Newspapers / Piedmont Aviation Employee Newsletter / Jan. 1, 1973, edition 1 / Page 1
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Happy Anniversary! Piedmont Airlines will be 25 years old this Feb ruary 20th. And, as one old timer said, “Looking- back, 25 years isn’t very long; it is a long time to look ahead.” In just these first two months of our 25th year, 40 employees will receive their quarter of a century service pins. At the luncheons, conversations appro priately center around what is coming and what has been. To recollect and reminisce are reason enough for celebrating an anniversary. The remarks that start “Do you remember when . . .” are more than en lightening to those of us who have not been around since the beginning. The stories, told by the men wly) started out with little more than a dream and stayed with it to make it a reality, put the anniversary in its proper perspective. Accuracy sometimes seems remote from the mem ories and verbal recollections. But then, that’s not real ly the point. Their stories have more than likely been mellowed by time. Some of the tallest tales were, no doubt, traumatic as they took place. Retrospect makes them no less real, but the years have added humor to the happenings. Old photographs are another way to look back. The camera’s lens is not as gentle as the mind’s eye. There were not many people in Piedmont’s early pic tures, maybe eight or ten or twenty men. They show those who’ve come and gone; those who’ve grown up and some who’ve grown old. Without words, they tell why we commemorate anniversaries. In all the pictures there were smiles. As we flipped through the photographs, we saw the stories words will never tell. Hair turned greyer or grew thinner. Neckties widened then slimmed down, as if in contrast to some of their waistlines. Some faces added glasses. Coat lapels grew narrower, and there were fewer buttons. But always there were smiles. In 1948 those smiling faces were looking toward today. Now, it doesn’t seem like such a long time. Until February 20, 1998 will be no longer. Happy Anniversary. piBomoniwH JANUARY, 1973 VOL. XXIV, NO. 1 Update on Richmond And Re-Alignment Cases The Company will file its updated proposals in the Richmond-New York Route Transfer Case in mid-February. In the initial petition Piedmont asked the Civil Aeronautics Board for permission to assume the suspended au thority of National Airlines to serve the Rich mond, Virginia - New York market. The request was originally filed in April of last year. The Board recently reduced the extent of the transfer to include consideration of only the Richmond-New York non-stop au thority. In limiting the scope of the case to this one area, the CAB indicated the transfer will be processed on an expedited basis, pos sibly through a show cause procedure. Alle gheny is the competing applicant. Early in January the Company filed a re quest with the Board for re-alignment of our route structure. This means basically that all the cities we are currently authorized to serve would be placed on one linear segment, from New York to Chicago. The same thing has been done recently by several carriers. It would give Piedmont con siderably greater operating and scheduling flexibility. The request included proposed restrictions that would provide sufficient protection for other carriers in competitive service. In filing the route re-alignment petition, the Company asked that the Board utilize a show cause or other expedited procedure in order to approve the matter as quickly as possible. Hijacker's Bail Set at $100,000 Charles A. Wenige has pleaded innocent to charges of attempting to hi-jack a Piedmont plane at Baltimore’s Friendship International Airport on January 2. Wenige, who was judged mentally and le gally competent to stand trial during a two- week examination at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Washington, entered the plea at his arraign ment in U. S. District Court in Baltimore on February 1. The 37-year-old Baltimore man is charged with attempted hi-jacking, assault on a fed eral officer and three weapons violations. The charges, being pressed by the federal government, stem from his takeover of the Piedmont YS-11 at the termination of Flight 928 at Baltimore. During the course of the in cident he held two stewardesses, Jackie Wise- cup Nelson and Teri Ann Shope Meadows, as hostages for more than two hours. The pas sengers, captain and co-pilot had left the air craft prior to the gunman’s takeover. Wenige surrendered after talking with an FBI agent, a psychiatrist and the Roman Cath olic Archbishop of Baltimore. The FBI agent, Thomas Farrow, boarded the plane, and the two stewardesses were allowed to leave un harmed before Wenige actually gave himself up. The trial has been tentatively scheduled for April in U. S. District Court in Baltimore. Wenige is being held at the Anne Arundeli Detention Center in lieu of $100,000 bail. Mrs. Nelson has been with Piedmont since 1972. Mrs. Meadows joined the Company in 1971. Both girls are based in Winston-Salem. i Teri Ann Meadows Jackie Wisecup Nelson Record Setting Year The Company recorded new highs in earn ings and traffic for 1972. Net earnings were $3,343,317 or $1.49 per share as compared to $819,333 or 37fS per share in 1971. The total number of passengers carried in creased 11.33% to 3,179,242. The overall load factor for the year was 50.06%, up from 47.57 in 1971. Revenue passenger miles for 1972 totaled 885,623,531, an increase of 12% over the year before. Complete details on the year’s results will be published in next month’s Piedmonitor.
Piedmont Aviation Employee Newsletter
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Jan. 1, 1973, edition 1
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