THc pmmomnm
VOLUME II, NO. 9
APACE WITH THE PACEMAKERS
NOVEMBER, 1959
Cities Protest
Route Choice
Of Examiner
T Virginia cities involved in the Great Lakes
nf "p 1 Case, seven have stated opposition to certain aspects
ot CAB Examiner Barron Fredericks’ recommendation.
Fredericks has recommended that Lake Central Airlines be
awarded West Virginia east-west routes yacated by American Air
lines and Capital Airlines.
includes for George Bennett (center) and Bill Dearinq a refreshina
ft Elizabeth Whitman, Delta Jet hostess on the Atlanta to New York flight. Delta was
first in the South with pure |et service. Its first flight for the DC-8 was September 18
Delta Jet Service Praised
If
Managers Take Courtesy Flight
any Piedmont employee is | Air Transport Association meet-
considering a flight , on Delta ing at/Wasnington.'--,- , .. ..
Airlines’ pure jet DC-8, George mt, • * , •
-o ^ n-ii Their comments? Terrific
Bennett and Bill Dearing are the ,
^ plane, said Bennett. Wonder
ful flight,” added Dearing. “First
Flight Service,” they chorused.
men to see.
Bennett, Piedmont district
sales manager at Charlotte, and
Dearing, manager of the Joint
Airline Military Traffic Office
at Fort Bragg, were Delta guests
on an Atlanta to New York cour
tesy flight October 20. With
them were a group of JAMTO
representatives en route to an
New Plan Calls
For Cooperation
From Stations
Everyday, airlines lose or dam
age baggage, operate in a maze
of delays, oversell space and give
out. incorrect information to the
public.
Piedmont, though able to cor
rect many of these common air
lines mistakes, still experiences
a fair share of unfortunate inci
dents which could be avoided.
Aimed at correcting the situa
tion, a new program of coopera
tion for station personnel is cur
rently being instituted.
The program, which grew out
of the division station supervi
sors meeting October 13, is de
signed to better coordinate Pied
mont’s over-all operation with
better passenger service, on-time
operations and top efficiency.
In charge of the program are
General Traffic Manager R. E.
Turbiville, 'Superintendent of
Stations K. E. Rosfe, Division
Station Supervisors Ed Best,
Tom Cowen, Pete Jones and
Chester Nutt, Space Control
Manager P. H. Wilbourne and
all station managers.
Before departure from Atlanta,
Delta’s military manager, Henry
Ross, showed them the Delta-
designed passenger jetway used
by deluxe first class passengers
boarding and deplaning the DC-8.
Major Change
The jetway, the first major
change in passenger loading in
years, is an enclosed walkway
which fits snugly against the
plane’s fuselage. Passengers
never touch the ground in board
ing nor do they have to worry
about the weather outside.
Aloft on the Delta flight, Ben
nett and Dearing received what
they called “strictly VIP serv
ice.” They had a champagne
meal of charcoaled sirloin with
all the trimmings.
Settling back in the Delta
unitized seats, which won an in
dustrial design award, they en-
and Dearing were in New York.
They , say the flight was ■ “the
experience” of their flying his
tory and are still thanking Delta
Military Manager Ross and Char
lotte District Sales Manager Ed
Porter for the opportunity to fly
Delta’s DC-8.
LATE BULLETIN
The crash of a Piedmont
DC-3 near Charlottesville Oc
tober 30 was the first air dis
aster in the company’s more
than 11 years of operation.
One passenger, Phillip Brad
ley, survived the accident
which took 26 lives.
President T. H. Davis has
expressed deep regret in the
deaths and especially in the
loss of three faithful employ
ees, Captain George l/avrinc.
First Officer Bascom Haley
and Purser George Hicks.
An investigation into the
causes of the crash is now
being made. The plane, flight
349 from Washington to Roa
noke, was last heard from at
8:24 p.m. October 30, when it
radioed Charlottesville for
landing instructions. At that
time, the plane was over
Rochelle, usually six minutes
away from Charlottesville.
An intensive search found
the wrecked plane four miles
from Crozet, ten miles west of
Charlottesville, at 8:15 a.m.,
K'ovember 1.
At an October 22 meeting
called by the State Aeronautics
Commission of West Virginia,
the seven cities—Charleston!
Parkersburg, Morgantown,
Wheehng, Huntington, Beckley
and Bluefield—said they prefer
Piedmont Airlines for the routes.
JET DATES
November 14—First Anniversary
of Piedmont’s F-27 Inaugu
ration
November 15—Jet Age Show on
the Walter Kronkite Tele
vision program
joyed a completely noiseless and
vibrationless flight. Individual
trays, tray lights, cold air out
lets, call buttons and oxygen out
lets are installed in the seat
backs.
Their flight was made at
mach. 82, very near the speed of
sound. Top speed was 610 m.p.h.
while cruising at 27,000 feet al
titude. One hour and 35 minutes
after departing Atlanta, Bennett
Fowler Named Head
Of New Department
Joe Fowler, Jr., former N. C.
state legislator, was named di
rector of personnel administra
tion by President T. H. Davis.
Mr. Fowler took over the du
ties of the newly created posi
tion October 26. He will be in
charge of all matters regarding
personnel policy, employee bene
fits and employee development
activities.
Growth Cited
Mr. Fowler said he is “ex
tremely happy” to be associated
with Piedmont. “This is a
growth company,” he observed,
“and I hope to contribute to that
growth in the field of employee
relations.”
‘As I understand the reasons
behind establishing this particu
lar personnel department, there
is a need for a centralized sys
tem of gathering, evaluating and
disseminating information with
regard to general company poli
cy.
To Satisfy Need
“The need is one which I hope
can be satisfied through this of
fice indirectly—but most impor
tantly though the various man
agement levels such as company
supervisors, managers and fore
men.”
Before coming to Piedmont
Mr. Fowler was public and in
dustrial relations director for
Proctor Electric Company at Mt.
Airy, N. C.
He is a native of Mt. Airy,
where he attended public school.
Later he attended the University
of North Carolina. He served in
the Naval Air Corps during
World War II and afterwards at
tended the University of Iowa.
He graduated from "Cornell
College at Mt. Vernon, Iowa,
with a BA degree in political
science and economics. After re-
turning to Mt. Airy, he was
(See rEKSONNEL, Page Six)
JOE FOWLER, JR.
. former legislator .
For Best Service
They pointed out they were
interested only in providing the
best possible air service for their
cities and said they believed the
service could be given best by
one intrastate air carrier.
The cities, all of which have
talked with Piedmont officials,
planned to file exceptions to the
examiner’s fecommendation. The
exceptions were due October 30.
The remaining two cities-.-El-
kins and Clarksburg—said they
will not'file exceptions.
The city of Charleston drew
up a preliminary set of excep
tions which they sent to all cities ■
seeking local air service in West
Virginia.
In the tentative draft Charles
ton took exception to the “un
due weight and importance
given . . . the need for, and de
sirability of strengthening Lake
Central Airlines . . . and thus to
disregard the public interest,
convenience and necessity of the
West Virginia cities involved.”
Another exception was made
to the examiner’s findings that
“a Parkersburg - Clarksburg - El
kins - Morgantown - Washington
route segment . . . ‘duplicates a
through service that Piedmont
has been providing between Par
kersburg and Washington via
Charleston, Beckley and Roa
noke’ in that such a circuitous
operation as Piedmont now uses
could by no stretch of reason be
considered duplicative or compet
itive with a direct alignment..
Vice-iPresident C. Gordon
Brown said the sentiments ex
pressed by the seven cities pro
testing the route recommenda
tion are an “indication of Pied
mont’s reputation.”
Support Encouraged
He said the company has en
couraged the cities to file excep
tions and has reaffirmed Pied
mont’s intent to carry the case
as far as necessary in seeking a
CAB reversal on the examiner’s
decision as it relates to West
Virginia routes.
Newspapers throughout West
Virginia have editorially urged
support of Piedmont on the
grounds that Piedmont already
has proved its service in the
state and that Piedmont’s acqui
sition of the routes will provide
an integrated air service for
West Virginia.