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Boeim
Boeing gave Pied
mont’s senior officers,
along with media
represen tatives from
several cities served
by the airline, a first-
class send-off when
our first 767-200
departed May 21 for
its new home.
4
w y □ n
Bill Howard, Piedmont’s chair
man, president, and chief execu
tive officer, accepts symbolic
keys to the 767-200ER from
Boeing’s executive vice presi
dent Phillip M. Condit. At left is
Bill McGee, Piedmont’s execu
tive vice president.
Piedmont enters new era of service
as 767-200ER lifts off from Boeing
A new era for Piedmont Airlines
started May 21 when our first wide-
body aircraft —the Boeing 767-200
Extended Range —lifted off from
Boeing Field in Seattle. As its pow
erful General Electric engines sent
it into the blue skies of the Pacific
Northwest, applause and cheers
rippled through the cabin from
about 80 Piedmont officers and
other employees who had come for
the delivery llight.
The liftoff followed a brief cere
mony outside the new widebody
where Piedmont Chairman Bill
Howard and Boeing Executive Vice
President Phil Condit signed the
final delivery documents. Rows of
chairs were filled with Piedmont
personnel witnessing the delivery-
many of whom had come to Seattle
on their own time —and media
crews positioned themselves for
pictures and interviews.
Although the applause started
there, the fun really began in the
skies.
Capt. C.D. Mel>ean and Capt. Jim
Sifford received a special clearance
to maintain a 5.000-foot altitude
and treated everyone to a fly-by of
snow-capped Mount Rainier. Min
utes later, the Piedmont widebody
cruised past the devastated north
face of Mount St. Helens, where
barren hills gave testimony to its
volcanic destruction.
After flying past those two land
marks, the aircraft climbed to
transcontinental altitude and every
one settled back for the ride. The
flight attendant crew of instructors
Frances Barts and Maryann Con
don, and CLT flight attendants Inga
Bateman and Bobbie Scott, served
a delicious meal and drinks fol
lowed by the first film ever shown
on a Piedmont aircraft—appropri
ately enough, “Top Gun.”
About an hour outside of GSO.
pictures of the 767-200 were dis
tributed and a few people went to
the front of the aircraft where
Howard and Piedmont founder Tom
Davis were seated with other offi
cers. They brought back auto
graphed pictures of the aircraft
and. as the idea spread, a line
formed as employees got their own
momentos of the occasion.
As the plane landed at GSO, em
ployees were seen lining the roof
and tarmac of the maintenance
hanger, waving at the aircraft be
fore it left for an open house at CLT.
It was an excellent ending for a
delivery flight that is already a
milestone in Piedmont’s history,
and it was an excellent beginning
for the company’s new era of wide
body service.
An original oil painting of our
767-200flying over CLT hangs
in the lobby of our headquar
ters building at One Piedmont
Plaza. Frank Shrontz. Boeing’s
president and chief executive
officer, presented the 48 x 80
inch painting to Chairman Bill
Howard following a dinner on
May 20 honoring Piedmont.
I
(L to r) Charles King, manager-
maintenance technical services;
Joe Archer, manager-line
msdntenance-CLT; Mike Ross,
manager-line maintenance; and
Bob South, customer support
representative from Boeing; in
spect the 767-200 upon its ar
rival at CLT.
Piedmonitor • Special Edition • June 15, 1987