Clipper, Vol. 9, No. 4, April 1952

              VOL. 9 — No. 4	APRIL 1952	52421
Mail Pay Rate Vital ToPAA Life
Henry J. Friendly Tells Clubmen of Dangers
The future of United States International aviation hinges on the proper solution of the mail pay cases now pending before the Civil Aeronautics Board in Washington, D. C., Henry J. Friendly, PAA Vice President and General Counsel, told the PAA Management Club at its April meeting in Miami.
“International aviation, as we know it today, can wither and die if these eases are not settled soon •—and on an equitable basis—bearing in mind the kind of ‘subsidized’ foreign competition PAA and other U. S. international carriers must meet,” Friendly declared.
“The propaganda put out by the domestic carriers several years ago, when they were attempting to enter the international field, was very effective in Washington,” Friendly explained. “We are suffering still as a result of the exaggerated stories of economies the domestics said could be effected if permitted to enter a field in which they had virtually no operating knowledge,” he explained.
“This is a fight that involves everyone of us, from the man on the floor up. We know, as does no other airline in the U. S., today, the complexities of a foreign operation—as compared to a domestic one — and we must exert every effort to ‘tell our story’ to the public in order that we may keep flying.
“We must all get into this fight. Our life’s blood and future depends on ,jpur winning it.”
The annual election of officers found Robert S. Bush, LAD Meteorologist, elected to the club’s presidency, succeeding Robert Thi-bert, Radio and Electrical Foreman.
Other officers elected were William C. Roettgen, Advertising Distribution Manager, Vice President; William H. Kinnear, Service Analyst in Engineering, Secretary, and Geoffrey W. Helm, Supervisor of Electrical Accounting, Treasurer.
Elected to the board of Control for two-year terms: James M. Condon, Airways; Joseph M. Dosal, Services of Supply, and Lewis E. Miehelfelder, Maintenance.
Percy E. Pettijohn, Operations, was elected to the Board for a one year term.
Installation of officers will take place at the “Ladies Night” meeting May 8 at the Coral Gables Country Club. Larman Sherwood will be the speaker and a buffet supper will be served in the patio with roast beef, shrimp creole and friend chicken—all you can eat— on the menu.
Costa Rica Honors PAA Safety Record
The Republic of Costa Rica has presented PAA with its Civil Aviation Safety Certificate for having operated without an accident in that country during 1951.
It is the 23rd consecutive year PAA has qualified for such an award in Costa Rica. It has never had a fatal accident there since beginning service to San Jose, the capital, in February, 1929.
Short Cut Between Miami and Central America Aim
NEW PAA MANAGEMENT CLUB OFFICERS CONGRATULATED
PAA Seeks Honduras
Service
ALL SMILES were the newly-elected officers of the PAA Management Club at Miami as they received the congratulations of Henry J. Friendly, PAA Vice President and General Counsel. Left to right, William H. Kinnear,, Service Analyst in Engineering, Secretary; Robert S. Bush, LAD Meteorologist, President; Friendly, and William C. Roettgen, Advertising Distribution Manager, Vice President.
A new short cut between Miami and Central America is planned by PAA.
An application filed with the United States Civil Aeronautics Board proposes a route linking Miami and Tegucigalpa, Honduras, with only one intermediate stop —at Havana.
Thé present route from Miami to Central America is via Havana; Merida, Mexico, and Guatemala City.
With Tegucigalpa virtually in the center of Central America, the new route would save hours of travel timé, especially on trips between Miami and Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
The ^proposed change is designed to better serve the traveling public
Interest Growing in Plans For Panair Recreational Club
The drive for members in the newly-chartered Panair Recreational Club, Incorporated, got off to a flying start in Miami, with 147 charter members signing up during the first week of the 90-day membership drive.	<S>---------------7——
James M. Mowry, club president, and Component and Repair Parts Supervisor at COB, reported that organization of the membership drive has been completed and announced the “Boosters” who will spearhead the campaign for 2,000 charter members.
“We are greatly encouraged by the response of employes to date,” Mowry said. “We have not yet begun our intensive member drive, those memberships received so far having come from employes who wanted to ‘get in on the ground floor.’ ”
The organizing committee met in mid-April to map detailed plans for setting up the club’s membership roster and preparing material for the “Boosters” to use in the canvassing of Miami LAD employes, Mowry said.
“One gratifying aspect of the results so far has been the number of prospective club members who are anxious to help work on the club property just as soon as it is obtained,” Mowry declared.
“We look for a big jump in the charter member roll during the next month,” he said, “when we can begin to form definite plans as to what we will need in the way of facilities.”
The list of “Boosters” at COB follows:
Plant Maintenance — Walter Hodson, Barney Oleman, William Mcllvenny, Dominik Jedlicka;
Stores (CRD)—William Kern, Roland “Babe” Cagni, Daniel F. Hughes, Edward Ensey, Philip R. Perkins; Cargo — Edward Moi'at, Virgil H. Baird, Ira “Al” Hooper, Marie Branchaud, Roderick Mar-son, Malcolm D. Mays.
Advertising — William K. Fortner; Machine Shop—Herman O. Sweat, Roger Wilkie; Pilot Training — Charles Archer, Ernest E. Holiman; Training School — Forrest A. Spencer, Rex Farebrotber; Supercharger Shop—Donald Marquis; Upholstery Shop—Janie P.
Continued, on Page U
Colombians Study LAD Traffic Setup
Four Traffic Representatives of Aerovias Nacionales de Colombia (Avianca), PAA’s Colombian affiliate, have completed a two-week familiarization course of PAA’s Traffic setup in Miami.
They are Saul Albana of Cali., Alvaro Pombo and Jorge Saavedra, of Bogota and Carlos Held of Barranquilla. They not only studied reservations, sales and other work at Miami, but worked behind the Traffic Counter at the Miami terminal.
Pombo renewed a long friendship with a former schoolmate, Alberto Azula, Translator in Traffic headquarters.
Cargo of Cackle
THE DIN was terrific when a shipment of 14 roosters, 12 hens and four huge turkeys, was awaiting trans-shipment at LAD’s Miami cargo terminal recently. The birds, en route from Canada to Buenos Aires, was valued at $1,000. George F. Smith, PAA Cargo Clerk, is shown with one of the prize roosters.
Cuba Service Extension Sought by PAA
Inclusion of Havana on one of its routes between Miami, the Caribbean and South America is being sought by PAA in an application filed with the United States Civil Aeronautics Board.
In effect, PAA is asking that Havana be reinstated to its former position as a stop for Clippers flying between Miami, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and the east coast of South America.
Havana passengers desiring to travel that route by PAA at present v must either fly by way of Miami or go by Compania Cubana de Aviacon (Cubana), a PAA affiliate, from Havana to Camaguey, Cuba, to connect with the Clipper flights.
Pan American has served Havana since 1927. Some of its earliest routes were from Miami through Havana and Santiago, Cuba, to Haiti and Puerto Rico.
Clippers Set Marks On San Juan Runs
Helped along by strong March winds, a PAA Clipper March 18 set a new speed mark of five hours, 19 minutes for the 1,612-mile flight from New York to San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The Constelaltion-type Clipper, piloted by Capt. Earl D. Etheridge, arrived almost an hour ahead of schedule-—and 23 minutes faster than the former record.
The same blustery winds pushed a Clipper from Miami to San Juan March 16 in three hours, 25 minutes—also a record.
PAA Counsel Given Brazilian Decoration
David E. Grant, foreign counsel for PAA and retiring President of the American Brazilian Association, has been made a Commander of the Order of the Southern Cross, the highest honor granted to a foreigner by the Brazilian government.
with a shorter, more direct route and to obtain a greater utilization of four-engine Clippers and their crews.
The new beeline route—coupled with & revision of schedules — would provide one-day service be-tween all Central America and tne United States.
PAA Ordered to End St. Lucia Service
In compliance with an order from the United States Civil Aeronautics Board, PAA is discontinuing service to St. Lucia, the British colony in the Lesser Antilles.
The last Clipper flight to the island was a southbound trip between Martinique and Trinidad April 14.
PAA began service to the Caribbean island during World War II under a CAB exemption order limiting traffic to military personnel or those connected with the war effort. Beane Field on St. Lucia was an important U. S. air
On March 14 the CAB denied PAA’s application to amend the order permitting unrestricted service, and the airline had no choice but to discontinue flights.
PAA’s Station Manager at Beane Field, James Carroll, is being transferred to another post. Peter and Company will continue as the airline’s agent.
Fortunate Freddie Found His Fedora
Freddie Costello looks like himself again.
Once more he is sporting the quaint little narrow-brimmed hat that has decorated his noggin ever since he joined LAD, almost ten years ago.
The distinctive fedora, lost for two years at PAF, turned up the other day under Freddie’s workbench in the Plant Maintenance Shop, where he works as an Electrician I.
A little the worse for wear, the “beat-up old lid” is nevertheless one of Freddie’s proudest possessions. He bought it 20 years ago in Troy, New York, for $3.45, but wouldn’t part with it for the world.