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[left page] Two THE AIR LINE PILOT August, 1947 [Column 1] [Image] The Air Line Pilot Volum 16-No. 7 66 August, 1947 Published monthly by the Air Line Pilots Association, International Affiliated with A. F. of L. [BOLD\] Annual Subscription.............$2.50 [\BOLD] David L. Behncke........................President Jerome E. Wood...............First Vice-President Raymond B. Andrews......................Secretary Warren G. Malvick.......................Treasurer Vice-Presidents, Foreign W. F. Judd........................TWA-Rome, Italy T.H.L. Young.............Panagra-Lima, Peru, S. A. W. R. Everts.....PAA-Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, S. A. Vice-Presidents, Domestic F.C. Miller..................PCA-Chicago J.M. Marcum.................PAA-New York L.L. Caruthers.............Delta-Atlanta W. T. Babbitt..................EAL-Miami L.R. Davidson............C&S-New Orleans G.F. Beal................NWA-Minneapolis J.H. Roe.................TWA-Kansas City M. W. Sellmeyer...........Braniff-Dallas E. H. Campbell........Continental-Denver S. J. Cavil...........UAL-Salt Lake City J. L. Crouch.................UAL-Seattle Robert Ford............PAA-San Francisco L. M. Williams...........TWA-Los Angeles Lawrence Cates..........Legislative Representative Entered as Second Class Matter March 11, 1933, at the Post Office at Chicago, Illinois, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Contents Copyrighted 1947 by The Air Line Pilots Association. Editorial Offices: 3145 W. 63rd St., Chicago, Ill. Telephone Grovehill 2200 David L. Behncke....................Editor Edward C. Modes...........Associate Editor HOME TO ROOST EDWARD BULWER LYTTON, sometimes in the middle nineteenth century wrote: "Curse away! and let me tell thee, Beauseant, a wise proverb The Arabs have, - 'Curses are like young chickens, And still come home to roost.'" The air safety recommendations that the air line pilots made through the years can well be likened to the old Arab proverb: "Curses are like young chickens; they still come home to roost." A good half of ALPA's time and energy has been expended with air safety matters. Through the years several hundred air safety recommendations have been made by the air line pilots. These are typical: Retain a definite stall speed limitation in the Civil Aeronautics Regulation to effectively provide a safe and uniform margin of safety in engineering and building of air line aircraft. Hold down the landing speed. It is the only definite fix to gear together effectively field runway lengths, equipment and safety. the Air Transport Association, backed by the air carriers and the manufacturers and their millions, forced the air line pilots' recommendations to be cast aside and disregarded. But today it is different-the chickens are coming home to roost. In a statement before the President's Special Board of Inquiry on Air Safety on July 11, 1947, Jerome E. Wood, first vice-president of the Air Line Pilots Association, said: "Instead of changing the AIRPLANE design to meet the regulation which had been agreed upon for safe air line operation, the hue and cry immediately became 'CHANGE THE REGULATIONS TO FIT THE AIRPLANE.' "In a letter dated December 31, 1940, to the Air Line Pilots Associated from Mr. Ed Warner of the Civil Aeronautics Board, discussing regulations, Mr. Warner states" "'I think everyone will agree with you that it woul be very undesirable if regulations were made to fit aircraft, rather than the reverse.' "Yet when the war weary equipment returned in 1945 and could not meet the requirements for air line operation, the procedure which Mr. Warner stated would be 'very undesirable' is EXACTLY the action that was taken and with the full sanction and aproval of Mr. Warner. "THE REGULATION WAS CHANGED TO FIT THE AIRPLANE. The doors were thrown open. The stall speed limitation was removed completely and although there were supposedly checks and balances in the requirements which the engineers said gave the necessary safety factor, the pilots nevertheless noted with foreboding that the stall speeds and landing speeds were way above the limitation which they, in full realization of their grave responsibilities had protested as being too high. "In the spring of 1945, a proposal was received by the Air Line Pilots Association for comments and suggestions which alerted the pilots to the grave realization that complete elimination of a stall speed requirement was under way. "The pilots and the ALPA Engineering Department protested vigorously. We were castigated roundly by engineers and other experts as obstructionists. Brilliantly worded newspaper and magazine articles accused us of blindly overlooking the airport expansion program, which would provide enough runways of adequate length, and the landing aids program which was to provide us with lights and facilities for straight-in approaches form more than one direction. "The net result of this campaign was that, in spite of our fight for air safety, we got the high landing speeds and high stalling speeds AT THAT TIME but TODAY we still DO NOT HAVE THE IMPROVED RUNWAYS OR THE LANDING AIDS WE WERE PROMISED. "We were accused at that time of stifling rapid progress and of having no vision. We regret to say that practically the only rapid progress we noted, since we were overruled, has been the exceedingly rapid progress of our airplanes through the fences, ditches, and localizer shacks at the boundaries of our inadequate airports. Our vision has also dimmed somewhat, peering for poorly lighted fields with inadequate or incomplete instrument approach facilities. "One more quote from an ALPA letter of August 2, 1945, to Mr. Dycer: "'The peacetime public is terrifically conscious of the fact that human life is very precious and once lost is lost forever. All who are making grand speeches and gazing starry-eyed and too intently in the crystal ball of tomorrow's air transportation development, failing to understand and realize what air safety really means, will soon, and in fact, sooner than they expect, be judged by a highly critical public for their actions and the judgement rendered will not be lenient, particularly in regard to the safety factor in postwar air line transportation development which must depend upon the patronage of John Q. Public to exist and go forward.' "We have not quoted these predictions from the past merely to be able to say 'we told you so.' Rather we feel that it will be benefit to the Board to have an accurate, if brief, background knowledge of what the pilot's position has been throughout these developments up to the present time, so that perhaps a comparative evaluation of many of our practical recommendations, as determined by experience in the past, can be made." Long ago, the air line pilots recommended favorably the flexible cell type fuel tank and recommended against the integral type tank. Another air line pilots' safety recommendation callously disregarded by the manufacturing companies, the CAA and the air line. And at what price? More millions wasted and many lives lost in flaming crashes. Now we come to the matter of runway pattern planning for flying fields. The air line pilots say it should be a parallel runway plan. The air line companies, again backed by millions and kiwi self-appointed aviation experts, recommend the dangerous tangential so-called pinwheel cross traffic runway pattern which limits and confuses runways to an extent causing them to be outmoded before they are built. Yes, the young chickens have become big black, ugly cawing crows and one by one they are coming home to roost and at what price-terrible crashes, appalling loss of life, millions heaped upon more millions of dollars flitted away for fields outmoded before completed and equipment heavily rigged with Rube Goldberg gadgets in a desperate effort to bridge the gap of yesterday's mistakes. It's a mad fiasco that etches deeply the question in tomorrow's air line aviation - "Where will it all end?" The air line pilots know. The air line carriers and the CAA experts are beginning to realize, too-but slightly late-they have taken the wrong fork of the road. The air line [[Continued on bottom of next column]] pilots know the answer and have been shouting it for the house tops for years. Can it be the air carriers too are finally beginning to realize that unless the independent Air Safety Board is re-established by legislation, there can be little optimism in a picture that is so heavily framed with inescapable pessimism? -David L. Behncke. [Column 2, 3] [Image/] News Notes From the Councils [\Image] 'They'd Better Be Electricians' [Column 2] By JERRY R. KEPNER Council No. 8, National Miami, Florida This month's column will be devoted to our brother pilots in Miami is a correspondent's dream, for publicity, it seems. Actually, Miami is a correspondent's dream, due to the wealth of rumors that is constantly circulating. A person can sit in the pilot's room and hear enough to write a book, but of course some of it is not for publication. Among the hotter stories is that Chief Pilot Joe Baily and Captain "Skeeter" Royall left for California and brought back our first DC-6. It's going to be mighty hard to beat United's inaugural flight time of six hours and forty some minutes, coast-to-coast, but we'll all be watching their progress from West to East. The arrival of the plane will cause some schedule changes on both the Miami and Jacksonville bases. Yours truly might even be able to get in a few minutes of nighttime next month. Ed Horton and Bill Bruen, and possibly Bruce Wilson, will go on DC-4s as co-pilots, in order to qualify. the "six" will, of course, be flown by hte real old "graybeards" in Miami, probably Springer, Whitaker, Taaffe, and Lander. From advance poop we can get, they had better be master electricians as well as pilots. [Bold\] It All Depends [\Bold] The annual rumblings concerning Jacksonville pilots transferring to Miami have started [Column 3] anew. If you try to pin anyone down as to whether he is going to take the fatal step, he would most likely get a faraway look in his eye and say that it all depends. On what, I haven't been able to find out. Some of the copilots, not being complete masters of their fate, have already moved. Amoung these are Charles Calderwood, Paul Nelson and Johnny Orr. Johnny's transfer left me without a fishing companion in Jacksonville, but he will probably find that they bite much better in Miami-fish, that is! Wally Fordyce seems to enjoy his check pilot job very much. All the check pilots are pretty busy these days checking the captains out on ILS at West Palm Beach. The general opinion is the beam gets narrow down close to the ground. [Bold\] Rumors Are Flying [\Bold] Belated congrats go to Jack Isbill on the birth of a baby girl six months ago. Ed Ferguson and Emerson Snyder are expectant fathers. This back fence gossip came from pat Brady, the very efficient lass who runs the schedule, and consequentaly the pilots' lives, in Miami. Pat is getting married this summer and will leave a vacancy very hard to fill. In Jacksonville at the last pilots' meeing, Palmer Holmes, who incidentally is now the master chairman of both councils on National, appointed Earl "Groucho" Marx, Dean (Lover Boy) Cooper, and E. S. (Silent) Smith to the scheduling committee. [Image] -Chicago Sun Photo PARADOX One of the most often overlooked hazards to air navigation and safety is the industrial pall called "smog" that hangs over our great cities to blanket them in a shroud of man-made fog. It is paradoxical that while man experiments with elimination of fog by means of fire, such as the FIDO (Fog, Intensive, Dispersal of) research at Arcata, Calif., elsewhere great factory fires belching smoke, such as this plant of the Commonwealth Edison Company in Chicago, creates visibility over cities that sometimes nears zero. Teh very real hazard caused by this is well known to every air line pilot flying over large cities. Many cities, Chicago among them, have anti-smoke ordinances which are only halfway enforced; others have no ordinances at all. The pilots' lot will be a much happier one when all municipalities take stringent steps to eliminate these "Smokey Joes," which are not only a nuisance to the city and its residents, but a very real hazard to air safety. [Column 4] IN CONSTANT MEMORIAM "To fly West my friend, is a flight we all must take for a final check." Active Duty Air Corps Allen, K. N.-AA; Beadies, Eugene C.-UAL; Berger, H. A. -UAL; Bowen, W. S.-EAL; Campbell, M. H.-TWA; Canton, C. E.-EAL; Charleton, H. T.-AA; Darby, James E.-C&SAL; Davis, Wm, E.-Continental; Doxey, W. S.-PAA; Duke, Albert B.-EAL; Folkers, Harold J.-Braniff; Greenlee, Robert L.-UAL; Herndon, Thomas-UAL; Jackson; Walter-TWA; McDowell, H. C. UAL; Mitchell Hewitt, F.-Colonial; Mostoller, Charles-EAL; Nagel, John-MCA; Nelson, Franklin S.-WAL; Peterson, Warren-TWA' Roth, Paul F.-EAL; Shafer, George H.-TWA; Skelly, H. J.-AA; Trewek, J. M.-AA. Active Duty Navel Reserve Jones, John Paul-EAL; Knudson, Max-TWA; Nelson, Robert G.-NEA; Roscoe Thomas M.-EAL; Sparboe, Jerome H.-NW; Williams, Roy W.-EAL. Active Duty Marine Corps Kimball, Watler F. TWA Active Adams, John B.-UAL; Amthor, W.E.-TWA; Anderson, Lloyd-UAL; Andert, Paul A.-UAL; Antonio, S. B.-PCA; *Bamberger; T. L.-TWA; Banegas, Antonio-TACA; Barrett, Joseph C., Jr.-PAA; Barron, John M., Jr.-AA; Bates, Clarence F.-NW; Bethel, A. T.-TWA; Beindorf, C. R.-UAL; Bickford, L.A-Panagra; Bigelow, Ed.-UAL; Bliven. L. H.-NWA; Blom, Edwin W.-UAL; Begen, W. L.-WAE; Bohnet, Frederic L.-TWA; Bolton, Harvey F.-TWA; Beatrager, C. M. - UAL; Borchers, Adrian-PAA; Bowen, J. E.-TWA; Bowen, Lewis L.-BA; Brandon, James L.-UAL; *Brand, W. J.-AA; Briggs, Francis W.-AA; Briggs, W. P.-UAL; *Grigman, R. M.-AA; Broghton, D. E.-UAL' Brown, D. W.-UAL; Brown, H. Babcock-NEA; Brown, W. C-PAA; Brunk, Paul S.-PAA; Bucher, C.L.-PAA; *Bucklin, Fred-PCA; *Bullis, R. L.-PAA; Burks, J. A.-UAL. Caneta, James J.-EAL; Carpenter, Bayard A.-AA; Carson, S. A.-PCA; Chamberlain, Cassius B.-NW; Christian, I. J., Jr.-NWA; Clark, F. N.-Continental; Clayton, R. C.-C&S; Cohn, Hanley G.-WAS; Cole, D. C.-UAL; Coney, W. E.-EAL; Coper, D. I.-AA; Cope, Alonzo-Marine Airways; *Cex, Floyd-Ludington; Creekmore, R. N.-PCA Dace, Frank E.-WAL; Dally, Benjamin H.-TWA; Davis, Alfred W.-UAL; Diltz, H. C.-TWA; Dietz, Stuart G.-EAL; Dietze, R. H.-AA; Dixon Andrew, Jr.-DAL; Dryer, Dale F.-AA; Dunn, S.M.-Panagra; Dyjak, R. J.-NWA. Eitner, R. G.-AA; Elder, McLemore-AA; Elzsey, R. M.-PAA; *Enger, G. E.-NWA. Fey, Howard-UAL; Fidroeff, W.M.-WAL; Fields, Glenn T.-AA; Fife, M. L.-AA; *Fisher, John, F.NW; Fortner, W. F.-EAL; Fuller, Ray E.-AA. Gambee, H. T.-TWA; Gay, R. A.-AA; Gardner, Gordon W. Panagra; Gentry, J. N.-PAA; George, Hal-TWA; *Gill. D. N.-TWA; Gillette, Morgan, A.-TWA; Golden, Glenn-AA; Gower, Vernon I.-DAL; Grover, R. Boyd-UAL. Hald, Arthur A.-NW; Hale, S. H-EAL; Hallgren, W. A.-AA; Harlow. L. R.-NEA; Hart, John F.-NW; Hart, J. H.-PAA; Haskew, Harold M.-EAL; Hedenquist, W. A.-TWA; Herndon, J. T.-UAL; Hill, George W.-AA; Holbrook, Clyde M.-AA; Holsenbeck, W. M.-PAA; Holstrom, A. E.-TWA; Howell, P. P.-TWA; Hunt, E.-AA; Inman, Rodger R.-TWA; Inman, W. B.-EAL; Ireland, Baxter L.-Continental; Jackson, W.-TWA; Jameiller, Stanley E.-CAL; Jamieson, W. L.-EAL; Jesselyn, John-PCA; Jones, H. H.-PCA; Jones, L. E.-UAL; Jones, W. H.-UAL; Judd, D. K.-PAA; Kelley, R. A., Jr.-EAL; Kelsey, H. J.-AA; Kincanon, T. N.-AA; Kin, G. B.-PAA; King, J. O.-EAL; *Knight, R. S.-EAL; Komdat, A, C.-EAL; Kroeger, J. H.-PAA.; Kuser, R. E.-EAL; Lamb, Charles S.-UAL; *LaMontagne, R. L.-AA; *Latz, W. G.-Pioneer; Lewis, Harry C.-TWA; Livermore, Joe-NW; Loeffler, E. J.-WAL; Lucus, Al-WAS; Lucas, Verne-Lundington; Lynn John, B.-C&S. McAfee, Williams-PAA; McCauley, J. R.-AA; McCoy, R. S.-PAA; McKerinan, P. S.-TWA; McLaughlin, J. J.-AA; McMickle, Harold-Panagra; Majors, R. R.-AA; Mallick, Forrest E.-UAL; Mamer, Nick B.-NW; Marshal, Gerald V.-AA; Merrifield, Austin S.-UAL; Martin, Kari R.-NWA; Miller, B. D.-AA; Miller G. J.-WAL; *Miner, Willard h.-UAL; Mitchell, J. W., Jr.,-EAL; Montee, Ralf-TWA; Montijo, John G.-VAT; Morgan, H. R.-TWA; Morgan, H. W.-PAA; Mossman, Russell C.-C&SAL; Neff, Harold-UAL; Milsen, N. A.-TWA; Noe, Earl J.-TWA; Norby, Raymond B.-NW; Nordbeck, H. T.-NEA. *Obri, Fred-PAA; *O'Brien, W. E.-PCA; Odell, M. T.-AA; *Olson, Kenneth S.-NW; *Onsgard, Alden-NWA; Owens, Clifford P.-WAE. Parker, A. N.-TWA; Paschal, A.-PAA; Paulis, Raymond-PCA; Pedley, Charles F.-AA; Perry, J. A.-EAL; Person, Addison G.-PAA; Pickun, Christopher, V.-Uall; Pielemeier, Harold E.-AA; Pitman, C. V.-Panagra; Poe, K. N.-Panagra; Potter, Norman W.-UAL; Proebstie, R.-NWA; Pursley, C. H.-Panagra, Quale, R. J.-AA Radoff, R. W.-UAL; Rafey, R. J.-NW; *Repack, W. T.-PCA; *Rhew, Jesse N.-C&S; Riggs, Russell S.-AA; Robbins, Wm. J. B.-AA; Rose, John A.-KLM; Rousch, Chas. W.-NW; Rust, F. H.-AA; Salisbury, Hervey M.-TWA; Sandblom, L. W. -CP; Sandegren, Thomas E.-UAL; Sands, R.E.-UAL; Sauceda, J. M.-PAA; Schwartzbach, M. D.-WAL; Scott, P. T. W.-TWA; Scott, Philip C.-UAL; Scroggins, Lowell V.-PCA; Shank, Eugene S.-NWA; Sharpnack, J. W.-UAL; Sheets Don K.-Panagra; Sherwood, George C.-WAL; Smith, G. E.-TWA; Smoot, C.H.-Braniff; Snowden, J. P.-TWA; Stark, Horace-PCA; Steen, James, L.-PAA; Stehle, Wm C.-AA; Stiller, Harry A.-AA; Stoner, Samuel E.-AA; Stroud, J. E.-AA; Stultz, H. L.-TWA; Supple Robert E.-Panagra Tarrant, harold R.-UAL; Terietzky, Lee-PAA; Thomas, L.E.-EAL; Thompson, A. R.-UAL; *Turyne, Robert-Panagra Underwood, Sanford L.-AA Vace, Claire K.-UAL; Vanderbusch, R. E.-NWA Wagar, G. K.-UAL; Waldron, Joe-AA: Walker, M. A.-PAA; Wallace, Clyde W.-TWA; *Wasil, Nicholas A.-TWA; Watkins, E. C.-AA: Weatherdon, Edwin-AA; Weber, R.J.-WAL; Weeks, R. E.-TWA; West, F.W.-NW; Westerfield. Wm. R-AOA; Whidden, R.G.-NEA; Wieselmayer, Otto-PAA; Wilson, W.C.-AA; Williams, Wayne C.-TWA; Williamson, P. B.-EAL; Willingham, K. V.-EAL; Witt, Porter-NWA; Worthen, J.A.-WW; *Wright, J. S.-TWA. .. .... Young, George E.-UAL. Zeier, Carl F.-C&S; Zundel, W.R.-AA Natural Blomgren, Lloyd L.-AA; Carl, A. C.-PCA; Chiappino, L. J. TWA-ICD; Cochran, Robert M.-UAL; Celton, Ray-UAL; Cummings, J. O.-AA: Currier, C. L.-TWA; Fife, John A.-CA; *Gambee, Harley T.-TWA; Gilbert, Paul L.-PAA; Griffin, L. B.-Panagra; Hohag, R. J.-NW; Hubbard, Donald L.-NWA; Jamiesen, Leland S.-EAL; Jaster, Frank B.-EAL; Johnson, P. E.-UAL; Knight, J. H.-UAL; Leist, George D. - PCA; Little, R. J.-AA; Maguire, R. C.-AA; McConaughey, Ira M.-AA; Peterson, J.M.-NWA; Phelps, Henry T.-PAA; Rhoades, G. I.-PAA; Rosenberger, W. S.-PCA; Schier, Tip-Delta; Swanson, Axel-AA; Taylor, V. W.-NWA; Wallace, J. L.-UAL; Wittenberg, F. E.-UAL Inactive Anderline, Frank W.; Anderson, W. D.; Ashford, Ted; Barr, Julius; Brown, W. Craig; Burford, Dean W.; Caldwell, G. Q.; Cushing, G. R.-Drayton, Chas. M.; Fisher, Alfred D. F.; Hulsman, Herbert W.; Hunter, Lewis W.; Jackson, L. A.; Jennings, Spencer; Judy, . R.; Kerwin, J. J. Leak, E. L.; Lorber, Charles A.; McMarkin, Richard A.; Miller, G.D.; (Continued on Page 3) [right page] August, 1947 THE AIR LINE PILOT Three [column 1] For Ocean Flying, A Blow to Safety Transoceanic pilots flying the North Atlantic face the prospects of a winter of flying this hazardous overocean route to Europe with far from enough navigational facilities to provide safe operation due to federal budgetary slashes on Coast Guard funds as well as failure to take action on H. R. 3132 giving the U.S. Coast Guard statutory authority to operate vital weather rescue stations. Only by virtue of a last-minute plea will pilots flying these overwater air routes, principally those of American Overseas Airlines, PAA and TWA, have even the barest of Loran and weather ship protection - one weather ship half way between Gander, Newfoundland, and Shannon, Ireland. The weather patrol bill, still in committee and shelved until the next session of Congress, precludes any aid from this source and of the original 12 million dollar voted for weather ships and Loran stations in June, three million dollars finally remained after the economy paring knife was through hacking away at it. This figure, insufficient to run either weather ships or Loran stations, was finally boosted to six million dollars, which will run Loran and weather ships for the balance of the year, after a combined zero hour appeal to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee by ALPA, the Air Transport Association, and the Coast Guard. [BOLD\] Third Appearance [\BOLD] Realizing the hazard contingent to a reduction in overcean navigation aids, ALPA's appearance before the Appropriations Committee on July 25, was the third appearance of the Air Line Pilots Association in defense of continued Coast Guard operation of weather ships, Loran, and HD/HF stations as ocean navigation and rescue aids. Previous appearances were made by ALPA on June 30 and again on July 9 with pilots from Pan American, AOA, and TWA, testifying on both occasions that instead of a reduction in aids, the air line pilots are vitally in need of all the safety aids with which they can be provided in order to make transoceanic air transportation safe and efficient. Pilots appearing at the June 30 meeting were W. C. Howard, of Local Council No. 24, TWA-International; Brandt Phillips of Local Council No. 29, AOA; and S.H. Miller, of Local Council No. 36, PAA Transatlantic. At the July 9 hearings, Brandt Phillips made his second appearance along with R.C. Clausen, of Local Council No. 36, PAA-Transatlantic; and William Rae, Jr. of Local Council No. 24, TWA-International. Meanwhile, in the rush toward economy at the expense of safety, a considerable sum of money which might well have been used for this purpose lies stagnating. During the hearings, a surprised Congress learned that they had appropriated money for weather bureau personnel and then knocked out the Coast Guard ships on which they were to be stationed, leaving the weather bureau with a nest egg they don't know what to do with an the pilots with only half of the ocean navigation aids they need. In Constant Memorium "To fly West my friend, is a flight we all must take for a final check." Mills, Arthur; Mitchell, R. L.; Noyes, Dewey L,; O'Brien, Forrest E.; Ormsbee, F.; Riddle, Glenn L; Roulstone, J. J.; Rousch, Usher E.; Shelton, Boyd M.; Squire, J.P.L; Stark, Howard C.; Tinkle Howard A.; Van Alstyne, Hugh, Jr.; Veblen, E. H.; Walbridge, Donald C.; Warner, Roy; Wheaton, Harold H.; Whittemore, Fred W.; Wolf, John F.' Willey Sidney L.; Zimmerman, Harry J. Waiting List Breck, Wm. S.; Clark W. H.; Kiser, Daniel; Langmack, David F. Unemployed Downs, Lloyd; Hays, George L.; Keadle, Floyd E.; Minder, R. I.; Rhiner, L.R.; Straith, W. P. A. Honorary Brisbane, Arther; Greene, Dr. Ralph; Kelly, Hon. Clyde; Rogers, Will. *Apprentice Member [Column 2] PILOT ROTATION (Continued from Page 1, Col. 4) for Boeing 247-D's; actual block-to-block time computation; non-reverting mileage pay; terrain pay; vacation provisions, and increased meal allowances. Representing the Empire pilots were J.W. Wise, L.J. Solomon, B.C. Cansdale, H.H. Whitehead, and Dan Wells, all Empire pilots, and J.C. Christie, of the Employment Agreement Department. The company was represented by Tom Robertson, general manager, and Fred Orr, assistant to the manager. The agreement reaching July conferences with Empire was the second series of conferences held with this air line, previous negotiations being carried on on March 26, 27, and 28 at which time the majority of the provisions of the basic and adjustment board sections of the agreement were closed. On the larger air lines the brunt of the employment agreement making activities during July and August was carried by ALPA's President Behncke. There were two series of conferences with Delta Air Lines, a third with PAA and another with United Air Lines. The conferences with Delta represented the second and third of a series of three and were held in Atlanta, Ga. on July 16, 17, 18, 19 and August 11, 12, 13, and 14. At the last of these conferences, rates of compensation patterned after Eastern Air Lines were agreed to. The main problem in completing an employment agreement with Delta was in the classification of assignments and filling of vacancies provisions. The two remaining obstances in the way of completing the Delta agreement were the effective date and the question of retroactive pay. It AEROTITIS By Herbert F. Fenwick, M.D. ALPA Aero-Medical Dept. I have had many requests from airline pilots to discuss ear trouble in relation to flying. Serious ear trouble is more prevalent in pilots than in generally known. During the winter of 1946 to 1947, I personally treated 28 pilots for aerotitis. Most of the cases were due to flying with a nose or throat cold. Aerotitis is defined as an inflamation of the middle ear caused by the difference in pressure in the middle ear and that of the atmosphere. It usually occurs during ascent and descent and is due to inadequate ventilation of the middle ear through the eustachian tube. The eustachian tube opens into the naso-pharynx, and is connected to the middle-ear cavity. It is through this tube that the air pressure in the middle ear is kept the same as the pressure of the surrounding air. Normally as one asends or descends in flight, intermittent swallowing or yawning is sufficient to keep the air pressure in the middle ear equalized to the air pressure outside. Any disturbance around the mouth of the eustachian tube that may repvent air entering or leaving the middle ear may set up an inflammation resulting in aerotitis. In this condition the eardrum is reddened, or often swollen, may be bulging or retracted depending whether the pressure in the middle ear is positive or negative. There is a feeling that the ear is "plugged up," and often pain and discomfort. Hearing is impaired during an attack of aerotitis. The most common cause of aerotitis is flying during a nose or throat infection (cold). Infections cause the mucous membrane of the nose and throat to be congested and swollen. The folds of membrane around the opening of the eustachian tube swell making it difficult or impossible for air to enter or leave the eustachian tube resulting in a pressure in the middle ear unequal to the outside air. Pilots should at all times attempt to keep the middle ear properly ventilated by swallowing or yawning during ascent and descent. Holding the nose and blowing is to be condemned, since in this method it is possible to blow bacteria-laden mucous into the eusachian tube which often results in a serious infection and inflammation of the middle ear. This latter condition is called otitis media and often causes a perforation of the eardrum, or more serious, a mastoid infection. The best guard against aerotitis and serious ear infection is NEVER FLY WITH A COLD. [column 3,4,5] For Air Line Pilots---A Voice In Air Safety [Image] An ever-increasing awareness that the voice of the air line pilot in air safety is an authentic and vital one worthy of heeding is symbolized in this photo of the reserved table for ALPA at the Civil Aeronautics Board hearing at Bainbridge Md. on June 16, following the Eastern Air Lines DC-4 crash. Representatives of the Air Line Pilots Association pictured above are left to right: J. G. LaVake of Local Council No. 51. EAL- New York; T. G. Linnert, of Headquarters Engineering and Air Safety Department and L. R. Matthews, of Local Council No. 51, EAL-New York. [column 3] is felt that these differences are not insurmountable. The Delta negotiations were unique in several respects. The necessity of writing entirely new classification of assignments and filling of vacancies provisions proved to be a long and tedious assignment for both the company and the pilot conferees. When the first agreement was signed with this company on August 1, 1940, its pilots were based exclusively in Atlanta. Since that time tree additional bases have been established, i.e., Miami, Chicago and Fort Worth, with the possibility of another being set up in New York City. The writing of these new provisions brought into ALPA contract negotiating activities some entirely new terminology, the most outstanding of which was "pilot rotation." Both the company and pilot conferees worked very effectively together to produce this new innovation in classification of assignments and filling of vacancies which despite its unique aspects recognizes strict system seniority, bidding and all of the other well-precedented terminology common to ALPA agreements. It will be worthwhile to follow the progress of this new approach to the [Column 3, 4, 5] [Image] BACKFIRE Whether or not the complete story of the Howard Hughes Congressional Quiz will ever be told is now open to doubt, but instigators of it found they were facing a tough customer who didn't pull his punches when instead of investigating Hughes they found themselves in the warm spot of having Washinton's own unsavory political machinations aired by the accused multimillionair. Alleged reason for the inquiry was to determine why Hughes was given certain government wartime contracts, but close observers are inclined to side with hughes in his counter accusation that the real reason is because his failure to give in to the "chosen instrument" proponents and merge TWA's International Division with Pan American World Airways which claims pioneer rights to U. S. international air routes. Hughs described Senator Brewster, whom he claimed instigated the investigation when Hughes declined the TWA-PAA merger, as "clever, resourceful, a terrific public speaker...one of the greatest trick shot artists in Washinton." Right or wrong, Howard Hughes deserves credit for speaking his piece and pointing out the extent to which the air line business has become a political football. [Column 4] handling of the classification, assignment and bidding problem, which may very well be the forerunner for similar provisions in other agreements. The pilot conferees were: K. D. Wright, of Local Council No. 43, Delta-Chicago; J. A. Roth, of Local Council No. 71, Delta-Miami; F. W. Schwaemmie, H. W. King, Floyd Addison, C. L. Scarbrough, and H. H. Simms, all of Local Council No. 44, Delta-Atlanta; and R. L. Oakman, F. O. Munch and President Behncke, of ALPA Headquarters. [BOLD\] PAA Negotiations Resumed [/BOLD] Sandwiched between the two Delta conferences was a continuation of the conferences with pAA. These meetings were held in New York on July 29 and 30 after being recessed since July 24. On July 30, the PAA negotiations stalemated and finally deadlocked. It is felt that the help of the National Mediation Board will be necessary to complete this agreement. While some progress was made in the PAA negotiations, concrete steps leading to the completion of this agreement was disappointing. The main barrier was the failure of the company and pilot conferees to reach common collective bargaining grounds sufficiently close together to effect a settlement of the rates of compensation differences. Pilot conferees on the PAA negotiations were: Chairman E. J. Forrler, J. M. Marcum and F. W. Saul of Local Council No. 36, PAA-Transpacific; F. H. Goslin, of Local Council No. 61, PAA-Houston; Chairman P. B. Baxter, of Local Council No. 26. PAA-Western; Chairman J. M. [Column 5] Rusch, of Local Council No. 55, PAA-Seattle and R. L. Oakman and President Behnche of Headquarters. The company spokesmen were: Franklin Gledhill, vice-president; J. D. Fenon, of the industrial department; Robert Fatt, chief pilot; S. B. Kaufman, L. C. Lindsey, H. Fleming, and O. J. Studeman. The problem facing the PAA pilots in negotiating their agreement is unlike any faced by other pilots for the reason that this company operated entirely outside the United States and around the world as many international points. As a result, the PAA conferences have followed a rather long and winding negotiating trail that began on May 15, 1946. The previous negotiations to establish the original agreement took nearly two years to complete. Direct negotiations were subsequently held on September 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10, 1946; May 27, 28 and 29, 1947; June 23, 24, 25 and 26; and July 29 and 30 bringing negotiations to their current status. [BOLD\] Deadlog on UAL [/BOLD] The present series of conferences on United Air Lines began on march 18, 1947. To date 24 days have been spent at the conference tables. The last of this long series of employment agreement making meetings was held in Chicago on July 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12. The company invoked the services of the National mediation Board on July 18, 1947. While considerable progress was made during the 24 days of negotiating with (Continued on Page 4, Col. 1)
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