From: wmkerschner88@gmail.com
To:
Sent: 6/18/2020 2:10:50 PM Central Standard Time
Subject: Fwd: C.E. Woolman - The Man Who Took Delta To New Heights - Simple Flying
To:
Sent: 6/18/2020 2:10:50 PM Central Standard Time
Subject: Fwd: C.E. Woolman - The Man Who Took Delta To New Heights - Simple Flying
Subject: C.E. Woolman - The Man Who Took Delta To New Heights - Simple Flying
Grand history of
the exemplary leader, C.E. Woolman. Mr. Woolman was a graduate of the U.
Illinois. Those of us from the North were proud Delta's best years were led by
a man from the Land of Lin coln.
C.E. Woolman – The Man Who Took Delta To
New Heights
Delta
has come a long way since its start as a crop-dusting
company.
It serves up to over 240 destinations in over 50 countries, across six
continents. However, if it wasn’t for the arrival of Collett Everman “C.E.”
Woolman, this success may have never existed.
Humble beginnings
Delta’s
first incarnation was in the form of a firm based in Macon, Georgia, called
Huff Daland Dusters. Its core focus was to protect farms against the boll
weevil, which threatened to destroy the United States’ cotton economy in the
early 1900s.
However,
Woolman’s creativity and passion would steer the operation in a whole new
direction. He joined the company as its chief entomologist in the late spring
of 1925, which was the same year it was incorporated. He was on a one-year
leave of absence from Louisiana State University’s agricultural extension
department.
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According
to the Delta Flight Museum, the agriculture enthusiast was born
in Bloomington, Indiana, on October 8th, 1889. However, he traces his heritage
further south. His father settled in South Carolina while his mother’s family
was from Kentucky.
Woolman’s
expertise in farming helped his new colleagues trust him to lead the way going
forward. Just a few months after his arrival, he moved Huff Daland Dusters’
headquarters to Monroe, Louisiana.
This
decision was made as demand started to balance out across the southern states.
Therefore, the firm wanted to conduct its operations from a more centralized
area. Subsequently, it chose the Mississippi Delta region as its new home. This
area would eventually inspire the name of Delta.
A new force
In
the years that followed, the firm’s holding of 18 Huff Daland Duster aircraft
meant that it was the largest privately-owned fleet in the world. The winter
months were quiet for the company, so it would travel south to Peru to help with
operations in the Latin American country.
Woolman
truly showed his business acumen here. It was in the Andean nation where he
helped his company have its first taste of airmail and passenger services. On
September 13th, 1928, a Huff Daland Dusters pilot named Dan Tobin flew from
Lima to Paita and Talara, with a Fairchild FC-2 monoplane.
Woolman
became hungry for more action when it came to passenger services. He had an
excellent vision for the business and was intent on taking it to new levels. In
1928, he led a movement to buy Huff Daland Dusters and incorporated it as Delta
Air Service on December 3rd, 1928.
The
priority for his new project was to
venture into scheduled passenger services. He took on a Travel Air
S-6000-B plane to fly from Dallas, Texas to Jackson, Mississippi, on June 17th,
1929. This pioneering passenger operation was a success as Woolman understood
his target market of traveling businessmen and managed to capture their
attention.
Delta Air Service was the beginning
of a new era for the business. Photo: Delta Flight Museum
Weathering the storm
However,
the following decades brought various hardships within the US aviation
industry. The Great Depression plummeted passenger demand. So, Delta had to
revert its focus to crop-dusting services. This approach is similar to how many
airlines are
turning to cargo operations in the current climate.
Nonetheless,
the firm pulled through the downturn and returned as Delta Air Lines in July
1934 with new Stinson Model T planes. Just as the carrier restated its growth, World War II would rock the industry once again.
However,
during this critical time, Delta would pull off some significant milestones. In
1940, it introduced flight attendants on its services to complement its new
Douglas DC-2 and DC-3 planes.
A
year later, Delta, while overseen by Woolman as vice president and general
manager, would relocate to Atlanta, Georgia, which would remain
its home until today.
His team saw the city’s rise as an economic hub as an essential factor in the
company’s strategy.
Back to business
Following
the end of the war, Woolman was named president and kept his spot as general
manager. With his leadership in the 1950s, he helped the carrier expand
internationally following a merger with Chicago and Southern Air Lines. This
move saw the operator head to the Caribbean and Caracas for the first time.
Woolman was no stranger to publicity.
Photo: Delta Flight Museum
As
the 1950s drew to a close, Woolman and his team were eager to get ahead of
their competitors. Jet
aircraft were causing a shakeup within the industry and were
significantly cutting journey durations.
A new era
Therefore,
to enter into the jet age, Delta turned to the Douglas DC-8. The plane would
cut flying times between major cities by up to 40 percent and carried almost
twice the number of passengers and cargo that the larger piston-engine planes
of the time could.
Woolman
was glad to launch Delta’s first jet service. The world’s first DC-8 passenger
flight left New York International Airport (Idlewild) for Atlanta at 9:20 am,
on September 18th, 1959. He was proud to give the airline’s home of Georgia its
first regular operation on a jet.
The
jet age transformed the aviation industry forever, and not many people
recognized the potential of where the market could go more than Woolman. His
views on the conditions of his times offer inspiration today.
There
are concerns within the industry amid the current crisis that it is facing.
However, Woolman’s Delta had faced countless hardships during its ascension but
managed to pull through stronger each time.
During
the passenger downtime that World War II brought, he was still confident and
excited about the future of aviation. He was focused on the technological
developments that would be made when the war is over. He also highlighted how
unity in the economy could bring significant advancements.
Leaving a legacy
Overall,
at the turn of the 1960s, Woolman kept up his optimism. He admitted that the
introduction of jets had created a lot of problems. However, he said the
industry grew up on problems, and it grew because it solved them. Ultimately,
this line brings hope for the future. No matter what struggles the market
faces, it will eventually recover and go on to greater heights.
Woolman
became chairman of the board and CEO on November 1st, 1965. However, he would
pass away less than a year later, on September 11th, 1966, at the age of 76. He
is remembered fondly by Delta, and employees presented a Huff Daland Duster to
the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. as a tribute to the early days
of the airline and the success that Woolman achieved.
What are your
thoughts on C.E Woolman’s journey with Delta? What key moment stands out to
you? Let us know what you think of his career in the comment section.
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