Dedicated to The Eastern Air Lines Flight Attendants

Honor, integrity, pride, fellowship — The rEAL Flight Crew!
The Official Newsletter of The Silver Falcons
Volume 14, Number 2
www.silverfalcons.com
Spring 2010
Dedicated to The Eastern Air Lines Flight Attendants
We flew the line together
We walked the line together
We shared the clear skies and the turbulence together
You have always been there when we needed you the most
We are the Eastern Family
The rEAL Word | Spring 2010
1
Ladies and Gentlemen of The Silver Falcons,
P.O. Box 71372
Newnan, GA
30271
Board of Directors
C.R. Shoop, President
Tel: (770) 929-1924
jrshoop@gmail.com
Bill Frank, Director
Tel: (770) 567-3763
gwannie@earthlink.net
Hank Sanak, Vice President
Tel: (770) 487-4255
sanak@bellsouth.net
Dick Borrelli, Newsletter Editor
Tel: (770) 254-1748
Fax: (770) 254-0179
conob@newnanpc.com
Stuart Hughes, Database
Coordinator
Tel: (770) 229-2784
southmetro@mindspring.com
Bob Ramsey, Secretary
Tel: (770) 977-5424
robjet@bellsouth.net
Sandy McCulloh, E-Mail Editor
Tel: (770) 491-0727
silverfalcons@bellsouth.net
Joe Zito, Financial Officer
Tel: (770) 252-0761
Fax: (770) 252-0758
Cell: (678) 523-1235
jezdc9@numail.org
Dave Ingle, Director
Tel: (770) 432-5165
crashingle@bellsouth.net
The opinions expressed in The rEAL Word are the opinions of individual members
and do not express the opinions of the BOD or the organization.
Newsletter layout by KFD&P; 770 474-1953; kellie@kfdp.com
The Silver Falcons is a group of former Eastern Airlines Pilots and Flight
Attendants who honored the picket line in 1989. It is incorporated and registered
as a nonprofit organization in the State of Georgia. The Silver Falcons is also
registered as a tax-exempt organization with the IRS.
Dues are $25 per year for Charter members and family members. A life membership
may be purchased for $500. Dues and all correspondence should be mailed to: The
Silver Falcons, P.O. Box 71372, Newnan, GA 30271.
A quarter page ad for one year (Four issues) is $250. A half page ad, either
horizontal or vertical, is $500 a year. Every attempt will be made to put these ads on
the outside of the page rather than toward the middle. The back cover and the inside
of the front cover will be offered for full page ads only and will cost $1000 a year. If
you have a special event that needs attention for a short time, we will accept single
issue ads at $62.50 for a quarter page, $125 for a half page, and $250 for a full page
(If available). We will not decrease the content of the newsletter, but will increase
its size to accommodate our advertisers. Every attempt will be made to insure that
there is no more than one ad per page. The editor will have the right to reject any
ad that he deems objectionable, although we do not anticipate this as a problem. All
ads must be in black and white since we do not have color capability at this time.
It will be the responsibility of the advertiser to supply a print-ready ad to the editor
at least 30 days prior to publication of the newsletter. Every effort will be made to
accommodate any specific requests you may have.
Publication dates are January 15, April 15, July 15, and October 15 each year. All
materials can be mailed to The Silver Falcons, P.O. Box 71372, Newnan, GA 30271,
or contact Dick Borrelli at this address, by fax at (770) 254-0179, or by E-Mail at
conob@newnanpc.com if you plan to participate. Deadline for ads is at least 30
days prior to the publication dates stated above.
2
The rEAL Word | Spring 2010
It seems the small stations had a slower pace of
life with fewer flights and more time to think
up stunts to pull. Point in hand, Charleston,
SC or “Charlie South” as everyone called it.
My first flight there called my attention to
a fairly large wooden and heavy wire cage
with the warning in red letters “Mongoosedo not touch”. The only visible object was a
furry looking tail sticking out of an internal
doorway through the heavy metal screening.
One of the agents saw my curious glances and asked if I would like to
see the Mongoose. Since this was a chance to see something different,
I of course agreed. He started cautiously tapping on the cage and
calling out for the critter to come through the doorway and telling me
to get in front so I could see better when it came out. Suddenly there
was a loud bang and a furry object came hurtling out of the top of the
cage and into my face! I had been had and everyone got a good laugh
at my startled composure. Thus was the introduction of a new crew
member to “Charlie South”. Later a new flight attendant (who shall
remain nameless) was identified in bound to “Charlie South” and the
cockpit crew of course notified the station of this when calling in range
for the numbers. The show was repeated upon the unsuspecting prey
with the room waiting for the usual results. This time they got more
than they bargained for as the poor girl was so startled that she voided
her bladder on the floor amidst the snickers of the audience. She now
had to beat a retreat to the restroom for a change of underwear while
the rest of the crew waited at curbside in the crew limo. Needless to
say she did not participate in the layover camaraderie for that trip.
That F/A did not forget and several months later she was on board to
“Charlie South” with a different crew. She played innocent and told the
crew she was looking forward to her first time into “Charlie South”.
They took the bait and ops was ready to show off the Mongoose again.
This time when the furry tail bounced off her she gave out a gasp and
fell to the floor in a faint and collapsed into a motionless heap. The
ensuing panic caused ops agents to call for the paramedics while others
tried to revive her. Just as the medics arrived with oxygen at the ready,
she jumped up and said “is the limo ready?” and walked out of the
room. The Mongoose disappeared and was never seen again closing
another chapter in the never ending story of good old Eastern Air
Lines. Welcome aboard to our full status Flight Attendants!
We are still taking voluntary contributions for the final disposition of
the EAL Pilot plaque at the ATL airport. Please identify this on your
checks as to which goes to this project and which goes to the flower
fund. The plaque committee has not yet had any definite information
as to what the final plans are but Jim Holder stated to me that probably
no more room is available on the wall after 2009.
An e-mail from Buck Buchanan states that Airbus has agreed to
give the EAL Pilots recognition for flying the A-300 first among
U.S. carriers. This must be approved by The National Air and Space
Museum but there should not be any objections to this that we can
foresee. Our thanks to Buck and others who helped through their
contacts at the facility in MIA. Also Buck had some recent surgery
and we wish him a complete recovery. Not an easy task as we get into
these later years. What started out as just a quick idea has turned into
concrete action.
Fraternally,
C.R. Shoop,, President
Mark your calendar.
The annual Silver Falcons
Christmas dinner will be
held at Petit Auberge
on Friday evening,
December 17.
Mark your calendar.
The 2010 Silver Falcons
Convention will be held at
the Perimeter Center Marriott
in Atlanta from Wednesday,
Sept. 29 through Saturday
Oct. 2. See pages 4-5.
Dues were due Jan. 1.
If you have not paid you are 4 months overdue!
In order to continue receiving the newsletter and
to be included in the 2010 Directory, we must
receive your check as soon as possible.
Check out our web site at: www.silverfalcons.com.
A new movie every quarter. Online catalogue to
purchase Silver Falcons
logo items, T-shirts, etc.,
current newsletter, back
issues, photo galleries,
convention info. Everything you need to
know.
The rEAL Word | Spring 2010
3
2010 Silver Falcons Convention
he Silver Falcons 2010 Convention will be held at the Marriott Perimeter Center in Atlanta from
Wednesday, Sept 29 through Saturday, October 2.
There will be a pay-as-you-go pre-convention dinner at a premier restaurant on Wednesday evening
prior to the official opening of the convention. Thursday morning our golf tournament will be held
at The Country Club of Roswell followed by the Welcome Aboard cocktail party and buffet Thursday
evening. Friday will be our annual business meeting and Spousal Luncheon and the Banquet will be held
Friday evening. Checkout will be Saturday morning.
The Golf Tournament will cost $75 all inclusive. Make your check out to The Silver Falcons and send it to
Capt. Bill Frank, P.O. Box 522, Zebulon, GA 30295-7376.
Perimeter Center is an ideal location for a convention since it is so convenient to so many Atlanta attractions. The hotel is located within walking distance of Perimeter Mall with it’s many fine stores including
Bloomingdales, Dillards, Macy’s, Nordstrum, Abercrombie & Fitch, Ann Taylor, Brooks Brothers, and many
others. Local dining includes
Maggiano’s,
Cheesecake
Factory, McCormick &
Schmick,
McKendrick’s
Steak House, Season’s 52, The
Wildfire Grill, Fire Of Brazil,
Chequers, P.F. Chang’s, and
Garrison’s.
MARTA has rail service from
the Atlanta Airport and the
station at Perimeter is just
a short walk from the hotel.
The hotel has unlimited free
parking and motor home can
be parked in the lot, but hook
ups are not available.
Some of the Atlanta attractions available within a short
drive are the new Atlanta
Aquarium, Six Flags, The
Fox theater, Stone Mountain,
Grant Park Zoo, and Kennesaw
Mountain.
As always the Hospitality
Suite will be open 24/7 unless
another event is taking place.
The Hospitality Suite has always been the cornerstone of The Silver Falcons Conventions with free beverages
and snacks available at all times as well as our Country Store. The purpose of the convention has always been,
and always will be, to give our members the opportunity to socialize and drink and relax with old friends in the
Hospitality Suite while everyone tells and listens to lies, exaggerations, and half truths about what made the
job so good (AND IT WAS!) Stories about Connies and Electras, and 720s, and 727s, and Martins, and Airbus,
and all the others never grow old and never grow dull—they simply get bigger and better every year! C’MON
TO ATLANTA AND LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL! WE CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU WHOEVER YOU
ARE. “THERE I WAS—UPSIDE DOWN AT 30,000 FEET WITH ONE ENGINE OUT AND MY CREW
MEAL WAS COLD!”
4
The rEAL Word | Spring 2010
The Atlanta Mariott Perimeter Center
Delight in an exceptional Atlanta Perimeter hotel in Dunwoody that blends a convenient location with
unmatched personal service. Surrounded by fabulous shopping, dining and entertainment, and adjacent to the
Atlanta Perimeter Mall, our Dunwoody hotel is conveniently located just 15 minutes from downtown - and
is easily accessible by MARTA. Featuring 400 comfortable rooms wired for business, our Dunwoody hotel’s
complimentary parking provides a superior value. Perimeter Grille serves traditional cuisine in a casual
atmosphere, while the new and trendy Perimeter Grille Lounge boasts classic cocktails in a sophisticated setting.
Guests may also host parties or business meetings in our 15,000 square feet of newly renovated meeting space
with innovative technological enhancements, as well as contiguous banquet facilities, a kosher kitchen, and the
new Perimeter Ballroom. Discover a favorite amongst Dunwoody, Atlanta hotels at Marriott Perimeter Center.
Atlanta Marriott Perimeter Center
246 Perimeter Center Parkway NE
Atlanta, Georgia 30346 USA
Phone: 1-770-394-6500
Fax: 1-770-394-4338
Toll-free: 1-888-858-2451
Sales: 1-770-394-6500 ext. 3710
Sales Fax: 1-770-913-9440
Check-In and Checkout
Check-in: 4:00 PM Check-out: 12:00 PM
Video Review Billing , Video Checkout
Express Checkout
Parking
Complimentary on-site parking
Short Term Comp Parking Daily at Hotel
Pet Policy
Pets allowed; contact hotel for details
Hotel Details
16 floors, 400 rooms
14 meeting rooms, 15,000 sq ft of total meeting space
7 concierge levels
The rEAL Word | Spring 2010 5
GREETINGS FROM THE BRILL’S
Walt and Alyson Brill are two of
our most loyal Silver Falcons and
are consistent attendees at our
conventions. They have generously
contributed Alaskan care packages
to the hospitality suite each year and
have mailed them to us when they
were unable to attend. Those of you
that have attended the conventions
and spent time in the hospitality suite
will surely remember the delicious
smoked salmon snacks as well as the
wild berry candy and the other exotic
treats that they have sent over the
years. If anyone deserves recognition
for going above and beyond for the
Falcons—it is the Brills. When you
see them at the next convention
be sure to thank them for their
generosity. Other than the delights
that they bring to our gatherings, the
other thing that stands out in my mind
is that Alyson has always helped pick
up the hospitality suite each evening
to prepare it for the next days
festivities. Alyson and Walt—
Thanks for your loyalty and
generosity—we salute you!
6
The rEAL Word | Spring 2010
On Memorial Day 1947, Eastern Airlines Flight 605 Crashed Near Port Deposit
Sixty-two years ago on a gorgeous Memorial Day, a DC-4
with 53-people on board suddenly plunged from the sky into
a thick woods outside Port Deposit, MD. With about an hour
of daylight remaining Eastern Airlines Flight 605 departed La
Guardia on time for its scheduled trip to Miami. As the southbound craft neared the Susquehanna River, Bainbridge and
Port Deposit coming into view, everything seemed perfectly
normal on this serene afternoon. A DC-3 with a group of Civil Aeronautics
Board Investigators (CAB) trailed about three miles behind Flight 605. They
too were enjoying the afternoon as the sunlight faded. They were returning
from probing the crash of another DC-4 at La Guardia the day before.
With the tranquil scene and the daylight fading, the CAB staffers were taking
in the view. But suddenly they were jolted out of this peaceful tranquility
by the frightening action of the craft just ahead of them. It was streaking
earthward in a vertical dive. Losing altitude quickly, the plane kept dropping
and it appeared that no attempt was being made to pull it out of the steep,
rapid, out of control descent. Then there was a puff of white smoke, a flash
of orange, and billowing cloud of smoke.
After circling the scene, the federal men landed at Aberdeen Proving Ground
and commanded ground transportation to the scene to start another fatal
investigation. Everyone on board had died in the terrible explosion. Fire
companies from Perryville, Port Deposit (Water Witch) and Havre De Grace,
along with police officers and men from the Bainbridge
Naval Training Center, rushed to the scene, but there was
nothing they could do. The crash occurred in a dense,
thicket of woods and vines near the north end of Principio
roads, not too far from Bainbridge.
Chief Walker of the Havre De Grace Police Department
was the first officer to reach the scene according to the Havre de Grace
Record. Hurriedly covering the few miles from town to the scene, he told the
Record that he was guided to the area by a plane which kept circling above
the area. It was later determined this was the craft carrying the CAB officials
from the accident at La Guardia which also took a huge toll of lives. “I left
officers Bullock and Himes to drive to the scene of the accident while I made
my way through the woods on foot. I’ll never forget the horror of that first
glimpse I received when I entered the clearing… The tangled wreckage of the
airliner was a blazing inferno and I realized that all of the passengers must
surely be dead.”
According to Aviation Week, the accident was tagged as a mystery. No
evidence was found on the structural cause of the crash and in those days
recording devices were not yet in use. This is one of the few ‘for reasons
unknown’ crashes in the history of U.S. air accidents and the investigation
still has experts puzzled all these decades later. v
Layabed
The following Silver Falcons and family members are currently under the
weather and would appreciate calls, cards, and visits from friends. A card
or a friendly voice can do wonders when a person is really hurting!
It’s easy to get on the Lay-A-Bed list. All it takes is a bad headache and a
big mouthed friend. Getting off the list is another matter altogether! No one
ever tells us when they get well!
Therefore we have had to make rules to control this situation. In the
future:
1. When the flower dies, take your name off the lay-a-bed list whether you
are sick or not.
2. If you are still sick, put your name back on the list and we will send you
a new flower!
3. When the new flower dies, go back to rule one!
Captain Tim Chase
109 Carols Lane
Locust Grove, GA 30248
Ardyc1@aol.com
(770) 320-8526
Mrs. Dee McKinney
Wife of Capt. Clancy McKinney
2860 Roxburgh Drive
Roswell, GA 30076
cl_demckinney@bellsouth.net
(770) 475-1129
Captain Jack Geyer
2956 Skylark Place
Gainesville, GA 30506
(770) 532-6449
j-geyer@charter.net
Mrs. Pauline Mallary
Wife of Capt. Pete Mallary
221 Magnolia Church Rd.
Statesboro, GA 30461
7666r@bellsouth.net
(912) 587-2376
Captain Jerry Fradenburg
3 Fenway Ct.
Newnan, GA 30265
(770) 502-0451
Captain J-Ron Wheeler
1225 Redstone Drive
Avon, IN 46123
(317) 273-0895
Lindaj-ron@indy.rr.com
The rEAL Word | Spring 2010
7
The Editorial
We have actually booked our annual convention two years in
advance which is a good thing. Atlanta in 2010 should be a
winner with an outstanding location at the Marriott Perimeter
Center adjacent to the majority of the fine stores and great
restaurants on Atlanta’s north side as well as convenient
MARTA transportation to and from the airport. Our 2011
convention in San Antonio is also booked and confirmed with
accommodations at the Historic Menger Hotel, next to the
Alamo, and a short stroll to the Riverwalk with all it’s great
places to eat. These are both going to be outstanding gatherings
and we look forward to seeing you all at both locations.
It has been a long 21 years since we made our brave and
futile demonstration for justice and we have all grown older.
Transportation has become a problem since it is now such an
inconvenience to fly and driving has become a chore, an ordeal,
or an impossibility. Each year our membership dwindles as our
roll of departed members grows. As time goes by the opportunity
to enjoy old friends and renew old friendships becomes more
and more important and the ability to travel becomes more
difficult. Don’t let these obstacles deprive you of the chance
to see your friends again, revive old memories, tell lies about
flying the line, and bask in the comfort of recalling adventures
shared and common memories. Each year our convention
becomes more and more important, not for the location or food,
but for the renewal and restoration of those friendships we all
hold so dear—for the opportunity to just hang out, drink, and
talk! As time goes by our conventions should actually grow in
size since our old friends become more and more important to
each of us and the opportunity to see them all again only takes
place once a year. We have reached that point in our lives
where the convention is actually a social necessity. Don’t miss
these opportunities to relive the past, remember, the glory, cuss
out the bad guys, and praise each other for all those things we
did, pretended we did, or wish that we had done! At this point
in our lives and occasional lie to embellish a great story is a
good thing and we encourage you to come, share, enjoy, and lie
to your heart’s content. Old friends are good friends—departed
friends are a missed opportunity and a resource never to be
offered again!
As I have mentioned so many times, we owe a huge debt to
our Flight Attendant members who shared so much with us in
the air and on the picket line. Our Flight Attendants are now
full members of The Silver Falcons as they should have been
all along. While reviewing past issues of The rEAL Word I
realized that although this is an organization of Pilots AND
Flight Attendants, the newsletter has been predominantly a
Pilot’s newsletter. In an effort to correct this, the current issue
is devoted to our Flight Attendant members with my apologies
for ignoring them in the past. I will try to be more considerate
in the future.
I can still remember the good old days (Yes, they really were the
good old days!) when the Flight Attendants were grandfathered
in to the pilot’s contract and our duty rigs and bidding procedures
were the same. Everything the pilots got, the flight attendants
got too. Back then a crew bid a line and stayed together for the
entire month. We all knew each other by name and crews were
actually friends. Everyone in each base knew everyone else.
Atlanta pilots flew with Atlanta flight attendants and New York
pilots flew with New York flight attendants. Flight Attendants
came to the cockpit because they wanted to, not just because
someone rang the bell three times. The entire crew went to
dinner together on the layover. We were truly an Eastern Family
then unlike later when we changed cabin crews each time the
gear came down and it became an impossibility to maintain
any kind of a crew rapport at all. We went from an airline
where everyone knew everyone else by their first name to an
airline where we not only knew no one, but no effort was made
to introduce ourselves. It was at this point that the animosity
between the cockpit and the cabin developed. When the crew
changed at the end of every leg it simply wasn’t worth the effort.
Is there an Atlanta Convair Crew that doesn’t remember flying
with Heidi Baumeister or Muldoon? Do you remember waiting
until after the meal service to eat so that we could have first class
refusals? Do you Martin 404 copilots remember working the
galley for the Flight Attendant on short legs with a meal service?
We were friends! At that time we were all in Flight Operations,
8
The rEAL Word | Spring 2010
EDITORIAL, Continued
as it should have been, and In Flight didn’t exist. When we
separated the airplane at the cockpit door and began flying with
different schedules and agendas, the friendships disappeared
and Eastern went progressively downhill. In the good old days
pilots married flight attendants because we thought it was in the
contract and we actually knew their first names. I truly miss my
Flight Attendant buddies!
Dick Borrelli, Editor
ANNUAL ATL EAL FLIGHT OPERATIONS, PILOTS (AND FRIENDS) PICNIC
(A SPECIAL MEMORIAL TO OUR LONG TIME HOST, CAPTAIN BOB BRUCE)
WHEN: WHERE: SATURDAY, May 29, 2010, 1030 UNTIL???
EAGLE’S LANDING AIRPORT, WILLIAMSON, GEORGIA. .
(Atlanta Sectional Chart, West of Griffin, GA) CTAF 122.75 (This is a new frequency!)
(N 33 09.36 W 84 21.54, (5GA3), ELEV 980 ft, 2 grass runways
Note: Carolyn McGaughey has graciously consented to having the picnic at her hangar, located next door to Bob Bruce’s
lot. Many thanks to Carolyn who has attended many of our picnics.
1. Reservations are a MUST FOR MEAL PLANNING PURPOSES. Please clip off the reservation form below and send it with your check for $12.00 per person, plus a stamped self-addressed
envelope so that we can mail your ticket to you. Bring your ticket with you! We will have a drawing
for prizes and your ticket(s) could win!
2. Bring your own beverage cooler for the time that the lunch isn’t being served. The caterer will provide
a beverage, but only during the meal. Lawn chairs and folding tables would be a good idea.
3. Carpool where possible. Some of our members are more prone to attend if the driving is left to someone else. Also, wear your name tag so everyone will know you. If you can’t find it, we’ll make one for
you.
4. Barbecue lunch will be served beginning at approximately 1230.
5. FLY-INS AUTHORIZED! — And encouraged — bring your airplane for others to see.
(Please monitor and communicate on 122.9 if you come by Air)
6.
7.
Have any questions or suggestions? Please call one of the following:
Capt. Virgil Tedder @ 404-351-4960 or Captain Dick Garner @ 770-253-1176
Last day for reservations: Monday, May 24, 2010
EASY DIRECTIONS (NOBODY GETS LOST)
FROM Atlanta: South on US 19/US 41 to Griffin Bypass. Take Griffin Bypass to Hwy 362 exit. Turn west
onto Hwy 362 to Williamson. It’s about 6 miles into Williamson. At the gas station, 362 angles right, but you
stay to the left at the fork. At the 4-way stop sign turn right onto Reidsboro Road. Continue to 2nd entrance
on left into Eagles Landing. Turn left onto Lufbery Circle. Look for Carolyn’s hangar (the second house on
the right, 1111 Lufbery Circle, Williamson, GA 30292 for GPS users). Parking will be obvious as you enter.
Lost? call Virgil Tedder 770-851-1091 (cell phone)
The rEAL Word | Spring 2010
9
Special Silver Falcons Tribute: Flight Attendants
A TRIBUTE TO THE EASTERN AIR LINES FLIGHT ATTENDANTS
Flight attendants are the face of the airlines; they constitute most of
the contact between airlines and their customers, and often are the
basis for comparison between airlines. The quality of their service
is so crucial to the success of an airline’s bottom line that newly
hired flight attendants must go through rigorous public relations
training before they even think about serving their first cup of
coffee on board.
Flight attendants represent one of the largest job categories in the
airline industry. Airlines in the United States currently employ
approximately 80,000 flight attendants, and hire almost 15,000
more each year. These jobs are some of the most coveted positions
in the travel business.
The world of flight attendants has also changed significantly since
the beginning of commercial air travel. The first airliners were
actually mail planes with a few extra spaces for passengers. On
these flights, you had to take care of yourself: The plane crew
included only pilots, and they were so busy flying the plane that
they didn’t have time to attend to passengers.
Eventually, some early airlines added cabin boys to their flights.
These crew members, who were usually teenagers or small men,
were mainly on board to load luggage, reassure nervous passengers
and help people get around the plane. In 1930, a young nurse named
Ellen Church, along with Steve Stimpson of Boeing Air Transport,
came up with a new sort of attendant. Church proposed that
registered nurses would make an ideal addition to the flight crew,
as they could take care of any passengers that got sick. Boeing, then
an airline as well as a plane manufacturer, hired eight nurses for a
three-month trial run. The new attendants, who would come to be
called “stewardesses,” soon became an integral part of the airline
industry. In time, these attendants were no longer required to have
a nursing degree, but the nurturing, maternal character remained
a key element in the
profession. Fighting
this trend was Captain
Eddie Rickenbacker
of Eastern Air Lines
who was convinced
passengers would feel
more secure with a
male presence in the
cabin and hired only
Flight Stewards until
well into the 1940’s
when World War II,
route expansion, and a
shortage of available
men forced him to
reconsider and begin
hiring women. The
rest, thank goodness, is
history.
Until relatively recently,
airline stewardesses
were under strict
10
The rEAL Word | Spring 2010
Photo courtesy Boeing
The original eight stewardesses, registered nurses who
went to work for Boeing Air Transport in 1930
control. They were not allowed to be married—ostensibly because
husbands would complain that the long hours kept their wives away
from home -- and most airlines had certain constraints on their height,
weight and proportions. Their clothing was similarly restrictive: At
most airlines, stewardesses wore form-fitting uniforms and were
required to wear white gloves and high heels throughout most of
the flight. While it was a perfectly respectable occupation for young
women, early stewardesses were generally underpaid, had minimal
benefits and were in a subservient role to pilots.
During the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s, flight-attendant unions, as well
as representatives from the equal rights movement, brought about
sweeping changes in the airline industry that addressed these
problems. Since the 1970s, the policy of the major airlines
has been to hire both men and women as attendants and to
have no restrictions on size and weight. Flight attendants
now share many of the same benefits as pilots, and airlines
recognize them as a crucial component of the air-travel
industry. After all, to most passengers, the flight attendant is
the face of the entire airline. v
Special Silver Falcons Tribute: Flight Attendants
The rEAL Word | Spring 2010
11
Special Silver Falcons Tribute: Flight Attendants
12
The rEAL Word | Spring 2010
Special Silver Falcons Tribute: Flight Attendants
The rEAL Word | Spring 2010
13
Special Silver Falcons Tribute: Flight Attendants
14
The rEAL Word | Spring 2010
Special Silver Falcons Tribute: Flight Attendants
History of Flight Attendants
The first flight attendants were called “couriers,” and their ranks
included the young sons of steamship, railroad, and industrial
magnates who financed the airlines. Stout Airways was the first
to employ stewards in 1926, working on Ford Tri-Motor planes
between Detroit and Grand Rapids, Michigan. Western (1928) and
Pan Am (1929) were the first US carriers to employ stewards to serve
food. Ten-passenger Fokkers used in the Caribbean had stewards in
the era of gambling trips to Havana, Cuba from Key West, Florida.
During the early days of commercial aviation, a pilot or first officer
on flights would often serve as cabin attendant, as well as assisting
in flying the plane. But this splitting of duties proved inefficient,
and airlines began to consider other options.
Boeing Air Transport, a forerunner of United Air Lines, was the
first airline to hire women, beginning with Ellen Church on May
15, 1930. Airline executives believed that the presence of a female
attendant on board would reassure passengers of the increasing
safety of air travel. It would be difficult for potential travelers to
admit fear of flying when young women routinely took to the air as
part of an in-flight crew. Further, it was believed that women would
cater to their predominantly male passengers. (Not everyone was
enthusiastic about the idea, though. Pilots claimed they were too
busy flying to look after “helpless” female crew members.)
Flying on Boeing 80s and 80-As, stewardesses would serve their
ten passengers a cold meal, usually consisting of fried chicken,
apples and sandwiches, which they would pick up at the hanger
prior to passenger boarding. On flights out of Chicago, the famous
Palmer House catered the food. In 1931, Eastern Air Transport
hostesses served passengers in a hanger at Richmond, VA. On
Curtiss-Wright Condor aircraft (which had no galleys) hostesses
served their eighteen passengers coffee, tea, Coca-Cola, biscuits
and coffeecake from a picnic hamper. United used fine bone china
until turbulence made that economically unsound. Coffee was
served from thermos bottles.
In addition to meal service, stewardesses were also responsible for
winding clocks and altimeters in the cabin, and ensuring that wicker passenger seats were securely bolted to the aircraft floor. They
were also required to advise passengers not to throw lighted cigars
and cigarettes out aircraft windows while over populated areas and
Suzi Pavelsek
Suzi Pavelsek
to ensure that passengers didn’t use the exit door instead of the
lavatory door! All this for an exciting salary of $110 (Eastern) to
$125 (UA/Boeing) per month. As this was during the depression,
no one received raises. At the start of the New Year in 1933, there
were only thirty-eight stewardess in the United States. Twenty-six
worked for United, on Boeing aircraft, another 12 for Eastern, flying on Curtiss-Wright Condors. On May 3, 1933, American Air
Ways, predecessor of American Airlines, hired their first four hostesses and a week later, hired two more registered nurses. By the
time Trans-Canada Air Lines (later renamed Air Canada) was created in April, 1937, the stewardess concept was firmly established.
In the beginning, airlines preferred to hire only registered nurses,
not just for their medical experience, but also because it was
believed that nurses led a disciplined life which would transfer well
to the rigors of airline travel. During World War II, the airlines
hired only men to work on the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF)
flights, thereby opening the market for women on non-military
commercial flights.
The stewardess career went through many transformations over
the decades. This job changed from something one only did for a
few years prior to marriage, to a long-term career worth retaining
until retirement. This has largely been a result of better wage and
benefits packages secured by unions on behalf of various flight
attendant work forces. In times past, stewardesses were required to
quit when they married or became pregnant.
Airlines hired only young women and some preferred them to
retire or transfer to a ground job when they reached a ripe old age
between 32 to thirty 35! During the 1960s and 1970s, through the
Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission guidelines and various lawsuits, these barriers gradually fell. Now airlines must hire people of all races, ages, marital
status, and gender. As more men entered the workforce, the job title
was changed from “steward/stewardess” to the current “flight attendant.” There are some countries that continue to call them “steward/stewardess” or even “host/hostess,” but even these are gradually changing to reflect a genderless job title. Now the average age
is late-20s to mid-30s. Average seniority is ten years with a very
low attrition rate. Approximately one half are married, while many
are single, divorced, widowed, parents and even grandparents! v
Virginia Morse Coan &
Jackie Keane
The rEAL Word | Spring 2010
15
Special Silver Falcons Tribute: Flight Attendants
Alexa Conway
Suzi Pavelsek
Carole Reynolds Thompson
Carole Reynolds Thompson
Jane Borrelli 1957
Pam Ware
Mary Lloyd
Linda Lord
16
The rEAL Word | Spring 2010
Special Silver Falcons Tribute: Flight Attendants
Carolyn Dennie Summer
Suzi Pavelsek
Maxine Peterson & Cornie Kramer1954
Norma Frey
February 1989 1011 Crew
Cindy Ferris, Yonna Williams,
Sharon Buffington, Judi Gallagher
Jim & Ginger Fischley
Jeanie Notaro Colonial
The rEAL Word | Spring 2010
17
Special Silver Falcons Tribute: Flight Attendants
The Old-Timers
DC-3 Boarding
Margaret Raines
Stewardess Pat
Junior Flight Attendant Wings
Hijackers in the Good Old Days
B.J. Howard
We came across a story about a retired flight attendant on the website
of a Florida newspaper called The Villages Daily Sun. The article
profiles B. J. Howard, who worked for Eastern Airlines years ago.
In the article, Ms. Howard reminisces about the time in history “when
airline passengers’ worst fears were hijackers commandeering
American jets to Cuba”—long before terrorism had become a
household word, and before the September 11 attacks changed
everything about flying forever.
Here’s her tale:
During two weeks in September 1980, Howard’s training
paid off as she worked two flights hijacked in the air over
Florida. The first landed the crew and passengers safely in Cuba.
The second was Eastern Airlines Flight No. 6 from Miami to John
F. Kennedy Airport in New York. Less than a half-hour into the
flight, a man holding what appeared to be two sticks of makeshift
dynamite tried to reroute the plane and head south for Cuba.
Howard inched her way toward him, all the while trying to attract
the attention of nearby male passengers, pleading with her eyes
for help. Her signals went unnoticed, so she sprang into action.
“I jumped a hijacker,” she said with a slight giggle. “I tackled him
into the lavatory.”
“He just had a big lighter—he didn’t have a gun or a knife,” she
added matter-of-factly.
Her bravery was duly noted.
“Ms. Howard’’s presence of mind, cool and accurate evaluations of
the situation and personal courage in disabling the hijacker is one
of the finest examples of employee conduct I have had the pleasure
to witness in many years,” reads a letter penned by FBI Special
Agent Arthur Nehrbass to the former Eastern Airlines president.
Those were the days -- when hijackers took over planes for the
purpose of getting from one place to another, not with the intent to kill.
Ms. Howard goes on to say that when she flew:
... “your relatives could meet you at the gate. It was so nice and it
was easy. Now you have to go hours before and go through security
and take your shoes off. I really feel bad having to do that. It’s not
a pleasurable experience anymore.”
If only we could return to the good old days! v
18
The rEAL Word | Spring 2010
Special Silver Falcons Tribute: Flight Attendants
Ladies who live in engines
FA Betty Fatheree 1011 1978
Pat Bree Groh
Jeanie Notaro
Jeanie Notaro
Jeanie Notaro
The rEAL Word | Spring 2010
19
Special Silver Falcons Tribute: Flight Attendants
HOW I BECAME A FLIGHT ATTENDANT
My story starts at age four. I was watching a kiddie TV show, and
suddenly, there on the screen appeared the most beautiful creature I
had ever seen! She wore an elegant navy blue uniform with golden
wings on her chest, and she got to fly in airplanes EVERY DAY!
Well—that was enough for me! I knew what I wanted to be when I
grew up, and have never deviated from that dream!
From that day on, I lined up chairs in the living room and filled them
with dolls and teddy bears, making them my passengers. I talked my
brother into being the pilot; he flew the “plane” and I served everyone
coffee for hours on end.
When I graduated from high school, I went on to college in Texas,
but all I could think about was flying. I would be walking to class,
look up in the sky and see an airplane and longingly dream of what
would one day be my “office” in the air. I started applying to airlines
and flew to several interviews while in school, once getting stranded
an entire weekend in Houston! But that didn’t
discourage me—I just kept applying, hoping
that one day I would be successful in my
diligent pursuit.
Finally my chance came. I had just turned 19
(I was finally old enough!) and I heard that
Eastern Airlines was having interviews in the
Washington, D.C. area—my home. It was to
be held on the following Saturday at a hotel in
McLean, Virginia. So I made my plans.
I awakened that morning to ten inches of snow,
still heavily falling. I wondered if the recruiter
would still be there to interview me today.
Oh, well, there was no way to find out but to
go. And if there was a way to get there, I was
determined to do it!
I had snow chains on my tire and an ice
scraper in my gloved hand. Dressed in Eskimo
attire, out the door I went, headed for my
lifetime adventure. Knowing that the interview
was about ten miles away and the inclement
weather would probably slow me down, I
left an hour early. Nothing was going to stop
me, even though I experienced a quite a bit of
difficulty driving. I skidded a couple of times,
stalled out at one point, and my heater went
out. But I was undeterred. As I plowed through
the thick blanket of falling snow, I had only
one thing on my mind. All I could see through
the blinding white was a vision of myself
strutting through airports, dressed in my finest
airline livery, gleaming golden wings pinned to
my chest. Faraway lands awaited me, and I was
trying my best to get there!
After driving slowly and carefully, I arrived at
my destination. With no thought as to how I
would get back home in the deepening powder,
I forged ahead with my interview, and gave it
20
The rEAL Word | Spring 2010
my all. I developed an immediate chemistry with Mrs. Burton, the
recruiter. She must have felt compassion for me, observing that I had
driven through a raging blizzard. Sensing how determined and serious
I was, she closed the interview with the assurance that I would hear
something within one week.
A week came and went. And another week. I could hardly contain
myself. Finally, I could stand the suspense no longer—I called
the recruiter! She reassured me that I had been recommended for
employment, and couldn’t figure out why I was not contacted.
“However”, she said, “it is not customary to inform an applicant why
he or she was not hired”. She regretted that she could do no more to
encourage me, but I pressed on. I told her that if there was anything
that needed to be changed and it was in my power to change it, I
wanted to be given a chance to do so. Maybe I could take steps to
improve or clarify whatever was holding me back. She protested at
first, but I persisted in my crusade and was able to convince her to
investigate. She said she would get back with
me.
I waited by the phone in agony another three
weeks. What in the world was happening?
Why didn’t they notify me? What went wrong?
Finally the jangling of the phone shook me out
of my despair—it was Mrs. Burton! My heart
pounded; my hands became moist and shaky—
this was the big moment!
“Wendy”, she murmured, “I am pleased to
inform you that you have been selected to begin
flight attendant training in two weeks!” I had
finally received the answer I wanted to hear—I
got the job! She said that my application had
been set aside, waiting for my physical report.
It got placed on the wrong desk—the desk of
someone who no longer worked there! Mrs.
Burton found it, and the rest is history!
I never, ever became daunted in the quest of
achieving my goal. I am an active participant
in shaping my fate. After this tumultuous
interviewing experience, I went on to enjoy six
wonderful years of flying, which led to other
positions in a supervisory capacity. I am more
sensitive to the plight of the applicant who
really wants an airline job, and this experience
has had a major part in influencing many of
my decisions as a recruiter. Determination is a
valuable thing – just think how my life might
have been had I not relentlessly pursued my
goal!
WHY WE want to be FLIGHT
ATTENDANTS
There are many good reasons to become a flight
attendant. There are several reasons why we
pursue this sometimes elusive career path.
Special Silver Falcons Tribute: Flight Attendants
In the beginning days of air travel, “stewardesses”, as they were called
then, had to be registered nurses who swatted flies in the cabin, lifted
mailbags and distributed gum and served passengers box lunches and
water served in thermos jugs. Things have come a long way, however,
as “passengers” are now referred to as “customers”; “stewardesses”
are now called “flight attendants”, they bid their trips by computer,
and flights that used to take 10 hours can now be navigated in 3.
And now, there are some very good reasons for becoming a flight
attendant.
You will probably never get rich being a flight attendant; monetarily
rich, anyway. The average salary is in the $45K range; however,
flight attendants flying lead, internationally, with seniority, have
been known to make upwards of $90K. But you don’t do this just for
the money – you have to have a passion for it to make it as a flight
attendant. Because being a flight attendant is just SO MUCH FUN!
When I went to my first airline interview, I went through a raging
blizzard to get to the recruiting office. The recruiter was impressed
that I came out into the frozen tundra, that I wanted the job so badly
that I would endure scraping the windshield and hazardous driving
conditions and bitter cold just to meet with her. What makes this job
so coveted that people will do brave these kinds of conditions in order
to get a job in the sky?
Let’s start with environment. Few jobs offer the chance to work in a
different environment every day, with different scenery, surrounded
by different faces. One day you may fly with a rock star, the next day
with a sweet, kindly grandmother that wants to show you pictures
of all her grandchildren and shower you with compliments; you
may meet people who are noted scientists, politicians, celebrities,
military personnel or world-famous athletes. Our flight attendants
flew military charters to Desert Storm and received medals from the
military. I have met poets, movie stars and all the above, plus the
plain-old, down-to-earth boy-next-door college guy who just thought
I was the “bees knees” getting paid to fly around every day! We sat
and talked and he gave me all the information I needed to explore the
sights of Maui.
Ah, adventure – the ability to see the world! I have experienced
the turquoise of the Caribbean Sea, the black sands of Hawaii, the
excitement of London’s Piccadilly Circus, the Emerald Isles of
Ireland, the ancient wonders of Egypt, the splendor of the Rockies, the
grandeur of the grand canyon, and so much more, while still young
enough to appreciate it.
One of the wonderful things about being an airline employee is the
benefit of mobility. I could go see my best friend in New Jersey
who just had her baby and visit my cousins in North Carolina; I was
able to hop a quick flight to Virginia for a family emergency, fly to
California to see a rock star I met at a concert, and hop a flight to
Philadelphia for an exciting date. I once woke up on my day off and
decided to take a spur-of-the-moment jaunt to St. Thomas for a day
of shopping, bought a watch and some shoes, had a great time, then
flew back home.
I have met other airline employees whom I will never forget; a pilot
who took me flying in his Cessna and taught me to roll and do loops;
a customer service agent who went on vacation to Thailand and
brought me jewelry from his trip; another flight attendant based in
New York who invited me up to do lunch, shopping and a play, and
many other memorable people. I met lifetime friends while I was
flying, and no other job enjoys the incredible camaraderie as that of
flight crewmembers.
There is nothing routine about the job of a flight attendant. Schedules
are so varied—I have flown early morning flights, afternoon flights,
evening flights and midnight flights. Sometimes I worked for 3
hours, sometimes for 14. The humdrum routine of 9 to 5 is virtually
nonexistent in the aviation world; around every turn there is a
surprise! Your schedule changes sometimes daily, especially in the
beginning, when most airlines start new flight attendants on “reserve”,
or on-call status. Being on call can be advantageous—you can have
opportunities to fly some really good trips that you normally have to
have a lot of seniority in order to fly. As a new reserve, I once flew a
trip from Atlanta to Los Angeles. While in LA, we took a tour of the
telescope at the Mt. Palomar Tower. I had a long layover in Portland
once, where all the crew went snow skiing! Ah, the good life.
And then there’s the time off, one of the great perks of being a flight
attendant. My flight attendant roommate and I used to sit on our balcony
and watch the nine-to-fivers trudge home from work, briefcases and
umbrellas in hand, weary of their daily trek
to and from their boring existences. We were
off at least 10 scheduled days a month, not to
mention the days on reserve where we were
never called out for a trip. We would simply
go to have fun somewhere or go see a friend
and take the pager or cell phone. Most people
have the same 8 days off every month; we had
a lot more.
As you can see, this is an exciting job, none
other even remotely like it. By virtue of the
fact that you are one of the few chosen out
of hundreds enhances the job appeal, and
nothing equals the feeling of walking through
an airport terminal in your uniform, wings
proudly displayed on your chest. If you want
to pursue an outstanding career, become a
flight attendant. v
The rEAL Word | Spring 2010
21
Special Silver Falcons Tribute: Flight Attendants
August 1969 Suzi Pavelsek
April 1969 FA Class
Graduating Classes
January 29, 1954
Linda Lord & Johnny Hart Class
May 1972
22
The rEAL Word | Spring 2010
Special Silver Falcons Tribute: Flight Attendants
Just for Laughs
On reaching his plane seat a man is surprised to see a parrot
strapped in next to him. He asks the stewardess for a coffee where
upon the parrot squawks “And get me a whisky you cow!” The
stewardess, flustered, brings back a whisky for the parrot and forgets the coffee.
Working Girls
Annie Flagg
Shuttle Flight Attendants
When this omission is pointed out to her the parrot drains its glass
and bawls “And get me another whisky you idiot”. Quite upset, the
girl comes back shaking with another whisky but still no coffee.
Unaccustomed to such slackness the man tries the parrot’s
approach “I’ve asked you twice for a coffee, go and get it now or
I’ll kick you”.
The next moment, both he and the parrot have been wrenched
up and thrown out of the emergency exit by two burly stewards.
Plunging downwards the parrot turns to him and says “For someone who can’t fly, you complain too much!”
v
An airplane pilot dies at the controls. He goes to Hell. The devil
takes him to the ‘newly arrived’ area. There are three doors, marked
1, 2, and 3. The devil tells the pilot that he is going to get to choose
his own hell, but first, the devil has to take care of something first,
and disappears.
Sharon Buffington
The curious pilot looks behind door number one. He sees a pilot
going through flight checks for all eternity. He looks behind door
number two, and he sees a pilot that forever finds himself trying
to resolve emergency situations. He looks behind the last door,
and sees a Captain being waited on hand and foot by scantily-clad
stewardesses.
The devil returns just as the pilot gets back to his waiting position.
He offers the pilot a choice of door number one or two. The pilot
says, “I wanted door number three!”
“Sorry,” replies the devil, “that’s ‘flight attendant’s hell’.”
v
Keep Your Seats in an
Upright Position
Muhammad Ali once took a flight on Eastern Airlines in the 1970s.
A flight attendant was making her final checks on the passengers,
but noticed Ali failed to fasten his seat belt. She kindly asked him
to do so, but Ali replied quite arrogantly, “Superman don’t need no
seat belt.” Not intimidated by the boxer’s reputation and fame, the
flight attendant replied:
“SUPERMAN DON’T NEED NO PLANE EITHER!” v
The rEAL Word | Spring 2010
23
Special Silver Falcons Tribute: Flight Attendants
Working Girls
Leeann Harris
24
The rEAL Word | Spring 2010
Special Silver Falcons Tribute: Flight Attendants
The Old-Timers
The rEAL Word | Spring 2010
25
Bandy Rabbit Strikes Again!
JOAN LOWY, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON — A year after the fiery crash of a regional
airliner killed 50 people near Buffalo, NY, regulators have missed
their own deadlines for overhauling pilot-fatigue rules and are
still rewriting regulations to improve crew training. They also
haven’t done anything to address tiring long-distance commutes
by regional companies’ pilots.
Federal Aviation Administration chief Randy Babbitt has been
talking up the safety initiatives his agency launched after the crash,
declaring he’s “very pleased with the progress.”
But much of that progress is more illusion than reality. Despite
Babbitt’s claims, the FAA has failed to require improved airline
safety on key fronts.
The issue is an important one for anyone who flies—or knows
someone who does—in every part of the country. Regional airlines
now account for about half of domestic departures and a quarter
of all passengers, and they are the only scheduled service to more
than 400 communities. The Buffalo crash raised concerns that
those smaller companies aren’t being held to the same level of
safety as the major carriers.
Long-distance commutes by pilots before they take off were an
issue in the Buffalo crash, but all the FAA has done is say it will
ask stakeholders what they think should be done. Babbitt already
has their answer: Airlines and pilots unions told him last summer
they don’t want to regulate commuting.
Among those recently poking holes in the FAA’s claims of
accomplishments are the National Transportation Safety Board,
the Transportation Department’s own inspector general and
members of Congress responsible for overseeing aviation.
They question the FAA’s figures. They complain about delays in
some safety improvements and say others are poorly designed. And
some lawmakers suggest the agency has bent to industry pressure
to delay or weaken new requirements before they are proposed.
Lawmakers and the families of crash victims have asked that the
flight experience required to be an airline co-pilot be increased
from 250 hours to 1,500 hours. Airlines and flight schools reject
that idea. Babbitt, after suggesting such an increase is unnecessary,
has talked about setting the bar at 750 hours — a possible
compromise.
The industry’s trade group, the Air Transport Association, denies
trying to weaken or delay action, saying it simply wants any
changes to be based on solid data.
Another FAA claim being questioned is the assertion that, thanks
to its efforts, air carriers operating 94 percent of commercial
airliners are, or intend to begin, collecting computer flight data in
an effort to spot problem trends and correct them before they lead
to accidents. That’s more than double what the FAA reported just
last October—an unlikely increase, federal safety investigators
say.
26
The rEAL Word | Spring 2010
At a hearing last week on the cause of the Buffalo crash, Roger
Cox, the transportation safety board’s operations group chairman,
said the sharp increase was probably due to “verbal commitments
that have been made in the 11th hour prior to this board meeting”
to create the appearance of accomplishment.
The NTSB says the data-collection program is important.
The plane in the Buffalo crash was operated for Continental
Airlines by regional carrier Colgan Air Inc. And investigators
found that a co-pilot error at the beginning of the flight involving
the computer entry of air speeds was the precursor for later events
that caused the crash. If Colgan had had a trend-spotting program in
place, the board said, it might have found and corrected weaknesses
in the airline’s procedures that allowed air speed mismatches to go
unnoticed.
Investigators were skeptical that all 11 of the regional airlines the
FAA said it had signed up for the program would follow through,
given past disinterest and the time and expense involved.
Colgan, for example, had a safety program on paper before the
accident, but hadn’t implemented it, investigators said. After the
accident, the airline promised to put a program in place by July. A
year later, Colgan has made substantial progress but is still not at
the point where it is collecting data, they said.
“What about all of the other the regional carriers? Do we have to
wait for them to have an accident and to appear here to get them
to have a (data-gathering) program?” NTSB Chairman Deborah
Hersman asked.
“It does seem to be a motivator,” replied Cox.
Even carriers that implement the program sometimes gather
data from only a fraction of their airplanes. One regional carrier
participating in the program has 260 planes but has equipped only
10 of them with data-gathering recorders, said the NTSB’s Cox.
“So if you choose to creatively interpret that, you could say that all
those passengers on all those miles and all those airplanes with that
airline are counted as (covered by the safety program), but it’s very
misleading,” he said.
Babbitt said some airlines are too small for participation to be
practical, or they fly older planes that don’t have data-gathering
capabilities.
But Inspector General Calvin Scovel said the FAA hasn’t offered
a plan to encourage smaller carriers to participate, even though
expanding the program to smaller carriers was one of the agency’s
key goals in response to the Buffalo crash. He also said many
airlines made only vague commitments to the FAA and offered no
timetable but the agency hasn’t followed up with them.
Babbitt says crafting new regulations is a cumbersome and timeconsuming process, and that’s why he’s chosen to pursue voluntary
safety initiatives with airlines as well.
Babbit continued
Changing the culture at FAA could also take time. During the Bush
administration, the agency saw airlines as clients to be served. Last
September, Babbitt ordered FAA employees to stop referring to
airlines as their “customers.”
At a House hearing last week, Babbitt said it’s a misperception that
the FAA’s actions are ineffective or insufficient. “The vehemence
of the criticism FAA receives doesn’t comport with the safety
statistics,” he said.
Letters
Salute to the Honor Roll
Cono,
Before I forget, reading the last issue of the Silver Falcons on your take
of recognizing individual achievements of various EAL pilots, I heartily
agree with your opinion that the “Honor Roll” is the Silver Falcons
Membership List. After all, I thought that is the very root reason for the
birth of the EAL Silver Falcons. Well said Cono.
J. P. Tristani
Eastern A300 in Smithsonian
Ron, Right now I'm in Hawaii working with Hawaiian Airlines instructing
them on their new A330's that they're going to start picking up this
summer. I’ll be returning to Miami at the end of the month and I have
the name of the individual at the Smithsonian that we need to contact in
order to see if it is possible to get the Eastern A300 on display. Evidently
it’s OK with AIRBUS but it has to be approved by the Smithsonian. If
it’s approved, then we'll have to see how to go about getting a model
and how it would be displayed, and where. So we're getting there, but
we still have a few more fences to hurdle. When I get back to Miami I'll
send you the information in case any of our members might know the
gentleman personally, it might help. Thank you very much for your excellent editorial in the winter, 2010
edition re: “Roll of Honor”
Nothing could have said it better that the “Roll of Honor” should be all
the pilots and flight attendants and whoever else risked their futures and
did not cross the picket lines in that infamous year.
What a proud group all were (myself included) to not give in to
“financial stress, etc.” and cross the picket line. Towards the end, Bob
was encouraged by a long-time friend of his since they were roomates
in NY to talk to Captain So and So about coming back. My three
daughters were adament that they did not want their father to be a scab. He did not talk to Captain So and So, and we were forever thankful.
Also, Bob would have been so proud of you all for voting DEFINITELY
NOT to merge with REPA. He was also a member, but did not want to
be joined with them, for obvious reasons.
I also want to mention that Bob’s good friend Jack Gordon was so
instrumental in helping Bob get flying work in Turkey and Ecuador
during the strike. We had enormous “financial stress”, but never
declared bankruptcy. We just sold our house and boat, etc.
We were so proud to be part of the REAL EASTERN!
Thank you,
Carolyn Cheatwood
carolyncheatwood@comcast.net
Buck Buchanan
Hats Off!
Dear Dick:
Bravo, Bravo! My friend, you hit it out of the ball park, what an
editorial. I don’t believe anybody has ever explained or conveyed the
sentiment and true story of our loyal rEAL pilots, flight attendants and
families, the way you have Dick.
My hat off to you my friend, and thank you for your continued dedication and hard work.
Gracias amigo,
Philip L. Hutchinson
To: Dick Borelli, Editor, THE rEAL WORLD From: Carolyn Cheatwood, wife of Captain Bob Cheatwood, who went
west 9/14/2006.
Wilhemi Memories
Dear Ron,
Your article on Capt. Wilhelmi brought back some EAL memories. I
was a DC-9 F/O based in ORD and in need of an annual recurrent
check. In those days we still did some recurrent checks in the airplane.
You remember, pillow in the windshield, a few late night bounces, and
back to the barn.
The Check Capt. and Herman were old friends, and he brought Herman
along for the Check. We did our usual late night approaches in
Rockford, and then headed back to ORD. On the way back to ORD, I
got out of the right seat to let Herman “get some stick time.”
Herman, at this time, had been retired for a couple years, and had not
flown the -9. He flew a visual night time base to final—in the slot. At
the flare, the mains just started gently rolling. I thought, “dude, if that's
how the old breed flies,” I'm impressed.
The rEAL Word | Spring 2010 27
LETTERS continued
Lexington still has close ties to Eastern Air lines
Reprinted with permission of The Lexington Herald-Leader
Written by Tom Eblen
If Frank Lorenzo was the villain in the epic story of Eastern Airlines,
Eddie Rickenbacker was the hero.
So I was surprised Wednesday morning to get a call from a man who
said, “Did you know that Eddie Rickenbacker’s grandson lives in
Lexington?”
It was the first of many calls and e-mails I got about my column that
day. I had recalled my experience covering the collapse of Eastern
Airlines two decades ago as a reporter for The Atlanta JournalConstitution and lessons that tragedy teaches about today’s economic
troubles.
“I’ll never forget it,” said Cole, 86. “He was tough.”
Brian Rickenbacker has similar memories of his grandfather, who lived
in New York City and would come to his home in New Jersey once a
month for a formal Sunday dinner.
“He wasn’t a real grandfatherly type,” said Rickenbacker, who was 24
when his grandfather died in 1973. “He was more one to offer advice
and that sort of thing. He was a no-nonsense kind of a guy. He figured
he had made it on his own and other people should, too.”
Brian Rickenbacker said his father, David, was one of his grandparents’
two adopted sons, both now deceased. Brian moved to Kentucky
to attend Centre College in Danville and, like many Centre grads,
I wasn’t surprised to hear from many former Eastern employees who
are still grieving the airline’s loss.
For them, it was more of a calling
than a job. And that company spirit
Kentucky Aviation
had its roots with Rickenbacker.
Hall of Fame
He was America’s top flying ace
of World War I, a Medal of Honor
winner, a race-car driver and
entrepreneur. He owned Indianapolis
Motor Speedway before raising the
money in 1938 to combine several
fledging air carriers into what
became Eastern Airlines.
For the next 25 years, Rickenbacker
built Eastern into one of the world’s
biggest and most respected airlines,
as much as anything through the
sheer force of his personality. He
was disciplined and demanding
— and unlike the corporate raider
Lorenzo, who systematically
stripped Eastern’s assets for profit
and to benefit his non-union airlines,
Rickenbacker watched every penny
and made sure it went toward
building Eastern.
“He was as tight as bark on a tree,”
said Bob Cole, who was Eastern
Airlines’ station agent in Lexington
for 29 years — from 1951 until
the airline stopped service to Blue
Grass Airport in 1980 after airline
deregulation.
Cole never met Rickenbacker, but
he saw him once, when the famous
war hero came to Lexington in 1946
to speak at the dedication of what
was then called Blue Grass Field.
28
The rEAL Word | Spring 2010
Dear Friends and family:
Captain James Lewis Graybill has been elected to the Commonwealth of Kentucky Aviation
Hall of Fame. The class of 2010 enshrinement ceremony will be November 6, 2010.
It is held in the hangar of the Aviation Museum of Kentucky, and this year it will be in the
NEW museum facility. The dinner and ceremony is black tie preferred but a dressy dress,
and suit and tie is OK, too. The invitations will be forthcoming and this is just so you can
reserve the date. The cost of the evening will be approximately $90.00 each. I know it is
a costly event but each enshrinee has a reserved table for family and friends. We do hope
some of you can come for this special event. Each Hall of Fame plaque is hung in the Kentucky Aviation Museum for all to see. It is a
great honor for Jim to be elected to this Kentucky Hall of Fame. Only Kentucky natives are
elected and/or must have a connection with Aviation in Kentucky.
So that you can see, and understand the importance of this honor for Jim, Please take a look
at the Aviation Museum of Kentucky web site. www.kyaviation.org. There you will want
to take a look at the video of the museum in which The Hall of Fame and its importance is
mentioned. Then go to the Hall of Fame tab and select any of the enshrinees to get a feel
for the video that will be made of Jim’s life, his Marine Corps, University of Kentucky and
Eastern Air Lines experiences. During the summer he will work with someone selected to write his video and select pictures from his albums. If you have any pictures you think might be significant, please send
them along.
When you select the Hall of Fame tab, take a look at Al Ulchie, (Flight Safety owner) EKU
aviation program, and any of the other enshrinees—the intro and video for each is very
impressive. We hope you will pass along this information to any other family and friends I
have left out of the address line.
Love to all,
Jim and Beverles
Kentucky Hall of Fame continued
settled down in Lexington, where he has lived for 32 years. He is the
construction supervisor at Overbrook Farm and his wife, Betsy, is a
respected math teacher and academic team coach in the Fayette County
Public Schools.
“He was an interesting guy; I wish I had known him better,”
Rickenbacker said of his grandfather. “He was somebody you always
wanted to live up to.”
Rickenbacker said he’s not surprised his grandfather was such an
inspirational figure to Eastern employees. He was both a great pilot and
devoted to the airline’s success. As Eastern’s chief executive, Eddie
Rickenbacker approved all invoices over $50. “He was much more
hands-on than today’s executives,” his grandson said.
Rickenbacker was one of the things about Eastern that attracted Jim
Graybill, who in 1961 longed to fly big airliners. “I had written to every
airline, but I had my heart set on Eastern,” he said.
Graybill, 76, grew up in Shelbyville, soloed in an airplane on his
16th birthday and taught flying before he joined the U.S. Marines and
became a drill instructor at Parris Island. He joined Eastern in October
1961 and flew a dozen planes for the airline over the next 28 years.
“I couldn’t have asked the boss upstairs to give me a better opportunity,
a better job,” said Graybill, who worked for years as a “check pilot,”
making sure other Eastern pilots were proficient in new aircraft. “It was
an absolute fun job. I’ve got a one-track mind, and that’s flying.”
Graybill’s home in Nicholasville looks like an Eastern Airlines
museum. Models of Eastern planes are everywhere, and the walls are
covered with frames holding his insignia and other memorabilia. He,
like Cole, continues his love of flying by volunteering at the Aviation
Museum of Kentucky.
Eastern’s labor relations with ground workers were contentious for
years, but the pilots never went on strike until 1989, when they felt they
had no choice. It was clear that Lorenzo was determined to destroy the
airline Rickenbacker built and they loved.
“We all got our heads together and said if Lorenzo’s going to take us
down, we’re going to take him down with us. This outfit taught me
that,” Graybill said as tears welled in his eyes and he pointed toward the
Marine drill instructor’s sword on his living room wall. v
LETTERS continued
I don't recall seeing him again. Somehow, I don't think Capt. Wilhelmi
would be happy today flying with autoland, autothrottle, VNAV and all
the new whatever.
Regards,
Stan Kittelson
Greater Council #76 ORD
Ron:
Your SF column about Herman brought back old times, I was fortunate
enough to follow him out for his last DC-8 departure from ORD. If
memory serves me right we departed 32 L and were on the tower
freq when he was “cleared into position and hold.” Then there was
a voice change, “EAL XXX I have a revision in your clearance ~!”
“Go ahead...” “Herman, you are cleared for a Joliet Farm Departure,
direct Lafayette, flight plan route!” Herman himself acknowledged the
change in his rather distinctive voice and I will always swear there was
a little shake in it! What a fantastic tribute from ATC, both ORDCT and
Chicago Center to a great pilot on his last trip! Possibly a year later, I
was taxiing out at IND when a Bonanza taxiing in asked if there were
any ‘old timers’ in the tower. My F/O was not a light airplane fan and
made a derogatory comment, but looked at me when I grabbed the mic
and said “hello, Herman !!” He had just held short for me and knew
it was an EAL DC-9, said hello, but by then it was time to go to the
Tower. After things settled down airborne I told my smartass F/O that
light plane pilot had flown bigger airplanes more places than he had
ever thought of, was a living legend, and if it weren’t for guys like
Herman, the F/O would probably be a janitor somewhere! Ron, thanks for the Memories!
Bill Larson
Seeking Stories
I was given your information by Linda Marcrum. I have been looking
into finding out stories about my parents days with EAL. My father
was Capt. Boyd “Speedy” Beveridge and he flew from 1955 to 1972
and my mother was Ann McDougle; she was a stewardess between
1955 to 1957. When she married Daddy she was forced to resign as a
stewardess. I was just wondering if anyone remembered either of them
and would love to hear any stories or information they might have about
my parents flying days. I just loved hearing them talk about flying and
wanted to be a pilot myself, but Daddy didn’t think it was appropriate
for a “girl” to fly a plane. :-( Wish I hadn’t listened to him... Oh well,
I have a wonderful life, so I shouldn’t complain.
Thanks in advance for your help,
Susan DeViney
828-241-3992
walkindstables@carolina.rr.com Supporting the fight against MS
The following E-Mail from Steve Holder was received and distributed
by Jim Holder. The walk actually took place on the 27th of March, but
the content of the letter is sufficiently important that I felt it should be
included with this newsletter. Contributions to support MS are welcome
year round and if we can support other members of the Eastern Family
The rEAL Word | Spring 2010
29
Letters continued
as we help fight this debilitating
disease, so much the better. I
know you will be generous!
Dick
Dear JB,
I am walking on Saturday with
Maureen to help keep her strong
and healthy so that she can
continue to walk by my side in
spite of her MS.
Every hour of every day, someone
is newly diagnosed with the
devastating disease known as
Multiple Sclerosis. I believe that
we can do something about MS.
I believe that we can find a cure
and that’s why I have registered
to be a part of Walk MS. I want to
do something about MS now and
I would like for you to support
my fundraising efforts with a taxdeductable donation.
The National MS Society is dedicated to creating a world free of MS
but they can’t do it without our help.
Capt. Frank Yarnell’s Granddaughter
Hello Everyone,
Any amount, great or small, helps to make an immediate difference in
the lives of people affected by MS. I appreciate your support and can’t
wait to let you know how I do.
It’s faster and easier than ever to support this cause that I am proud to be
a part of. Simply click on the link at the bottom of this message and you
can donate online. If you prefer, you can mail your contribution directly
to the National MS Society at:
I thought you might like to meet Lauren Steele, the oldest grandchild of
Captain Frank Yarnell. She is one who has truly reached for her dreams
and found the marvel of wide open skies. Her first flight was on the
Ford Trimotor at Oshkosh—her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree just
as they had when her Papaw put her in the seat of a fighter at Wilbur
Wright a few years earlier. He would be so proud of her and so happy
that she is on her way living her dreams. Go to this site to learn more
about Lauren: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p1XVYLx6n4
National MS Society
1117 Perimeter Center West
Suite E101
Atlanta, Ga 30338
Love,
Anne Farrar Yarnell
Widow of Capt. Frank Yarnell
(Please be sure to include my name on the memo line on the check or
money order)
P.S. Can someone let me know how I can apply for financial aid for
Lauren?
Thank you so much for your generous support.
Steve Holder
30
The rEAL Word | Spring 2010
Author Scott Ayars is the son of the late Captain Bob Ayars and his wife Lil.
He was an Eastern Pilot and is a member of The Silver Falcons.
TO ORDER ONLINE
Visit: www.strandednovel.com
Email: strandednovel@yahoo.com
10% of Gross Sales during the
2009 Convention was donated to
The Silver Falcons Flower Fund
ISBN: 978-1-60604-587-9
The rEAL Word | Spring 2010
31
Semper Fi Fund
“Serving Those Who Preserve Our Freedom”
OUR MISSION
t
t
t
t
The Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund provides financial assistance and quality of life solutions to:
Marines and Sailors injured in Post-9/11 combat, training, or with life-threatening illnesses, and their families.
Soldiers and other service members injured while in direct support of Marine Forces, and their families.
Help defray the expenses incurred during hospitalization, rehabilitation, and recovery.
Assist with the expenses associated with the purchase of specialized equipment, adaptive vehicles, and home
modifications.
The Fund has provided over 17,800 grants totaling more than $36 million in assistance to our
nation’s wounded heroes and their families. Our goal is to continue to receive the support needed
to carry out our vision and our mission. Join us in helping to restore the dreams of our wounded,
critically ill, and their families.
HOW WE HELP
WHERE WE HELP
t Service Member and Family Support
t Specially Adapted Housing
National Naval Medical Center Bethesda
Walter Reed Army Medical Center * Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune
Brooke Army Medical Center * Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton
Naval Medical Center San Diego * Naval Hospital 29 Palms
VA Hospitals * Hawaii * Germany * Okinawa
t Specially Adapted Vehicles
t PTSD/Combat Stress Support and Education
t Specialized Equipment
t Therapeutic Arts
t Transition - Education and Transitions home
t Team Semper Fi - “Recovery Through Sport”
WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!
t Public Education on injured and critically ill
service members’ special needs.
General Information
Wounded Warrior Center
PO BOX 555193
Camp Pendleton, CA 92055
“Worrying about finances as well as worrying about
our son is taxing and difficult - your gift helps very
much. As parents, we cannot do anything but be
there for our son, and to know that there are good
folks such as you uplifting him also means the world.
Again, Thank You!”
Donations
825 College Blvd., Suite 102
PMB 609
Oceanside, CA 92057
Contact Us By Phone
CA: (760) 725-3680
VA: (703) 640-0181
COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN # 11459
www.SemperFiFund.org
Board of Directors
General Alfred Gray
SgtMaj Lonnie Sanders
Robert Bowlin
Wendy Lethin
Karen Guenther
Annette Conway
Bonnie Amos
MajGen J. Mike Myatt
MajGen Tom Jones
Col Ben Saylor
Col Michael Lowe
Peter Murphy, ESQ
John Dowd, ESQ
USMC, (Ret)
29th Commandant
CHAIRMAN
USMC, (Ret)
VICE CHAIRMAN
USMC, (Ret)
TREASURER
USMC, (Ret)
Co-Founder
SECRETARY
USMC, (Ret)
President Emeritus
Founder/Executive Director
USMC, (Ret)
1st Lady of the Marine Corps
The Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. All donations are tax deductible. Federal Tax ID #26-0086305