Clipper, Vol. 5, No. 2, February 1948

              VOL. 4—NO. 10	480223	Copyright, 1948, by Pan American Airways, Inc.	FEBRUARY, 1948
CLIPPER “CAT WHISKER”
Capt. J. T. Rogerson and Peter J. Sam-mon, LAD aircraft engineer, examine the nose antenna of the new radar terrain clearance indicator being installed on all Clippers.
CARGO CLIPPERS BUSY
Cargo Clippers are flying 400,000 pounds of automobile parts and gas cooking ranges from Miami to Colombia. Returning, the Clippers stop at Kingston to take on a load of tomatoes for Miami.
PAA Directors See Facilities At Miami Base
(Pictures on Page 3)
Meeting for the first time away from company headquarters in New York City, President Juan T. Trippe and the board of directors of Pan American World Airways held a highly successful four-day conference in Miami, combining a formal board meeting with a tour of LAD facilities in the Miami area and a flying inspection trip to Havana.
So satisfactory were the board session and the inspection trip that President Trippe announced the procedure would be repeated.
“The Miami conference proved so valuable the board decided to hold at least one meeting a year at one of the company’s operating bases in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, New Orleans and Brownsville,” Trippe said.
See New Terminal
Preceding their formal meeting, the directors inspected PAA’s hangars, shops and terminal facilities at Miami International Airport, including the new enlarged passenger terminal and lounge in the west wing of the airport terminal. Nearly completed at a cost of $150,000, the new quarters provide air-conditioned accommodations for Clipper passengers and double PAA’s present space.
The tour also included a visit to the Miami Air Depot, adjoining the airport, recently acquired by the Dade County Port Authority from the War Assets Administra-Continued on page 2
Efficient Operation of LAD Clippers Impresses Tourists From Minnesota
(First in a series of letters from the public commending LAD service. Criticism is received, too, but the management handles this personally—and how! Only bouquets —no brickbats—will appear in the CLIPPER series.)
Radar Warning To Aid Pilots
A unique new 'radar warning instrument, acclaimed as among the best safety aids of its kind yet produced for airline use, has been developed by LAD engineers.
The device automatically advises the pilot of any obstacles in his path in ample time for him to avoid them.
Approved by the CAA after more than six months of research and tests, the new safety unit is being installed on all PAA Clippers and is being offered to other airlines at cost.
The warning device is part of an improved radar altimeter, an instrument which reports a plane’s altitude above the varying terrain beneath it, rather than to sea level as recorded by barometric altimeters. To it have been added several unique safety features, designed and developed by LAD engineers, to reduce flying hazards in dark or overcast skies to a minimum.
Eye and Ear Warning
Chief of these is a virtually fool-proof system of warning signals—both visual and aural—designed to alert the pilot instantly to his exact terrain clearance at altitudes x’anging from 2,000 feet down to 300 feet.
The altimeter has a range from zero to 8,000 feet—twice that of standard types. Its invisible radar fingers constantly explore the terrain below and slightly ahead of the speeding Clipper, flashing back to a cockpit dial exact readings of the plane’s altitude above the ground.
This cat whisker-like feeling-out of the plane’s path is accomplished with two tiny antennas. One, on the Clipper’s nose, sends out a continuous pattern of radar impulses. Bounced back from the ground or water, the impulses are picked up by the second antenna underneath the fuselage and translated into “feet-above-ground” on the altimeter dial.
Near the altimeter dial is PAA’s unique warning indicator, which is pre-set to flash a watch-out signal at any of five different altitudes—2,000, 1,000, 500, 400 and 300 feet.	Continued on page 2
Porterfield Named Flight Service Head
Richard V. Porterfield has been appointed LAD flight service superintendent, succeeding the late John B. Leypoldt.
Joining PAA in 1942 as assistant to the general manager of the war-time airport development program, Porterfield has served as industrial relations personnel supervisor and for the past year and a half as assistant to the division traffic manager in charge of personnel.
A native of LaGrange, 111., he attended the University of Illinois. Prior to joining PAA he was in the hotel and advertising business. Mr. and Mrs. Porterfield and son Richard, Jr., live at 415 S. W. 32nd Ave., Miami.
Enroute by Clipper to Guatemala from Balboa, January 9, 1948.
Gentlemen:
We have thoroughly enjoyed our flight from Balboa today and also our flight from New Orleans to Balboa on January 1, 1948.
We have especially enjoyed and appreciated the courtesies shown us on the trips by the crew members, especially Miss Farr and Miss Northern During our period of being grounded in Managua they were so pleasant and helped us in so many ways to pass the time pleasantly. We liked their cheerfulness and thoughtfulness so much.
We have even more confidence in flying as a means of travel after seeing the care of the planes and the insistence on complete operating efficiency.
Thanks to Pan American Airways for |
an even more pleasant vacation trip and especially our appreciation to the crew members.
Yours very truly,
/s/ Mr. and Mrs. L. A. Churchill St. Peter, Minnesota
Florence Farr	Jane ISorthen