Classroom clipper, Vol. III, No. 5, June 1947

              CL ASS R00S
June, 1947
Published by Pan American World Airways
VOL. Ill, No. 5
BEFORE YOUR CLIPPER FLIGHT TO EUROPE . . .
by Peggy Bushong
For the first time in a decade teachers and tourists will be dying to Europe this summer for study, research, to visit relatives or simply to have interesting vacations.
Some of the countries are not prepared to receive visitors yet because of food shortages and other post-War problems, but others not only are ready but urge visitors to come. Great Britain looks forward to its first post-war tourist season, and the Travel Association in London points out that the severity of the winter should be balanced by a good summer and that “another favourable augury for the opening of the tourist season is the abolition of visas between Great Britain and France, Belgium, Luxemburg and Norway.” Eire (Ireland) offers much of interest to both the serious student and the casual tourist. Of the fourteen nations which exhibited in May at the International Travel Exposition in Grand Central Palace, New York City, eight were European: Belgium, France, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland and Yugoslavia.
Europe-bound travelers who fly across the Atlantic will get to Ireland in about 13 hours, London in about 15 and comparably brief journies for points beyond, thus keeping for their own purposes the most valuable ingredient in a vacation which, of course, is time.
A part of what goes on behind the scenes in an air line to make it possible for the traveler to have the advantages of air transportation is described in the article below, which is an account of a pre-departure test Right preceding a Right to Europe on a regular schedule this spring.
To find out just what goes on during a typical pre-departure test flight, I decided to go on one. So I checked with the Central Scheduling office to find out if they had such a flight scheduled that day.
There’d be one to take off at about noon.
Ordinarily no one bothers to go on test flights, or check flights, or any other kind of an unscheduled “Flight to No Where” unless they have some definite business to take care of. Someone like myself had to have permission from the Chief Pilot and a good reason for going.
Most people never would have a chance to go on a test flight, I explained, and they’d be interested in getting an idea as to what goes on during one. I could go and see, and write the story of a predeparture test flight requested by the editor of Classroom Clipper. Permission was granted.
In no time at all, the Traffic office concerned in clearing passengers for flights was notified that it would be ok to put me on the manifest. I made out the required papers and just before noon, after having met the captain in the International Air Terminal waiting room, I was rushing out to the Clipper Flora Temple.
When I learned that Captain William Winston would be in charge of the test flight, I was pleased because Captain Winston is one of the best known pilots in the entire Pan American organization.
You should know for instance that it was Captain Winston who taught Charles Lindbergh how to fly, and that Captain Winston had flown for years even before coming with Pan American, that in the international airline he has flown thousands of hours and over a million miles. He is an expert among experts. The ride would
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be fun all right and if I kept my eyes and ears open I should be able to get a few really scientific notes on this test flight.
The plane was parked out on the circle near the International Air Terminal along with several other big transports readying for departures on scheduled flight for various points across the Atlantic—both of Pan American and other international airlines. Captain Winston led the way out to the Flora Temple and it wasn’t exactly easy keeping up with the six footer as he strode rapidly along the edge of the field. He seemed to be as eager to get off on the flight as if it were among his firsts. He said to me with all seriousness, “I haven’t been on one of these flights for a long time.... I hope I’ll be able to make it”. I looked at his face to see him smile, but it was as straight as if he were remarking on the fine clear day.
Instead of the usual stairway specifically designed to make boarding a flying Clipper as simple as going up stairs at home, there was a perpendicularly mounted ladder lead-
in This Issue
This is the Trans-Atlantic issue of Classroom Clipper. A map of the Atlantic services, which also extend across Europe and the Near East to India appears on Page 6, and most of the text material bears on this subject—including Estudio del Espa-nol.
With all best wishes for the summer vacation Classroom Clipper now bows out for the current school term, and looks forward to greeting its teacher-readers again when the new term begins in the fall.
ing up to the cockpit. Up went the captain, crew members and technical observers. A test flight calls for no frills, no formality, on the part of those participating in it; the crew members don’t wear their uniforms.
The business to be accomplished on this particular flight was checking of air speed indicators and the Clipper’s ADF, automatic direction finder.
Those aboard included the captain, copilot, flight engineer, radio officer, and four technical observers; the latter would check the instruments. The captain went into a huddle with all concerned in the crew compartment immediately behind the cockpit where he briefly reviewed the purposes of the flight and it was decided what tests would be made first, at what altitudes and at what speeds.
Papers for report tabulations were laid out on the navigators table in the crew compartment, temporarily installed a i r speed indicators for double checking the Clipper’s permanently installed indicators were rigged up in the same compartment for easy reference when readings were to be taken. An airspeed bomb was in readiness to be lowered through the flare chute in the floor of the crew compartment when readings were to be taken on air speed indicators and altimeters.
The air speed bomb looks like a bomb of the lethal type, is about a foot or a little more in length, and is sensitive to air gusts and surrounding atmosphere. It is designed and rigged so that atmospheric conditions transmitted through perforations around it will be indicated on instruments up in the crew compartment. Readings obtained by observers from the air speed bomb on in-(Continued on Page 8)