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ALPA Executive Board Holds Initial Meeting in Chicago May 21 THE AIR LINE PILOT Vol. 16--No. 4 Published by the Air Line Pilots Association, International, 3145 W. 63rd St., Chicago, Ill. May, 1947 Complete TWA Pilots' Agreement Amendments in Record Time [[Image]] FAR FLYING FOURSOME It would take a total of 3,521 full 24-hour days in the air and 642 trips around the world at the equator to match the logged hours and mileage of the United Air Lines' foursome of veteran pilots who inaugurated UAL's service between San Francisco and Honolulu with their Mainliner 300(DC-6) on May 1. Almost 15,000,000 miles of flying and a total of 86,500 hours in the air is represented by the four captains, all of whom have been flying in excess of 20 years. Waving from the loading platform, along with Stewardess Doris Hanson, of Eugene, Ore., they are (l. to r.) R.L. Wagner, of Local Council No. 34, UAL-San Francisco, with approximately 25,000 hours; C.R "Dick" Bowman, of Local Council No. 57 UAL-San Francisco, with 18,500 hours; R.J. Johnson, with 19,000 hours; and H.W. Huking, of Local Council No. 34, UAL-San Francisco, with 24,000 hours. Wagner, Bowman, Johnson, and Huking have, we venture to say for certian, more aggregate hours in the air than any other group of four air line pilots actively flying today or any other four air line pilots doing any other kind of flying. Congratulations, men, our hats are off to you. Yours is the kind of metal from which the greatest air line network in the world is wrought--our country's air line. [[Image]] GCA IN ACTION A mobile GCA (Ground Control Approach) unit, which has been set up at Andrews Field since January 31, shows how it brings a plane in for landing. An unusual aspect of the above photo is the partially retracted landing gear of the plane while it is still only a few feet above the runway and presumably about to make a landing. Although, GCA has now been set up on a commercial scale at Washington and Chicago with LaGuardia's set slated to go into operation soon, it has still not proven itself as the answer to all-weather operations to the satisfaction of the commercial air line pilots. Although its proponents claim is can pick up a plane at a distance of 30 miles and land them in bad weather, it is still virtually useless in snowstorms, for instance, at a time when it is most needed. Another drawback is its cost which still makes universal use impractical because of the number of personnel required to operate it efficiently on a 24-hour basis. LATE NEWS Feeders Continuation of award of "feeder" routes by the CAB will be made on a three-year basis with extension possible if they show encouraging signs of standing on their own feet financially with minimum mail pay needs. Although CAB now wishes it had played "feeders" more cautiously, it is continuing its policy because of earlier commitments to provide feeders for all parts of the country. Transfer Western Air Lines can be looked to sell the Inland Airlines division if transfer of the Los Angeles-Denver route of WAL to United Air Lines is approved by the CAB, which seems a certainty despite, protestations from other carriers. Probability Air line industry observers consider the recently rumored PAA-TWA merger a distinct probability in the future and although reports of a merger were without foundation at the time they originated, the possibility of Howard Hughes disposing of the TWA International Division or the entire air line to PAA cannot be discounted. IT'S A "FIRST" The first meeting of the newly created Executive Board of the Air Line Pilots Association will take place at its headquarters in Chicago on May 21, 1947. This meeting will set another history making mile-post in the building of ALPA. The subjects discussed and acted upon will be the work assigned to the Executive Convention and any other subjects that are properly brought before the Board for action. Diversification Is Keynote in May May was a month of intense diversification for ALPA forming a variegated pattern of Headquarters activity centered around continuance of the parade of close agreements in the accelerated employment agreement negotiating program inaugurated by Headquarters shortly after the Ninth Convention. High-lighted by the signing of the new TWA pilots' agreement in almost record time, which kept Headquarters employment agreement making timetable on schedule, the month of May also saw ALPA engaged in a diversity of widespread activities that included: • A reorganization of Headquarters work procedures by Alpa President David L. Behncke to streamline it for greater efficiency to keep pace with ALPA expansion. • Preparation for the first meeting of ALPA's new Executive Board which is to be held in Chicago on May 21. • Participation in the International Civil Art Organization (ICAO) in Montreal, Canada. • A systematic elimination of a large backlog of accumulated grievance cases, which put the Grievance and Conciliation Department well on the road ridding its books of unsettled grievance cases. • A meeting of the Engineering and Airworthiness Advisory Committee to study and discuss a five-point agenda. • Continuation of the processing of Convention resolutions to (Continued on Page 3, Col. 1) DELTA TRAGEDY Delta Air Lines' first fatal crash in 12 years, which occurred at Columbus, Ga., on April 22, claimed the life of George R. Cushing, vice-president of operations and an inactive member of ALPA, along with seven other important employees of [[Image]] George R. Cushing the company who were making a survey flight with the Delta official. The survey party was making preliminary arrangements for inaugurating new services through five cities recently added to the Delta system. Others who were killed in the crash were H. R. Bolander, director of properties; Lindley W. Camp, of Delta's legal staff; Clayton S. Berry, station construction engineer; L. T. Campbell, superintendent of communications; J. V. Little, Atlanta district traffic manager; E. A. Rainouard, chief flight superintendent; and J. L. Schneider, superintendent of stations. Mr. Cushing, who was well known to many of the air line pilots through his activities as an official of Delta, as well as his early flying days, joined Delta in 1935 and served as a pilot, chief pilot, operations manager, and vice-president of operations. He was one of the early air mail pilots and a two million-mile flyer. The air line pilots regret this accident with the loss of the lives of all on board. ANOXIA By Herbert F. Fenwick, M.D. ALPA Aero-Medical Dept. Foreword: This is the first of a series of aero medical articles authored by Dr. Herbert F. Fenwick, nationally known authority on aero medicine and head of ALPA's Aero Medical Department. Dr. Fenwick, himself a veteran pilot with years of both military and commercial flying to his credit, is exceptionally well qualified to write on the subject of aero medicine and particularly on its practical aspects. ALPA members are invited to write to Dr. Fenwick on any medial subject on which they desire counsel and information that relates to air line flying. moreover, suggestions will be welcome on any phase of medical problems from the med in the cockpit and on special phases they may wish discussed in this series of articles. Anoxia is defined as an oxygen deficiency in all parts of the body. The condition of anoxia has been called "oxygen want" and oxygen lack." Many conditions may cause anoxia to occur; (Continued on Page 8, Col. 1)