Clipper, Vol. 9, No. 11, November 1952

              Big Picnic, On-Line Parties Mark 25th Birthday
Good Service and a Smile Make Passengers Satisfied
Pan American World Airmen LATIN AMERICAN DIVISION
Four Pages of Picnic Pictures — 5, 6, 7, 8
VOL. 9 —No. 11
NOVEMBER 1952
521119
Toomey Elected Vice President of PAA;
Drescher Named New Division Manager
★ ★★★★★★
PAA Purchases 3 Comet Ill-Type Jet Transports
Delivery Scheduled In 1956
Company Has Option For 7 More in 1957
President Juan T. Trippe announced October 20 that the company’s board of directors had approved the exercise of its option (extended last summer by the de Havilland Company of England) for the purchase of three Comet Ill-type jet transports for delivery in 1956.
Pan American’s new jet transports will be approximately one-half again as large as the Comet
Picture and thumbnail sketch of Comet Ill-type jet transport on Page 10.
types now operating between England and South Africa and between England and the Far East.
Equipped with four Rolls Royce Avon turbine engines presently rated at 9,000-pound thrust, they will be able to carry 58 first class passengers over the system’s long international routes at cruising speeds of 500 miles per hour.
Commenting on the new order, Mr. Trippe pointed out that the de Havilland Coramet Ill-type, capable of carrying a full payload of passengers, mail and cargo for 2,700 miles against a 50-mile headwind plus adequate reserves, will be the first jet transport able to operate efficiently over the principal routes of the Pan American System.
The contract just closed, Mr. Trippe explained, includes a,two-year option for seven additional jet transports for delivery in 1957.
Mr. Trippe confirmed that Pan American had no intention of cutting back present orders for 30 additional DC-6B piston engine aircraft scheduled for delivery next year and early in 1954. He said the company had no present plan for placing additional jet transport equipment orders in the British market.
He pointed out that negotiations were also currently proceeding with American manufacturers for jet transport requirements. The option with de Havilland would, however, permit the acquisition of a fleet able to maintain the position of Am erican-flag air transport on principal trade routes abroad if suitable American manufactured jet transports were not available by that time.
HUMPHREY W. TOOMEY
. . . new vice president
EDWIN DRESCHER
. . . named LAD manager
11,000 Attend 25th Anniversary Picnic in Miami; Series of Parties Marks Event at On-Line Points
LAD celebrations of PAA’s 25th anniversary were keyed in mosty cases to the showing of “New Horizons,” the color movie depicting the company’s quarter-century of growth and progress, and the PAA travelouge, “Wings over Vikingland.”
After the movies, birthday cakes were cut, beach bags distributed
On-line party pictures on Page 9
and refreshments served. A number of stations topped off the program with dancing and parties that lasted far into the evening.
Two separate programs wer,e held in Port of Spain because of airport activities the evening of the main party.
The main event was held at the Rainbow Terrace, with David de la Rosa as master of ceremonies. The program got under way with a short address by James Kervin, acting senior representative in the absence of John E. Probst, who was on vacation.
All employes with 12 or more years of service with the company were invited to join in cutting the birthday cake, which had been baked in the shape of a “Strato” Clipper.
The smaller party was held the following night at the PAA Guest House for employes who had been on duty the evening before.
A separate showing of the two movies was arranged for all flight crew members over-night-ing at the Guest House. Most of them had not had the oppor-Continued on Page 9
Escapes Injury
Stowaway Rides Landing Gear
A stowaway who miraculously escaped death or injury took a short flight October 27 on the landing gear of a PAA Clipper at San Salvador.
The stowaway leaped on the main landing gear of the Constellation just before takeoff. Joseph Hernandez, purser for the Mexico City-Panama flight, caught a glimpse of the hitchhiker as the Clipper left the runway and the landing gear was being retracted.
Hernandez reported the incident immediately to Capt. John W. Strickland, who circled the field at 300 feet, lowered the fully-retracted landing gear and landed.
The unhurt stowaway was hauled off to jail by Salvador police and the Clipper continued southward.
How the man escaped being crushed when the landing gear folded up is a mystery to PAA officials.
<$>	BY BILL BAYER
(Who Ate His Share!)
It was undoubtedly the biggest four-engined whing-ding picnic ever held in Florida!
Miami PAAers and their families —an estimated 11,000—thronged to the broad beach at Crandon Park and Virginia Key Saturday,
3 Promoted to Purser
A stewardess and two stewards have been promoted to the rank of purser. They are Viola Martinez, New York; Ernest Castillo, Miami, and Irvin Herrmann, Houston.
Other Picnic Stories on Page 4
November 1, to celebrate Pan American’s 25th birthday.
Umpteen happy kids (it looked as though there were a million!), their weary parents and just gals and guys made a real day of the affair as they waded through a mountain of fried chicken and all the trimmings, played games and contests, swarmed onto the “rides” —or just sat around eating and relaxing.
The serving lines looked like pay day at an army camp. Dade County police, helping out in the event, estimated there were 4,000 people in the four food lines at the peak of the rush.
The brisk, sunshiny day was perfect for a picnic, too, but there tvas a mite too much wind for a mass plunge into the surf.
A neat touch that set the theme for the PAA family affair greeted the picnickers on arrival at the park area as they passed under a fancy archway bearing the winged world emblem and signs with names of four Caribbean cities that prize winners could visit — Continued on page 4
Two Other Top Officers Are Shifted
Veteran Executive To Be Based in Rio
Humphrey W. Toomey, LAD manager since 1946, has been elected a vice president of the company, with headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, PAA President Juan T. Trippe announced in New York.
Succeeding Toomey as division manager is Edwin Drescher, who has been division accountant for the past seven years.
At the same time, Mr. Trippe announced that Harold E. Gray, vice president in charge of the Pacific-Alaska Division since 1949, has been elected vice •<«> president in charge of the Atlantic Division. Gray is being succeeded in the PAD post by Vice President Clarence M. Young.
All the appointments become effective December 1.
Toomey, who began his aviation career as a pilot, has served in many executive capacities since he joined the ecompany in 1930.
Between 1944 and 1946 he was regional director of Pan American operations in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, a position he assumed after organizing and managing PAA’s Africa-Orient Division for two years, under wartime contract with the United States Air Transport Command.
Famed as the “Cannonball Ex-
Continued on Page 10
Passengers Given Election Returns
Bulletins on the outcome of the United States election were given to passengers aboard all PAA flights in Latin America and around the world the night of November 4.
Clipper pilots tuned in at intervals on election broadcasts and relayed the news to their passengers.
Radio reception of U.S. broadcasts is poor on more distant routes. So, to backstop the Clipper radio, bulletins were sent from Miami by PAA to several stations, where they were picked up when the Clippers stopped.
These cities included Guatemala City, Panama, Port of Spain, Georgetown, Paramaribo, Cayenne, Belem, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Porto Alegre, Montevideo and Buenos Aires.