Newspapers / Piedmont Aviation Employee Newsletter / Nov. 1, 1962, edition 1 / Page 3
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NOVEMBER, 1962 THE PIEDMONITOR PAGE THREE Brushing up on their Piedmont personalities, (left to right) Ashlyn Hammett, Joe Frick, and Bill Taylor give out with the grins and prepare to meet passengers. Sfation Spotlight Looking from the sky down on Columbia. A portion of the attractive countryside can be seen beyond. Citizens believe in keeping natural beauty in their city, and a close look at this aerial view will show the large number of trees and parks still present, giving touches of green to the whole downtown area. Progress And Charm Combine In Columbia Columbia carries a far-away echo of the rustle of hoop skirts and the clatter of carriages across cobble stones; of the warmth of hospitality and the measured pace of easy living; and the rumble of troops and the tragedy of war. It also vibrates with more modern sounds. Aircraft from four airlines now zoom in and out of the city; construction of facilities for new industries adds to the din; and today’s soldiers, a far cry from their ancestors of 100 years ago, train at nearby Fort Jackson. Its Chamber of Commerce will tell you that Columbia is a city of growth, turning from its quieter ante bellum past to brisk industrial, educational, and cul tural expansion. Old South There is still that about the area, however, which conveys a sense of relaxation and a glimpse into the Old South. Trees still shade the downtown sidewalks and a number of old homes, com plete with columns, serve as of fice buildings. Columbia was founded in 1786 for the express purpose of serv ing as the state capital. More than 5,000 state employees work within the city now, and an equal number are employed by Federal offices. Station Manager Bill O’Bryan estimates the majority of Pied mont traffic is from business sources but that soon there will be a good mixture between busi M The State House — Located near the center of town, much of the business of running South Carolina is located in this building. It was built before the Civil War and still bears holes, now marked with bronze stars, where cannon balls struck it during the conflict in Columbia. ness and pleasure traveling. Tough Start “We really started under ad verse conditions,” he added when asked of the problems faced in setting up a station. “We didn’t have enough space at first — reservations and operations were both jammed into an eight by ten room. Then there was the strike, of course, plus the fact that about half our people here were inexperienced, having just joined the company.” Things have a way of working Agents take a brief break to pose in a congenial group. They are (left to right) Chief Agent Frank Beasley, Flo ^Merritt, Lead Agent John Lawrence, Ed Casey, and Barry Hurley. Also on the staff is G. J. Calli- coat, who was on vacation when the pictures were made. themselves out, however, and soon an extension was added to the terminal, providing much more working space; the strike leveled off and service was re sumed; and new personnel be came old hands at dealing with the heretofore bewildering com plexities of the airline age. Military Traffic The military accounts for a substantial, but sporadic, portion of Piedmont’s traffic. Commenting on military busi ness, O’Bryan said, “Fort Jack son is a large induction center which sends troops to every part of the country. When they’re going north we have a pretty good chance of getting the traf fic, but because of our route structure we miss out on passen gers headed south.” The local Manager of the Joint Airlines Military Transport Of fice at Fort Jackson is Bob May. He confirmed O’Bryan’s observa tion that military traffic never comes in an even flow. One mo ment, he said, 15,000 men on fur- lough will be screaming for tickets on anything to every where, while the next minute the number of tickets sold dwindles to a trickle. The office faces competition from buses and trains, and since most of the traffic occurs on Friday night and Saturday morn ing, according to May there are either too many seats or not enough. Aeronautics Commission Since it serves a state capital, the airport and its inner work ings are supervised by the South Carolina Aeronautics Commis sion. An interview with Jack Barry, Assistant Director of Aeronau tics for the Commission, revealed that several large projects are in store for CAE’s aviation future. All plans are in the tentative stage at the moment, but nego tiations are underway for con struction of a new terminal building and lengthening the runway to an estimated 7500 feet, long enough to make Columbia a jetport. The completed project will have facilities for handling private and executive aircraft, and building tracts will be avail able for industries which require sites adjacent to an airfield. 1964 Completion Currently, the idea is to com plete these improvements by April, 1964, depending on whe ther finances can be suitably ar ranged with state and Federal authorities. Columbia has had air service since the 1930’s and, said Barry, the Commission is always on the alert for opportunities to obtain even better service for South Carolina. “The Commission maintains a lawyer in Washington to ride herd on current air cases,” he explained. “We worked over six years to get Piedmont service to the area.” Aviation facilities are at least one major factor in the influx of industries and people in the (Continued on Page Six) w Station Manager W. J. O'Bryan acts as the CAE chief of staff. He has high praise for station personnel, saying they did an excellent job under trying circumstances when service first began.
Piedmont Aviation Employee Newsletter
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Nov. 1, 1962, edition 1
3
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