . . everybody here is very, very grateful to all of you.”
Pan American’s proposal for a new low fare across the Atlantic which would, for the first time, establish three distinct kinds of air travel and make this travel financially available to millions of additional passengers, has been approved by International Air Transport Association.
-------------------------------Meeting at Cannes, the group
approved the Pan American Plan
Cargo, Pax Claims Increase in First Quarter This Year
The number of air cargo claims in the Atlantic Division in the first quarter of this year increased 34 percent over the corresponding period last year. One claim was received for every 406 shipments handled as against one claim received for every 468 shipments for the first quarter of last year.
In the first quarter of 1956 one claim was received for every 38,421 cargo ton miles flown as compared
BULLETIN!
The Pan Am Jets have successfully defended their Paralympic Basketball championship, winning their three games in the series with ease. Honors were also taken in swimming and the javelin contests. For complete late details see page 15.
to one claim for every 38,446 cargo ton miles over the same period of last year.
For every $13,878 received in cargo revenue we received one claim in the first quarter of 1956 as compared to one claim for every $14,573 over the same period last year.
The amount paid on claims in the first quarter of 1956 represented l/10c per cargo ton-mile flown, and to put it another way, .29% of the total revenue earned on cargo was expended for claim payments. This compares to %c paid out on claims for every cargo ton-mile flown in the first quarter of 1955, and .89% of the revenue earned paid out on claims in the same quarter.
In the first quarter of 1956 we received one claim or complaint for every 847,281 passenger miles flown and one for every 702 passengers carried. In the same period of last year one claim or complaint was received for every 841 passengers carried. The relative performances are measured (Continued on Page 2)
and established a minimum fare of $417.60 round trip Nfew York to London. This is approximately 20 percent below the~present tourist fare of $552.
The new rates go into effect April, 1958.
The IATA meeting also approved a temporary 15-day excursion fare which will be in effect Oct. 1 of this year and hold until the Pan American Plan starts in April 1958. The excursion fare, $425 round trip New York to London, will be withdrawn at that time.
The meeting also ruled that family plan fares could not be used in combination with the excursion rates and that off-season reductions would be eliminated when the excursion fares become effective.
It was also decided that beginning April 1, 1957 there would be a 10 percent cut in first class transatlantic fares reducing the total from the present $790 to $720 for a round trip New York to London. One way would be $440.
A deluxe class was also created at the meeting with a round trip fare of $810 and a one way tariff of $450. This would be the only transatlantic service on which sleeperette seats would be offered.
The berth charge on the new deluxe and the regular first class flights would be upped from $55 to $75 under tentative plans drawn up at the meeting.
It was also agreed that between Nov. 1 and March 31, special fares would be available to those emigrating to the U.S. or Canada.
The Pan American Plan, or three-fare system, was proposed on May 3 of this year by Juan T. Trippe, Pan American President.
Mr. Trippe proposed, among other things, to chop $100 off the current tourist class and set up a new class thereby. It was pointed out that steamships have had three kinds of travel—first, cabin and tourist—for many years.
Pan American proposed to eliminate the serving of free meals on the new tourist flights. Food and beverages would be available at nominal cost. Seats (Continued on Page 2)
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
BIRTHDAY—Washington has a birthday in July—see centerfold. PINUPS—Happenings around the division take over a page— see page 16.
ROUTES—Miami and Nassau hearings nearing the end—see page 4.
FANTASTIC—says captain of first DC-7C—see page 8.