me pienmoninm
A Captain Retires
See Page Three
VOL. X, NO. 7
1948 — CELEBRATING OUR TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY — 1968
JULY, 1968
PI Selected
To Test
New Recorders
The FAA has awarded a contract
to develop operational data re
corders which will be used to
gather information on the perform
ance and flight characteristics of
airline aircraft in regularly sche
duled service. The units will be in
stalled by the contractor, Techno
logy. Inc., in a Boeing 737 operated
by Piedmont and in a Boeing 707
and 727 operated by American Air
lines.
Data supplied by the recorders
will be used by FAA and industry
in making long-range trend analy
ses of aircraft performance. It also
will shed light on how airliners
and their crews respond to the
various conditions encountered dur
ing regular flights.
The contract calls for installa
tion of one recorder within six
months of the award and the re
maining two within a year. Tech
nology, Inc. is required to main
tain and service the recorders in
the airliners for one to \-Vz years
The project will take 27 months.
The recorder units will collect
and store inflight information on
such parameters as engine RPM,
airplane altitude, airspeed, outside
temperature, flap position, speed
brake position, vertical and lateral
accelerations, yaw damper and
autopilot on or off, landing gear
position, fuel quantity, roll and
pitch attitude, heading, and eleva-
lor, rudder and aileron force, and
elevator, stabilizer, rudder and
lateral control position. The re
corders have 24 channels for data
collection and storage.
Installation of operational data
recorders in the three aircraft will
be in addition to recording equip
ment already installed — the cock
pit voice recorder and the flight
recorder. The latter records only
airspeed, altitude, acceleration and
heading against time.
Pre-Inaugural Flights Held For New 737 Cities
First rassengers ^
Are Delighted
Hot Springs
Makes Listing
In Holiday
Sham Perry reports that his
fair city was included in “a very
select” listing in the current edi
tion of Holiday Magazine. To prove
his point, a clipping was enclosed.
It seems that every month the
magazine publishes a listing of
temperatures and humidity around
the world, in spots chosen for
seasonal or topical interest.
Their July weather report start
ed out with Acapulco and Athens
and covered such metropolitan
spots as Tokyo, Veracruz and
Vienna. Sure enough, just about
mid-way the 43 “select” cities was
Hot Springs, average temperature
high 85, low 58, humidity 69%.
Perry’s query, “How many
other PAI stations are listed
here?” had an answer further
down the list. In all fairness to
Eddie Jones and the Northern
branch of Piedmont, we have to
say that New York was also in
cluded.
But, Hot Springs, you’re definite
ly keeping good company!
Unscheduled flights have a var
iety of connotations, but those o!
the pre-inaugural category are best
described as delightful.
Prior to the official beginning
of Piedmont’s jet service in East
ern North Carolina two of thes.
“fun trips” were arranged for
Kinston and Fayetteville, and Wil
mington.
With the service to ISO and
FAY scheduled to begin the first
of July, the flight for those cities
was set up the week before. Some
32 invited guests from Kinston
and Lenoir County and another 27
from Fayetteville took a scenic
tour of the area between Washing
ton, D. C. and the Outer Banks.
Only 43 minutes out of Fayette
ville, at speeds of about 550 miles
per hour and an altitude of 25,000
feet, the guests found themselves
over Richmond, Virginia.
After circling the Nation’s Capi
tal, Captain Mike Holton headed
for the Outer Banks and a “close”
look at Kitty Hawk.
The group returned home quite
happy with the “sneak preview”
of what their new service would
be like.
A different intinerary was ar
ranged for the Wilmington pre
inaugural passengers who took
their flight the day before schedul
ed service went into effect on
August 1 at the New Hanover
County Field.
Some seventy government and
industry leaders from the Azeala
City joined Piedmont for a quick
trip South. Hardly an hour out of
Wilmington the guests were look
ing out over the Gulf of Mexico.
A quick view of the coastline be
tween Gainesville and Tallahassee,
Florida and a quicker circle over
Jacksonville, found the group head
ed back up the east coast towards
Charleston.
m
CHATTING WITH PRESIDENT DAVIS during the special pre-inaugural flight for Wilmington were, from left,
O. O. Allsbrook, Mayor of ILM, C. M. Harrington, Mayor pro tem, and Carolina Beach Mayor Ernest W.
Bame.
• w'
1
ISO WAS WELL represented on it's pre-inaugural flight by Mayor Simon
Sitterson and stewardess Jackie Tapscott, who is a native of Kinston.
A final round of drinks and a last, Many thanks and equally as
ham biscuit put the group home, many invitations to return ended
just in time for supper! I another Piedmont pre-inaugural.
Top Priority
Is Requested
For Air Traffic
To keep U. S. air transportation
safe and efficient. Congress must
act to vastly improve and expand
the airways system, an Air Trans
port Association spokesman said
last week.
“Inadequate facilities and a
shortage of personnel for the air
ways system are threatening to
strangle ... air transportation,”
Stuart G. Tipton, president of the
ATA, said in a letter to all mem
bers of the U. S. Senate.
At the same time, Mr. Tipton
praised the action of the Senate
Appropriations Committee in re
commending substantial increases
in appropriations to meet the air
ways problem.
“The action,” he said, “is evi
dence of a growing awareness on
the part of Congress that the air
(Continued on “Page Three)
Sfafion Managers Are Promoted and Transferred
E. J. Laskowski of Cincinnati is
resigning as manager of that sta-
I
Tom Crouch
CVG
tion due to reasons of health. He is
transferring to the CVG City Ticket
Office.
Taking over Laskowski’s duties
as Manager will be C. T. Crouch,
former manager at Louisville.
Crouch, who is a native of States
ville, North Carolina, joined the
Company as an agent in Char
lottesville in 1957. He was named
Chief Agent for Greensboro in 1962
and was promoted to Manager for
Shenandoah in 1965. A year later
he moved to Louisville in the same
capacity.
While in Louisville Crouch was
a member of the Kiwanis and Elks
Clubs. He was also President of
the Louisville Bon Vivants.
Crouch’s appointment was effec
tive August 1.
Former Station Manager at Co
lumbia, W. J. O’Bryan, has been
promoted to Station Manager for
Piedmont’s operation at Louisville,
Kentucky.
O’Bryan joined the Company in
1952 as an agent in his home town
of Roanoke. He moved to Char
lottesville for the opening of that
station in 1955. He was promoted
to lead Agent in 1960 and trans
ferred to Richmond. A year later
O’Bryan was named Chief Agent
for RIC. Subsequently he was pro
moted to Station Manager for Co
lumbia and transferred there in
1962.
While in Columbia O’Bryan
served on the Transportation Com
mittee of the Chamber of Com
merce. He belonged to the Opti
mist Club and the Columbia Choral
Society. He also served as the first
chairman of the Airline Manage
ment Council of Columbia’s Met
ropolitan Airport.
Mrs. O’Bryan is the former Dar
ken Lee of Roanoke. They have
one daughter. The O’Bryans moved
to Louisville August 1.
W. J. O'Bryan
SDF