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Eight
THE AIR LINE PILOT
April, 1947

CAPTAIN 'CUTE'

That's what they call him . . .
"Cute," short for Captain Ernest A. Cutrell, of Local Council No. 22, AA-New York, whose modest, unassuming and matter of fact demeanor belies the fact that he is probably the nation's foremost air line pilot authority on instrument landing systems, which is backed up by his recent receipt of the Octave Chanute

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E. A. CUTRELL

Award of the Institute of Aeronautical Sciences which is given annually "for the year's most notable contribution by a pilot to the aeronautical sciences."
An American Airlines captain for more than 10 years, selection of Captain Cutrell to receive the Octave Chanute Award, which is given annually for the year's most notable contribution by a pilot to the aeronautical sciences, came as no surprise to those who know Ernie's record as a wartime and peacetime pilot.
Captain Cutrell was granted a military leave of absence from American Airlines on May 17, 1942, to join the Headquarters staff of the Air Transport Command in the special projects section as a first lieutenant, and by June, 1944, had risen to the rank of lieutenant colonel and commanding officer of the Navigation and Landing Aids Units of the Air Transport Command. He supervised all-weather flying tests on instrument landing systems installed over an experimental New England route.
During 17 months, Colonel Cutrell recorded 206 approaches when ceilings were less than 200 feet and visibility less than one-half mile. It was not possible to make a landing on 39 of these approaches due to heavy dense fog. However, visual landings were possible on the 167 approaches when ceiling was less than 200 feet and visibility less than one-half mile by the aid of approach and runway lights.
On the basis of these extensive tests, Colonel Cutrell concluded that operations during all-weather conditions (except when heavy icing interferes) are possible by combining radio approach system of glide path and localizer, high intensity approach and runway lights, a radio altimeter, and a fog dispersal system at each airport.
Colonel Cutrell returned to American Airlines on January 11, 1946, and rendered invaluable aid to ALPA as an expert witness at the recent safety hearings held in Washington before the House Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee and the Senate Interstate and Foreign Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation. He is married and lives with his wife and son in Manhasset, L. I., N. Y.

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AA MEC MEETS
Hard at work were these members of the American Airlines Pilots' Master Executive Council when the ALPA photographer snapped them in the midst of their three-day meeting held at ALPA headquarters in Chicago on April 9, 10, and 11. Pictured assembled around the table in conference rooms are (left side of table, front to rear. F. A. Spencer, of Local Council 39, AA-Chicago; J. R. Lyons, of Local Council No. 22, AA-New York; C. S. McCall, of Local Council No. 19, AA-Ft. Worth; W. W. Anderson, and K. J. Ulrich, of Headquarters; and W. H. Proctor, of Local Council 39, AA-Chicago; (right side of table, front to rear) Gus Konz, of Local Council No. 22, AA-New York; S. E. Pangburn, of Local Council No. 63, AA-St. Joseph; H. D. Schmidt, of Local Council No. 21, AA-Los Angeles; L. W. Yager, of Local Council No. 35, AA-Memphis; H. W. Susott, of Local Council No. 62, AA-Tulsa, J. H. Burns, of Local Council No. 40, AA-Cleveland; and ALPA President David L. Behncke, Standing at rear (l. to r.) are K. P. Sisk, of Local Council No. 50, AA-Nashville; and R. S. Hardy, of Local Council No. 6, AA-Boston.

For Trippe: Trophy, Citation, Truman Smile
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—Acme Photo
Juan Trippe, president of Pan American Airways, whose company pioneered the United States' international air operations, was recently awarded the Harmon Aviation Trophy in ceremonies at the White House attended by high officials of the Army, Navy, and government agencies. He is shown here accepting the trophy, which can be seen in the center, from President Truman who presented it on behalf of the Ligue International Des Aviateurs. Trippe was cited for "outstanding leadership, patriotism, and unselfish devotion to the security and economic progress of the United States, prior to and during World War II."

Pilots Testify
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is the consideration of the search and rescue aspect that could well be served by weather ships to aircraft in distress in event of communications or navigational failure or landing at sea as has been witnessed many times during the past few years.
"If the services under discussion are discontinued, commercial transoceanic aviation will automatically be retarded to pre-war limitations as far as modern systems of meteorology, flight planning, navigation and scheduled safety are concerned."
Stress Rescue Aspects
Captain Howard, who in addition to being an air line pilot, is a graduate aeronautical engineer and has completed 130 crossings of both the North and South Atlantic, told the committees:
"The weather ships, the Loran system, and the high frequency direction finding net are modern improvements and as such should be continued. They are valuable as a communication aid, as a navigational aid, as a weather forecasting aid, and finally, as a search and rescue and general aid to the pilot of transoceanic flights.
"It is quite possible for a situation to occur under emergency conditions, wherein an aircraft is not able to communicate with shore stations to file position reports. They may have to be filed with the Coast Guard weather ships. A subsequent emergency requiring ditching at sea could expect aid only from such weather ships. Were they to be removed, the only probable method of survival under such a situation has likewise been removed.
"The weather ships offer the only reliable source of weather reports throughout the entire length of the ocean flight. Removing these ships would be the equivalent of removing the source of weather information and would result in forecasts which are frequently inaccurate and, therefore, always undependable.
"Whether or not the weather ships are economically feasible might well be left to the pilot, his crew and his passengers at a time when the cooperation and help of the surface ship may mean the chance of ultimate survival."
Would Decrease Safety
Captain Phillips, also a trained meteorologist who has 6,000 hours' flying time and 110 Atlantic crossings to his credit, stated:
"The removal of Coast Guard weather ships, Loran, and HF/DF stations will set back the operation of over-ocean flying to what it was before the war. This will decrease the safety of air line flights rather than increase it. This would be brought about by taking away ocean weather observations and all supplemental means of radio communications as far as weather ships are concerned. In the case of removal of Loran and HF/DF, our navigation would be adversely affected and the position of airplanes will not be known accurately at all times. This is of prime importance in cases of emergency and when planes are approaching their NO-return and their terminal on instruments, that is flying blind.
"Loran and HF/DF facilities enter into the picture on emergencies, because the former is an aid to an airplane in determining its own position and the latter is a check on the airplane's navigation, plus a means of determining the airplane's position when it was impossible for the plane to send its position out over radio. Again this points out that the position of the plane has to be known in order to even start to look for it at sea. HF/DF can also aid an airplane, that is, without means of determining its position through failure of its own facilities.
The hearings before the Senate Appropriation Subcommittee was presided over by Senator Styles Bridges (R., New Hampshire), while that before the House Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee was under the committee chairman, Representative Charles A. Wolverton (R., New Jersey).

TEMPO IS SWIFT
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ments. This thinking was forwarded to Chairman Landis and was acknowledged on April 7, 1947. Mr. Landis informed us that the matter is inactive for the time being and will remain so, until further information is obtained on this subject.
Committee Appointed
There has been considerable inquiry by ALPA members resulting in the fact that air carriers were considering lowering the take-off minimums for four-engine type aircraft. Correspondence on this subject with the CAA and CAB resulted in receiving information from the Civil Aeronautics Board. There are no proposals under consideration for lowering ceiling and visibility limitations for take-off minimums in connection with the operation of four-engine aircraft.
The matter of instrument landing systems is again very active with Headquarters receiving considerable mailing for circulation to ALPA chairmen in regard to map studies of the arrangement of ILS installations and compass locator station.
As a result of the air safety hearings in Washington, D. C., in which ALPA played a prominent part, there has been appointed a special committee designed as the Ad Hoc Committee for investigating and testing landing aids. This committee includes two members each, from ALPA, CAA, CAB, ATA, Army and Navy, making a total of 12 men on the committee. President Behncke has given full authorization for Colonel E. A. Cutrell, of American Airlines, Jerry E. Wood, of Eastern Air Lines, and Arthur "Red" Foster, of TWA, to participate in all lectures, conferences and flight tests at the various installations located at Newark, New Jersey; Patuxent, Maryland; and Arcata, California. It is the duty of this committee to inspect all installations before setting up final requirements for approach lights and landing aids in general. This committee is striving to reach a decision in time to have installations made prior to the coming adverse winter weather.
ALISSA Shows Progress
The Education and Organization Department recorded more progress in April as the fourth air line since January designated the Air Line Stewards and Stewardesses Association as their representing organization. The latest air line to make such designation, which circumvented the necessity of time-consuming National Medication Board certification by the company's expression of willingness to accept ALSSA as the representative of their stewardesses, was Colonial Airlines, the other three being TWA, Eastern Air Lines, and Northwest Airlines. Further requests for certification of ALSSA as the collective bargaining agents for the stewards and stewardesses of Chicago and Southern Air Lines, Delta Air Lines, and American Airlines were made during April.
Meanwhile, ALSSA was proceeding with contract negotiating conferences with Northwest Airlines in St. Paul, Minnesota, on April 10 and 25, with TWA on April 8 and 28 in Kansas City, and with Eastern Air Lines on April 22 in New York.
Progress was also being made with ALPA's newly affiliated Air Line 
Agents' Association and Air Carrier Communication Operators' Association, with the latter awaiting National Mediation Board certification as the authorized representative of Chicago and Southern's radio and teletype operators.
All in all, the tempo of ALPA's activities in April was swift and the results of them reassuring. Yesterday's perseverance, work, and in some cases self sacrifice by segments of ALPA's staunch membership are paying today's dividends. Today's same qualities will be reflected the same way in tomorrow's accomplishments.

Air Lines Prove Emergency Worth
The value of the nation's air lines in peacetime emergencies came to the fore in April during the Texas City, Texas, explosion disaster. The Civil Aeronautics Board authorized all air lines to make emergency flights to the area if needed and many planes in the immediate vicinity were diverted from service in order to carry plasma, medical personnel and supplies into the area. All pilots in the area were alerted for emergency duty. In addition, the Air Transport Command's evacuation fleet of 22 C-47's and three C-54's as well as flight nurses and medical attendants were placed at the disposal of authorities for aiding victims of the tragic explosion.