Clipper, Vol. 6, No. 6, July 1949

              Pam American World Airway?
LATIN AMERICAN DIVISION
UPPER
VOL. 6—NO. 6
JULY, 1949
490722
BEING CHAMPIONS NO NOVELTY TO THIS GROUP
Correspondents Needed For “Your” LAD Clipper
An appeal for Clipper correspondents at all LAD stations, so that the Clipper will be able to print happenings at all points, has brought fairly satisfactory results thus far, but a good many stations have yet to be heard from.
The names of the correspondents already designated appear at the top of Column 1, Page 2, of this edition of the Clipper. Names of other correspondents will be added as they are received.
Employes who have items that they think would be of news interest to the Clipper should give them to the correspondent for their respective station for submission to the Clipper.
There’s plenty of reason for the big smiles in this picture because these trophyladen personages represent the winning teams in the Men’s and Women’s LAD Bowling Leagues at Miami for the season just ended. Left to right, the men are Alfred Perron, captain; Charles Sturrup, Charles Simmons, Joseph Everett and Robert Mikell, who comprised the SOS team, winner of the Men’s League crown for the fourth straight year. In the same order, the women are Miss Helen Hopkins, Mrs. Rosemary Condeelis and Mrs. Helen Dodd, captain, who, with Mrs. Ardah Bedford (not pictured), carried the Alley Cats to their second consecutive title in the Women’s League. The trophies were presented at a dinner-dance that climaxed the close of the season.
Here Is Real Work Record
It is hoped that the next issue of the Clipper will be able to carry the name of a correspondent for every station throughout LAD, so it’s up to those places still not heard from to see to it that correspondents are selected.
Remember, there is to be an annual award in the form of a trip to Miami to the year’s outstanding correspondent—not necessarily the person who sends in the most words, but the one who gives the best all-around “coverage” of his or her station.
Plus 7,000 Hours Overtime
A new bidder for the PAA working championship is Sixto Rivera, a 20-year man now serving as chief of airplane service for Avianca at Barranquilla.
Since he started with PAA March 22, 1929, Rivera has not missed a day’s work and has been late only five times. (He blames those few incidents of tardiness on bad transportation.)
That’s not all, however. In addition to his regular days or nights of work, Rivera has put in 7,000 hours of overtime since he has been with Avianca, where he was transferred when PAA retired its flying boats.
That is equivalent to 875 eight-hour workdays of overtime.
Born in Puerto Rico 49 years ago, Rivera was hired by PAA in New York, but was assigned immediately to the Miami maintenance shop. Two months later he was sent to San Juan for a one-year assignment, then returned to Miami for a year.
Sixto Rivera
Training Program Held
A training program to help local personnel provide still better service for Clipper passengers was conducted in San Juan from June 15 to July 15 under direction of a group of LAD passenger and cargo sales executives.
In getting the program under way, Ernest L. Foss, division advertising and sales manager, termed San Juan “the No. 1 station in PAA’s Latin American Division.”
A bilingual maintenance man was needed in Cienfuegos, Cuba, so away Rivera traveled again. He stayed in Cienfuegos four months, then was transferred to Kingston, an assignment that lasted for eight and a half years.
In 1940 the flying boats were overnighting at Veranillo, Colombia, so the company decided it could use Rivera there. He serviced the boats there until they ceased flying, when he was switched to Avianca.
Rivera explains the huge amount of overtime with Avianca was necessary because there was so much work, and so few maintenance personnel when Avianca became a PAA affiliate.
Here’s Phone Number To Report Travel Tips
You never can tell when you are liable to “bump” into a potential Clipper traveler in the form of a relative, friend or casual acquaintance and it’s a good idea to know what to do with that tip—where to relay it so that sales personnel can pursue it.
Explaining that LAD employes in the Miami area run into such “leads” frequently, Porter Norris, division traffic manager, asks anyone who knows of a prospective traveler to telephone his information to 88-1661, the telephone sales unit of the Miami district sales office.
This sales unit is staffed with trained personnel ready to immediately follow up any potential sales “leads” with full information on schedules, rates, travel requirements and reservations confirmation.
So, when you hear about somebody getting ready to take a trip, get to the nearest telephone before you forget about it and call 88-1661.
Attention, “Ham” Foss, You’re Paged On Radio
Ernest L. Foss, LAD sales and advertising manager, may not be aware of it but Radio Station VP2LX, Port au Prince, is trying to have a word or two with him.
VP2LX is an amateur radio station operated by F. C. DeFreitas, the Clipper’s correspondent at Port au Prince. As one “ham” (a ham is an amateur radio operator) to another, DeFreitas is trying to contact Foss, who operates Station W4LRP at his home in Miami. Included in DeFreitas’ correspondence to the Clipper was this message:
“I would like to contact Ernie Foss on 20 meters to thank him personally for the QSL cards I received. How about it, W4LRP? I am usually around 14,160 kilocycles with 200 watts of it.”
The QSL cards to which DeFreitas referred were sent by Foss to DeFreitas and other down-line “hams” for use in written acknowledgement of contacts made by radio.
Incidentally, DeFreitas has his transmitting antenna strung between two coconut trees and is making careful observation of the trees to learn what, if any, detrimental effect the radio frequency might have on the fruit.
Fishing Tourney Open
The third annual Airway Anglers’ Summer Fishing Tournament, open to all employes (and their immediate families) of any airline entering Dade County, Florida, is under way. It opened June 15 and will continue until September 15.
Full details and official entry blanks may be obtained at the Trail Tackle Shop 1715 S. W. Eighth Street, Miami.