Hangar Flying - HL 245 (2)

From: mjoh419065@aol.com
To: DWSkjerven@aol.com
Sent: 12/17/2015 12:43:36 P.M. Central Standard Time
Subj: Re: Check out Flashback: 50 Years Ago, Delta Inaugurated The World's First D...

The DC-9 made Delta Airlines. The APU and the integral stairway allowed us to fly to

cities that were being served by DC-3's. It was the best hand flown CAT II airplane that

I ever flew. In 1967 my Navy squadron, VA-127, was the first to get the TA4E/F. In early

1968 we had an ejection seat problem which grounded us for a week. Our CO, Cdr Ed

Webster, did not like to see aviators doing nothing. So, he commandeered the Lemoore

NAS C-47 and flew us to Santa Monica to tour the A4 fuselage assembly line (final

assembly was at Palmdale). We had a nice guided tour and lunch on Douglas. As we

were about to leave I asked the Chief test pilot why all the DC-9's were sitting around

without engines. He stated that the Navy was taking all the J-52's for A4's in Vietnam.

As soon as they got caught up on engine procurement they were going to fly out en masse.

I had my release date and a seniority number at United. I looked around and saw 50

engineless DC-9's with Delta paintjobs. It was easy math, 50 DC-9's equals 500 pilots.

Delta had 1500 pilots at that time. To aid my choice United postponed my class date and

Delta raised the hiring age from 28 to 32 (I was 31). What a fortuitous trip that was.

Eighteen months later I was a DC-9 copilot.

Clint Johnson

From: dickhendrickson@comcast.net
To: dwskjerven@aol.com
Sent: 12/14/2015 10:11:57 A.M. Central Standard Time
Subj: Fwd: Check out Flashback: 50 Years Ago, Delta Inaugurated The World's First DC-9 F

Some more info for the troops.

I read this and thought of you!

Click here: Flashback: 50 Years Ago, Delta Inaugurated The World's First DC-9 Flights

   

 Or http://airwaysnews.com/blog/2015/12/04/50-years-ago-delta-air-lines-first-dc-9-flight/

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From: Bob Pike

Date: 12/19/2015 12:17:37 PM

To: Mark Sztanyo

Subject: Aviation Museums

From the NY Times

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/12/17/travel/aviation-museum-seattle-washington.html?em_pos=small&emc=edit_tl_20151218&nl=travel-dispatch&nl_art=3&nlid=17863345&ref=headline&te=1&_r=0

Bob Pike

 


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