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VOL. V, NO. 3
APACE WITH THE PACEMAKER
APRIL, 1962
Company Reports 'Best Year In History'
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Officers, Directors Re-elected
Piedmont's Board of Directors, shown here just prior to their meeting April 18. They are (seated, left to
right): M. F. Fare, Frank Dowd, E. L. Davis, Sr., T. H. Davis, Bowman Gray, H. K. Saunders, (standing, left
to right): J. F. Watlington, Glenn E. Anderson, Ralph W. Gardner, E. L. Davis, Jr., and R. S. Northington.
Charles E. Norfleet and C. G. Brown were not present for the photograph.
"Significant Increase" Made
In Air Cargo, Says Reed
Piedmont is moving toward a
significant “cargo-by-air break
through” according to figures
just released by R. H. Reed, Di-
rector-Cargo Services.
Totals for 1961 show a 29 per
cent increase over 1960, and a 62
per cent gain over the five-year
period of 1956 through 1961.
These gains show no signs of
diminishing as figures for the
first quarter of 1962 illustrate.
Over 1,868,502 pounds of cargo
were carried during that period
—a whopping 43 per cent gain
over the 1,304,466 pounds carried
in the first quarter of 1961.
Air mail increased 35 per cent,
air freight 41 per cent, and air
express 58 per cent over last
year.
Growth Expected
“A portion of the first quarter
increase is due to the operation
of Segment Five,” said Reed.
“However, the figures clearly
demonstrate that Piedmont is in
the midst of the cargo-by-air
breakthrough which has been an
ticipated for years.”
“Piedmont’s air cargo is ex
pected to continue this growth
trend during the coming months
as industries in our area in
creasingly recognize the advan-
Deepest sympathy is ex
tended to the family and
friends of Rondo Gregory
who died April 15. He had
been in poor health tor some
time.
Mr. Gregory, often called
“Chief" because of his post
as INT security guard, had
been with Piedmont since its
beginning. On December 31,
1960, he became the first
person to retire from Pied
mont Aviation, Inc.
A well-known figure at INT,
Mr. Gregory at the time of
his retirement described his
job and said, “During my
years with Piedmont I always
tried to keep a close watch
on the company's property,
and make sure the grounds
were kept safe for Piedmont
people."
tage of shipping by air.”
Air Freight Gain
The most marked gain during
1956-1961 period has been in the
area of air freight, Reed pointed
out. In 1956 air freight repre
sented only 29 per cent of the
total cargo carriod. In 19G1, how^
ever, air freight accounted for
over 42 per cent of the total
cargo carried.
Air mail and air express have
also shown important gains. Air
mail in 1961 was up 19 per cent
over 1960, with air express jump
ing 27 per cent over the previous
year’s totals. Total cargo carried
for 1961 was over 7,100,000
pounds.
Industry Trend
Piedmont’s increase in air car
go carried reflects the trend set
by the aviation industry • last
year. Better, larger equipment,
faster connections and enroute
times, plus improved customer
service have resulted in a 12.62
per cent freight traffic increase
in 1961 for U, S. carriers.
Gains in the U, S. mail traffic
and express ton miles pushed the
total property carried by the
U. S. airlines over the one bil
lion ton mile mark for the first
time.
Geronimo!
Airline personnel may not
wear white scarves and gog
gles anymore but no one can
say at least three of them
don't exhibit some of the
intrepid spirit of those early
aviation pioneers.
A do-or-die Piedmont crew
proved this recently in get
ting a scheduled flight started
out of Elizabeth City.
It was 6 a.m., hardly a de
cent hour for heroics. The
crew, Capt. George Strattner,
First Officer William S. Hart,
and Flight Attendant Herman
Barco, were driving from Nor
folk to Elizabeth City to origi
nate the flight there.
A drawbridge en route was
stuck in the "up" position,
leaving a four-foot gap. Park
ing their car, the trio ran up
the incline, took a deep
breath, vaulted the gap, lug
gage and all with a 50-foot
drop beneath them, ran down
the other incline, caught a
cab, and sped to the airport.
The flight left on time.
609 Is Fine
Piedmont Airlines has become
one of the first companies in the
South to install an IBM 609 Cal
culator as part of its data-pro-
cessing system.
According to Data Processing
Supervisor Palmer Alexander,
the 609 will compute problems
20 times faster than the older
model calculator it replaces.
“This machine will handle any
mathematical problem we give
it,” said Alexander. “A job which
took eight hours to complete on
the older model can now be done
on the 609 in less than two
hours.”
He explained that while the
former machine took seconds or
minutes to reach a problem solu
tion, its replacement operates in
terms of a millionth of a second.
Tiny units no larger than half
the size of a match head “re
member” mathematical data
while calculations are being
SOP Team Never Tardy
A recent Telenews noted that
CHO reported 77 consecutive
flights without delay either at
the ramp or the end of the run
way. With the item was a re
quest to notify The Piednionitor
if any station could better the
record. Promptly came this
answer from SOP:
“WE MAY NOT BE ABLE
TO CLAIM ANY RECORD
WITH PASSENGERS BUT WE
HAD 243 CONSECUTIVE
FLIGHTS FROM JAN. 30
THROUGH APRIL 8 WITH
OUT A LOCAL DELAY
EITHER AT THE RAMP OR
AT THE END OF THE RUN
WAY.”
Guess you win, SOP. We think
both stations deserve a pat on
the back.
The most outstanding earnings
record in the history of the com
pany was announced at the an-
n u a 1 Piedmont Aviation, Inc.,
stockholders’ meeting April 18.
All Directors were re-elected
and at the Directors’ meeting
shortly afterwards, Piedmont’s
officers were re-elected and ex
pansion of INT maintenance and
engine shop facilities was ap
proved.
It was reported that earnings
for 1961 totaled $473,089, double
that of any other year in Pied
mont’s history. Total revenue
for the year rose to $17,882,942,
an increase of 13.3 per cent over
1960.
Good Records
All divisions of Piedmont Avia
tion, Inc., made significant
achievements during 1961. The
Airline Division listed an in
crease in revenue passengers of
45,265 over the 1960 o t a 1 of
500,564, as well as a 25 per cent
increase in air freight and air
express traffic.
The General Aviation Di dsion
won an award for having sold
more than $1 million worth of
Beech aircraft, and the Central
Piedmont Aero Division won ti'e
“Top Hat” award for again beinir
in the top ten of all Piper Air
craft distributors.
President T. H. Davis stated
that one of the most outstanding
developments of the past year
was the purchase of 17 Martin
404 aircraft from Trans World
Airlines. He noted that Piedmont
would have been in “a difficult
position” without the Martins
owing to the extensive route
awards made recently by the
CAB.
Directors Re-elected
By a combined vote of those
present and proxies representing
80 per cent of the stockholders,
the following Directors were re
elected:
Glenn E. Anderson, C. Gordon
Brown, E. L. Davis, Sr., E. L.
Davis, Jr., T. H. Davis, Frank
Dowd, M. F. Fare, Ralph W.
Gardner, Bowman Gray, Charles
E. Norfleet, R. S. Northington,
H. K. Saunders, and John F.
Watlington.
At the Directors’ meeting the
same day the Board approved a
proposal to the Forsyth Board
of County Commissioners to ex
pand county-owned facilities
leased by Piedmont at Smith
Reynolds Airport.
New Facilities
Piedmont has requested that
the county build (a) an “entire
ly new” engine shop, 100 feet by
200 feet, near the present en
gine shop; and (b) an extension,
55 feet by 170 feet, to the large
maintenance hangar near the ad
ministration building.
In a letter to the Commission
ers President Davis said that
“present facilities are being op
erated at well over 100 per cent
normal capacity . . . which of
course decreases efficiency,” and
added that Piedmont would ap
preciate “early consideration.”
Officers Re-elected
Officers re-elected at the Di
rectors’ meeting are:
T. H. Davis, President and
Treajurer; Vice Presidents C. G.
Brow:i, R. S. Northington, and
H. K. maunders; M. F. Fare, Sec
retary md Assistant Treasurer;
T. W. Mirton, Assistant Control
ler; and I. F. Farley, Assistant
Secretary.
made.
The 609 will help the Account
ing Department keep pace with
increased work loads in prepara
tion for the route expansion
awarded in the Piedmont Area
Case.
Charrrrrrge! And so the Wake Forest College students and boosters
did, up to Louisville in one of the largest charters in Piedmont history.
In a trip involving two Martin 404's and three DC-3's, the team and its
fans left INT 150 strong to attend the NCAA basketball tournament
March 23. The "Demon Deacs" placed third in the nation and returned
home with honors, muttering the classic "wait'll next year!"