ns momomTon
Retiring
The Martins
See Page Three
VOL. XII, NO. 2
NOW AN ALL JET-POWERED AIRLINE/
FEBRUARY, 1970
E. L. Hurt With Improved YS-11 Fuel Pump.
Mechanic Wins Company's
First FAA Safety Award
Senior Mechanic Ernest L. Hurt
has won first place in the South
east regional finals of the FAA’s
Air Carrier Aviation Mechanics
Safety Award program.
Manual CRO
In Operation
By Mid-April
Piedmont’s Central Reservations
office is beginning to move from
the paper planning stage towards
physical reality.
The first step in the Company’s
computer reservations system, a
temporarily manual operation has
found a home in the old airline
hangar, currently being utilized
by Fixed Base and Piedmont Aero
space Institute.
What used to be the Fabric Shop
is being converted to what will
be the manual central res office.
Plans call for completion by mid-
April, at which time Winston reser
vations and Space Control as well
as Greensboro res will move into
the “new” facility. The reserva
tions operation for Charleston,
South Carolina, will also be located
initially in this office when that
service is instituted.
Walt Ryczek has been named
anager for the CRO. Formerly
tation Manager at Huntington,
yczek will assume his new duties
in mid-March.
Currently plans call for bringing
in to INT about 17 of the Com
pany’s reservations offices be
tween April and October of this
year. Stations to be moved will be
given at least 60 days notice. The
schedule for re-location of the res
offices has not been finalized, but
will be announced as soon as
possible.
Then tenative date for the total
switch over to the automated sys
tem is mid 1971.
The actual Univac equipment
has been delivered to Computer
Communications Network in At
lanta, where it will be permanently
located.
The awards are presented in
two categories, airline and general
aviation, and are regionalized in
ternationally. There will be two
national winners named during
the month of March.
Hurt, whose suggestion involved
an alteration of the YS-11 fuel
pump, will represent the Southeast,
or Region II, in the national finals.
Prior to joining Piedmont in
1950, Hurt served with the U. S.
Navy as an aviation ordinance
officer and worked for the Lynch
burg Airtransport and Sales Corp.
Since he came to Piedmont, Hurt
has worked in Airframe Overhaul,
Line Maintenance, and Accessory
Overhaul. He is currently a Senior
Mechanic in the Hydraulics De
partment.
Mrs. Hurt is the former Mary
Elizabeth Tilghman of Pactolis,
Kentucky. They have two children
and four grandchildren.
Other Piedmont personnel who
entered the FAA Awards program
were K. H. Shelton and J. B.
Snyder.
Cred/f Union
Meets; Declares
12th Dividend
The 21st Annua! Meeting of the
Piedmont Aviation Credit Union
was held the latter part of January
at the Company’s general office
building.
R. H. Reed, Credit Union Presi
dent, reported on behalf of the
Board of Directors concerning
Credit Union activities during the
past year. Other reports were
given by the Credit Union Treasur
er and Credit Committee.
Elections were held to fill offices
vacated on the Board of Directors
and the Credit Committee. R. H.
Reed, H. K. Scott, and R. W.
Kadlec were re-elected to the
Board of Directors. R. R. Gabriel
was also elected to serve a two-
year term. Other members of the
Board include A. F. Long, G. E.
Price and Jim Taylor.
George Davis was elected to
serve on the Credit Committee
with Bob Griffin and Frank
Barnes, Credit Committee alter
nates elected were Dick James,
Ken Whapham and Wayne Pope.
The Piedmont Aviation Credit
Union declared a six percent divi
dend on savings accounts. This
marked t h e twelfth consecutive
year that a six per cent dividend
rate has been paid.
The dividend paid on accounts
during 1989 amounted to $82,394.00
as compared to $75,178.00 during
1968, or a 9.5% increase. Members’
savings at the end of 1969 amount
ed to $1,632,795.00 as compared to
$1,589,065.00 at the beginning of
the year, or a 3% increase.
Three hundred nine (309) new
accounts were added during 1969
bringing the total nnmber of ac
counts or members in the Credit
Union to 2,548. There were 2,320
loans approved for members total
ling $3,524,954.00.
The Piedmont Aviation Credit
Union is a co-operative employee’s
organization owned and operated
by the employees of Piedmont
Aviation, Inc.
IT WAS A DARK AND SNOWY NIGHT for the Farewell Flight of the
Martin 404's. All smiles for the occasion were, at left, Washington
National Station Manager Don Sutphin and Congressman David N.
Henderson who flew home to North Carolina's Third District aboard the
Martin's last scheduled trip. For further details see page three.
President's Prospectus
As a New Years message from the President for the
Piedmonitor, we thought it most appropriate to run this
resume of the highlights of Mr. Davis’ speech to eviployees
on Christmas Eve tn the hangar at INT,—Editor
This is our 29th annual Christmas Eve
gathering. I am proud that our crowd gets
bigger every year and certainly this year is no
exception.
It’s been a rough year. This was not entirely
unexpected.
You will recall that last year I indicated to
you that we would be confronted with difficult
problems in 1969 and I asked for your help in
overcoming these problems.
I am grateful for the way most of you re
sponded — you really pitched in.
Regrettably, in addition to the difficulties we
anticipated, there were two other most un
fortunate and unexpected events — aided and
abetted by outside elements — which com
pounded our problems. In my opinion, those
factors alone caused the heavy losses your Com
pany sustained in 1969. Without these develop
ments, I am convinced that the extra effort put
forth would have overcome the other problems
and resulted in a profit.
As difficult as it is to forget these sad
experiences, this is no time for remorse or
despair.
As difficult and distasteful as the past year
has been in some respects, I believe we can,
nevertheless, all be proud of what we did ac
complish.
We have virtually completed our transition
to an all jet-powered fleet of aircraft. We have
obtained important new route authorities ex
tending our system to Chicago and Charleston,
South Carolina. We have successfully completed
the task of moving into our new headquarters
facihty. We again attained one of the highest
load factors in the industry. And we have pro
gressed and strengthened ourselves in many
other ways which will make possible attainment
of new, higher goals in the future.
It has been said that “Whatever impedes a
man and doesn’t stop him — aids his progress”.
I beheve all of us are stronger and wiser now,
as a result of our difficulties and that this will
aid our progress in the future.
So, for all you have done to help in the
accomplishments we have made in the past year,
it is my privilege to announce that Santa again
has a big pack full of goodies for all of you.
This is the 29th consecutive year that our com
pany has awarded a nice raise for all Piedmont
people. Despite the heavy losses suffered by the
Company in 1969, your officers approved these
raises in recognition of the fact that these losses
were caused by factors beyond your control and
in view of the performance and extra effort you
put forth.
In addition, the increases have been made in
sufficient amounts to offset the rampant in
flation which took place in 1969.
To do all of this and at the same time get
our Company back to a profitable status will
obviously require the best possible effort and
performance. We will all really have to “put
out”.
I have asked our officers to join with me
in a concerted effort to develop a program de
signed to maximize efficiency, economy and
revenues in all areas. I now ask you to do your
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