Clipper, Vol. 5, No. 16, August 25, 1949

              Read From California To Calcutta, From Alaska To Australia
Vol. 5, No. 16	PUBLISHED BY THE EMPLOYES OF PAN AMERICAN WORLD AIRWAYS	AugUSt 25, 1949
INTERNATIONAL PAPER DRIVE IS ON
Red tape of international air travel is graphically illustrated by the two bundles of documents, typical for a San Franicsco-Calcutta trip, in the hands of Fergus Kelly, left, Superintendent of Facilitation for AD, and Jack Peak, center, who holds a like position in PAD. At right Huxley Galbraith, Superintendent of Facilitation for the system, holds just five simplified documents which could supplant the 500-odd forms at left.
CHECKING ON OUR STRATOCRUISERS
Maintenance Study Reveals New Boeing Clippers Are Compiling Outstanding Performance Record
PAD Host for Employees Families and Friends
Sunday's Open House Tailored To Show What Makes PAA Fly
Planned with the specific point of showing how the efforts of each PAD employee are blended and coordinated to produce our end product—the finest in air transportation —this Sunday’s Open House promises to be just as interesting for the employees as for their families and friends.
The program will answer, in an entertaining way, your families’ frequent questions, such as, “what do you do, how do they cook on an airplane, where do they fix an engine, how can they tell if it’s going to be foggy.”
And of course, how many times has your wife, or girl friend, or the fellow next door asked you, “Can’t you get me on one of your planes for just a look?” This Sunday afternoon you can take them all through both a Stratocruiser and a Sleeperette.
This Open House is the result of long and careful planning by the PAD management in San Francisco. Every department is cooperating to give your families and friends an opportunity to see inside Pan American.
It is felt that the employees will enjoy the Open House just as much as will their families. The “tours” will not be strictly of the conducted type. It is believed that more can be learned from a sort of “browse around” system. Whether it’s weather stripping or weather maps you’re interested in, it’ll all be open this Sunday.
Load up the family jalopy and hurry on down to the San Francisco base. Don’t forget, it starts at 1 p. m. and ends at 5 p. m. Come early so as not to miss anything. You’ll be glad you came.
But Now Everyone Goes To L.A. on a Stratocruiser
Been to Los Angeles lately?
Employees can now avail themselves of daily schedules between San Francisco and Los Angeles at the cheapest fare (it’s free) and on the newest airplane (the Stratocruiser). Departures for Los Angeles leave every night at 8:30 from San Francisco, and northbound flights leave Los Angeles at 8:00 in the morning.
All travel, naturally, is subject to pay load.
During July 393 employees made use of this free transportation.
As with any new aircraft the first months of operation are occupied with analysis and solution of problems which, in spite of the combined efforts of manufacturer, purchaser and CAA, are not discovered. These deficiencies which are brought to light by scheduled operation are commonly termed “bugs.” With regard to their effect on the airline customer, some are classified as major and others as minor.
After four months of scheduled operation of the B-377’s, Pacific-Alaska Maintenance asked itself, “What is the mechanical record of the B-377 ?” A survey of all factors led to the conclusion that, once the initial troubles were surmounted, the record of the Stratocruiser has been constantly improving. In comparison with other new aircraft of recent years, the plane has more than held its own.
The following points and their effect on passenger acceptance are of interest:
1.	Engine Failures
During the survey period there were 14 non-scheduled engine removals. Five of these were removed for causes discovered on the ground;
leaving only nine changes that might have had an effect on passengers. Thanks to the lessons learned and modifications effected following these early failures, the failure rate has dropped sharply. All but two of the 14 engine changes were made prior to June 22nd.
2.	Spark Plugs
A frequent cause of last-minute delays are the spark plugs. Early difficulties with fouling have largely been overcome, and at present plugs are approved for operation of 150 hours—a 300 per cent improvement in the four months!
3.	Turbo-supercharger
Direct electrical control of the turbo by the flight engineer, plus a safety device to prevent over supercharging have eliminated early trouble from this source.
4.	Structural Integrity
Complete inspection at the first
two heavy services of the B-377 revealed no discrepancies of any magnitude, resulting in an extension of inspection time being granted by the CAA, whose inspectors accompanied those of Pan American. (Continued on Page 2)
	WIDE OPEN HOUSE This Sunday, August 28th, is the day! Yes, that’s the day you can bring your family and friends down to the San Francisco base and inspect every phase of your airline’s operation. All departments will be open. Supervisory personnel will be on hand to explain everything from an altimeter to a tabulator. And of course, there’ll be both a DC-4 Sleeperette and a Stratocruiser available for inspection. Don’t let hunger keep you away—free refreshments will be served in the cafeteria. The time is one to five in the afternoon.
	
Jack Peak Returns from Facilitation Conference
PAA Committee Stresses Need For Elimination of Red Tape
World-wide action by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) on the problem of standardizing air travel documentation regulations is being urged by Pan American World Airways.
PAA’s System Facilitation Committee, in a nine-day conference at its 4th annual meeting at Miami, adopted a resolution asking ICAO to enlist the cooperation of business and civic organizations in all of its member nations in eliminating unnecessary air travel restrictions.
“Such cooperation would be invaluable,” declared Huxley H. Galbraith, chairman of the PAA committee. “It would be most effective in convincing the governments of these countries of the necessity of adopting standard documents and practices to expedite the international travel which is so necessary for promoting trade and better understanding throughout the world.”
Representatives of PAA’s three divisions and four of its larger affiliates attended the conference. Each division was represented by its Superintendent of Facilitation— Jack Peak of PAD, John O’Neal of LAD, and Fergus Kelly of AD. Attending also were officials of CMA, Panagra, Cubana, and Avianca.
The work of this group has been going on for three years now, and much progress has been made, but the magnitude of their task has left much yet to be accomplished.
In an effort to alleviate the difficulty occasioned by the staggering number of forms required for a flight into a foreign country, five simplified documents covering inter-(Continued on Page 6)