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[[image - photograph]] 1946: The Constellations came home from the war, went to work on the lines. The DC-4 got into the act, too. [[image - photograph]] 1949: The Stratocruiser continued the trend toward big planes. It was also the era of the Martins and Convairs. partly because of the frequent take-offs and landings on the shorter runs. Our pilots have responded with enthusiasm to the needs of this new phase of the industry and have become true pioneers. Their interest has not been restricted to flying alone, but has extended to a gratifying extent into the overall operations of the airline. Lake Central Airlines could not have doubled its size in the remarkable short period of 45 days without the complete cooperation and devoted efforts of our pilots. It is with sincere appreciation that I take this opportunity to commend our airline pilots on a job well done. [[image - photograph]] G. T. Baker President, NAL I should like to pay a personal tribute to the men who man the cockpits-the men who have tracked the skies for half a century. The role played by the brave and gallant men who defied complacency and tradition, however important, is less important for the past than for the future. The pilots of tomorrow, flying the planes of tomorrow, have a tradition to uphold. I know that your concern, with ours, is for a greater and ever-growing industry, an industry dedicated to the transportation of peoples and ideas throughout the world. This is a time for sober reflection. It is a time for a proud glance at the past, a hard-boiled look at the future. We of National Airlines cannot believe that an economic recession is here. We have a deeper faith in our country and our ideals than to walk alongside the men of faint heart and caution. Our faith is our strength, as it has been in the yesterdays, that saw Lindbergh span the Atlantic in the "Spirit of St. Louis," at 100-miles-an-hour. Our strength is our faith in the future, the future for ourselves, our traditions, our beliefs. I have flown with you, as one of you. I hope I shall always know the feel of a throbbing engine responding to the touch of my hand on a throttle. Our fellow Americans have shown all of us that they are willing to ride the skies, placing their lives in your hands and mine. no flier worthy of his steel, shirks that responsibility. Our nation has given us its most honored trust-its confidence. Our job together in the shining tomorrow for the industry, is to justify that confidence. The challenge of the past half-century has been met and won. Half a hundred years of flying have brought us from Kitty Hawk to the day of the magnificent jetliner crossing the skies that man once only used for dreams. These things and more have been done because great men made the dreams come true. With their hands, the men of air transportation fashioned the machines that took wing. With their hands, the same men flew these machines. Today, all of us stand together at the takeoff end of the long runway into the skies of tomorrow. The planes we fly together shall know no bounds by sky or storm. Together we can challenge the future as all of us have challenged the past-without fear, with confidence in ourselves and in the things we are doing for the tomorrow in the air. The men who man the controls made a fine contribution to the airline industry. They have done many things for the great industry. And it is in tribute to you that you who wear proudly the pilot's wings today recognize that the industry has done many things for you. I stand with you and believe that the tomorrow ahead of all of us is a tomorrow worth flying for-worth fighting for. We of National Airlines send you our best wishes on this anniversary. [[image - photograph]] Frank W. Hulse President, Southern Airways The tremendous advancement of commercial airline flying is due to domestic and international acceptance by the traveling public. This can be credited, to a large degree, to airline pilots themselves. Their high standards of proficiency in keeping abreast of technical developments, both in the air and on the ground, have inspired confidence in the minds of the general public. Acceptance of Southern Airways throughout the area which we serve has been helped by no small degree by the pilots themselves. Our own pilots have lived up to, and in most cases, exceed, the standards set by other members of the industry. They have gone out of their way to demonstrate that they are safe, capable, and efficient. many of our Page 14 The Air Line Pilot
