Clipper, Vol. 11, No. 9, September 1954

              MORE PULCHRITUDE FOR PAA
LONG SERVICE IS REWARDED
THE NEWEST CROP of stewardesses to complete training at LAD’s Stewardess School in Miami included these Clipper Cutie candidates — shown during an outing at the Martinique Hotel on Miami Beach. They are (front row, left to right) Pat Salmon, Nancy Hamilton and Jean Ainsler; and (back row) Beverly Poole (pointing) and Jean Brownlee.
Toomey Presented 25-Year
Toomey, a former U. S. Navy
' Humphrey W. Toomey, a quiet spoken Montanan who rose from a pilot’s cockpit to an airline vice presidency, last month received recognition for a quarter century of service to Pan American World Airways and aviation in Latin America.
A special pin was awarded the PAA executive in line with the airline’s policy of recognizing long and loyal duty.
Toomey, who directs PAA’s operations in Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina from headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, has been closely identified with the rapid growth of air transport in the Americas since 1929 when he piloted an S-38 Sikorsky amphibian on a trail-blazing flight from Bridgeport, Connecticut to Buenos Aires.
The flight, made without radio over territory new to aviation, laid the groundwork for the old New York-Rio and Buenos Aires Airline (Nyrba) which a year later was acquired by Pan American.
pilot, began his long and distinguished career with PAA as chief pilot in the newly organize d Brazil-Argentina sector. Soon afterward, he was assigned to organize the Brazilian national airline, Panair do Brasil, which has since become PAA’s largest affiliate and one of the world’s greatest airlines.
Toomey’s formula for success in Brazil from the start was simple and effective. He worked hand in hand with Brazil’s own men of aviation.
Toomejq himself, pioneered many domestic airline routes in Brazil and helped to establish a series of airports in that country. In 1929, he made the first official survey flight up the Amazon River leading to inauguration of Panair do Brasil service between Belem and Manaos. This flight won him membership in the New York Explorers Club.
The Brazilian government later named him Knight of the Order of Aeronautical Merit for
Pin at Rio
outstanding services to commercial aviation.
In various assignments, Toomey developed many of Pan American’s maintenance and overhaul procedures which since have become standard in world airline operations.
At the outbreak of World War If, Toomey organized PAA’s Africa-Orient Division, which sped men and supplies to war fronts in Africa and Asia over an 11,500-mile route. This operation won him a citation from the U. S. Air Transport Command.
In 1944, Toomey was made PAA’s regional director for Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, and two years later he was named manager of PAA’s Latin American Division with headquarters in Miami. ,
He returned to Rio de Janeiro in 1952 as Pan American vice president in charge of the air-iine’s operations in Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina and has served in that post with distinction ever since.
25th PAA FLIGHT
Anniversaries
September 23rd
PARAMARIBO—
---GEORGETOWN
REMEMBER THIS DATE
November 6th
PAA - PSCMIC - LAD
at Œmmn parr
Pam Am erfcam World Airways LATIN AMERICAN DIVISION
VOL. 11, NO. 9
SEPTEMBER 1954
540831
u «ina! ¡I S5M : ARDS FOR IDEAS
-V
Frye Air Pioneering Award Presented to PAA by Veep
Pan American World Airways has been awarded the Frye Airline Performance trophy for 1953 for pioneering in the use of the upper air “jet stream” in regularly scheduled commercial flight.
Vice President Richard M.V--------------------
Nixon presented the trophy to
Juan T. Trippe, president of Pan American, in Washington, Aug. 18 in behalf of the award committee, consisting of Maj. Alexander P. de Seversky, chairman, Gen. Carl Spaatz, Oswald Ryan, C. S. (Casey) Jones, and John B. Walker.
The award was given to Pan American for its regularly scheduled non-stop flights from Tokyo to Honolulu, a distance of 3,846 miles. The distance is flown by four-engine Pan American Boeing “Strato” Clip-j>ers through the Pacific “jet stream” at an average block-to-blook speed of 334.44 mph in IIV2 hours.
The jet stream has an 80 to 100 mile-an-hour “built-in” tail wind. It is the longest non-stop regularly scheduled flight flown by a certified U. S. commercial airline.
In determining the winner of the award, the committee took these qualification points under consideration:
The development of safer, more efficient, faster and more economical commercial airline
service; contribution to world wide communication and understanding; operation of the fastest commercial schedule over the longest distance, and perfection of navigational means and methods such as the use of meteorological advantages.
The annual award was established in 1952 by Jack Frye, president of General Aniline and Film Corporation, who pioneered for over 20 years in research, design and operation of commercial airline transportation, taking a major part in the early development of high altitude over-weather flying.
Winner of the award in 1952 was Pan American-Grace Airways for its “El Interamericano” flights along the west coast of South America to Buenos Aires. The flights averaged 325 miles per hour.
Customs Tips
A two-page folder offering suggestions concerning “How to Clear U.S. Customs the Easiest Way,” is being offered-free in all PAA sales offices. It is printed in Spanish and English.
DOWN TEXAS WAY
CURSES! IT'S ANOTHER GUSHER
Here’s a nifty story out of San Juan to end all Texas stories, according to our Clipper Correspondent Elisa A. Guerrero.
A multi-millionaire Texas oilman, vacationing in St. Croix, received an urgent cable requesting his immediate presence at home. The man arrived at San Juan at a time when bookings were quite tight but since he was so upset about what was happening back home, he was given first opportunity to travel.
While waiting for his trip to leave, a sympathetic manager at the station asked him what the trouble was and if he could be of further assistance.
“The trouble at home,” said the oilman, “is that another $50,000 a day gusher just came in.”
“But that’s nothing for you to be so worried about,” said the manager.
“Oh, yes it is,” said the Texan, “you see I have to rush home and have it plugged up.”
“Why should you do that if it’s a $50,000 a day gusher?” queried the manager.
“Well, you see,” said the Texan, “it’s ruining my wife’s $20,000 Japanese garden.”
-12
Clipper Deadline Is Moved Forward
With this issue The Clipper has advanced its date of issue
by two weeks and henceforth will be published at the end of each month.
Four Men Receive $1,500
Bonanza for Suggestions
After completely eluding LAD suggestion plan fortune hunters during the first half of the year-, -the -$500 geMerr-jackpot-'came tumbling down three times in rapid succession during July and August. Four LAD’ers shared in the $1,500 bonanza for the top
suggestions for improving operations and increasing their departments.	V
Because of the advanced deadline, it will be necessary for Clipper Correspondents to send in their material as early as possible, preferably so that it reaches the Clipper editor by the 15th of the month. This will be for the usual material.
Any unusual news and feature stories can be bundled as late as the 25th of the month. So hurry your copy in to the Clipper editor.
New Records Set by PAA On Two
New flight records from Port of Spain to Miami and San Juan to Miami were established by PAA Super-6 Clippers August 4 with two of the airline’s top-seniority pilots at the controls.
Capt. Basil L. Rowe, 25-year PAA veteran and dean of all U.S. commercial pilots, lowered the San Juan-Miami time to three hours and 19 minutes, while Capt. Victor A. Wright, a Clipper pilot for 22 years, cut the Port of Spain-Miami time to five hours and 36 minutes.
Rowe’s record run marked the second day in a row that he had bettered the existing mark for the 1,060 mile San Juan-Miami flight. He cut one minute from the old record of 3:25 August 3 and shaved off six more minutes the next day.
Wright whacked 23 minutes off the former record of 5:59 for the 1,718 mile Port of Spain-Miami flight. Making stops at Caracas, Venezuela, and Port-au-Prince, Haiti, he racked up new records on each leg of the trip.
He flew from Port of Spain to Caracas in 1:14, and from Caracas to Port-au-Prince in 2:05, cutting nine minutes from the old mark on each hop. He made it from Port-au-Prince to Miami in 2:17 — five minutes better than the old record.,
Through August, the LAD suggestion plan committee awarded $7,600 to 232 LAD’ers, making the average award nearly $33. Several hundred more suggestions are under study.
Race to become the first LAD’er to qualify for the maximum award this year wound up in what might be termed a dead heat between the team of John A. Gillis, mechanic, and James R. Clark, master mechanic of the radio electrical shop at COB, and Elwyn P. Ingram, master mechanic in the welding shop.
And hot on their heels was Clarence M. Frydenborg, master mechanic in the COB paint shop.
Gillis and Clark hit the jackpot in July with their suggestion for reclaiming low tension coils on R-2800 and R-3350 engines which had developed insulation cracks. Since the coils cost $32.61 apiece, their reclamation results in considerable savings in maintenance on Convair, Constellation and DC-6B Clippers.
efficiency in
The boost that put Ingram in the $500 circle came during August, with a $75 award. But observers figured he could claim at least a dead heat for first honors since he had been awarded an initial $425 on Jan. 19 for his idea for modifying B row exhaust headers to incorporate a ball joint on R-4360 engines used on Boeing “Strato” Clippers.
In • modifying the headers, the procedure has been to cut off one part and discard it, buying a new part from stock at $9.95 per part. Ingram figured out a way to use the previously discarded part in the modification process.
The suggestion plan committee, reviewing Lis idea at the end of six months, decided it had resulted in greater savings than originally estimated and upped Ingram’s award to the $500 maximum.
Figuring out a way to stop pinhole leaks in Stratocruiser (Continued on Page Seven)
GRINS ARE PLENTIFUL among the boys at the right as Stanley W. Strama, COB superintendent, hands out $1,500 to them. Strama is shown handing check for $500 to Clarence Frydenborg. Looking on and waiting to receive many greenbacks are, left to right, Elwyn Ingram, John A. Gillis and James R. Clark. These last four named won the biggest batch of suggestion greenbacks of the year.