The Key West Citizen Newspaper, October 27, 1947, Page 7

300 times around tt ’ inequalled ie é ein today. Alter two déchde# bf ‘roaming le world’s air routes; -both are Wr as"en € cockpit. nd both are still flying regu- arly for Pan American on Latin rican routes stemming out [ jiami. . 'Rowe ‘and Fatt joined Pan merican early, in 1928, within a months after the fledgling } airline began international op- ¢ rations between Key West, Flo- and Havana, Cuba. Both d begun their aviation careers jut the time the United States ‘was entering World War 1. | Fatt, a native of Niagara is, N. Y., learned to fly in Army, . winning a_lieuten- 's commission. He later flew between Chicago, Ill, and Tex., and piloted a plane tt by The Des Moines, Ia., igister- june to cover news picture assignments. He ned Pan’ American in Key in May, 1928. his own start in aviation, . Rowe recalls: ze was just a kid of 17 watch- fair. “some tree tops and fell in a got myself a job as a fifth- f mechanic. The next year ie taught me to fly as I sat mgside him on the wing. I been flying ever since.” Flew In World War I a ‘Born in Shandaken, N. Y,, ie flew with the Army Air i for two years during the @y and afterwards spent sey- fal years “barnstorming” along Atlantic coast. He was op- w tn ed both the line—and Rowe— in e fall of 1928. ring their nearly 20 years flying for Pan th Rowe and Fatt have flown mile of the airline’s routes a and Africa. Both have two veteran fliers, who today..at. the top of Paa rican's pilot seniority list, Captain Basil L. Rowe and= in. Robert ,|H.. Fatt, Be- | them ‘thpyp}fbave) spent to 45,000 howssiini the air | § have flown, .the;.equivalent | World— ' in i avia- , . as fac- asthe day! an old-time flier at a coun. } He stubbed his toe, . I went over to help him—' ground to the early ‘Captain Rowe Tops PAA Pilot Seniority List‘ ' | 14 i ! | caPramy BASIL ROWE, .vet- jeren pilot, stands today at ‘the | top of Pan America’s pilot senior- \ ity ‘st.’ He joined the airline ;early in 1928, almost twenty | yours ago. Captain Fatt Qne.Of : PAA’s Veteran Pilots © CAPTAIN ROBERT FATT. vet- eran PAA pilot, has accumulated almost 20- years of service with Pan ‘American World Airways, {Joining the. fledgling airline in j Oat ¢ PAN’ AMERICAN g his own airline down in|" (Continued From Page Gne) o Rico when PAA acquir-jgers carried by Latin American Clippers last year ard the. 1,382,- 677. persons. who’ flew «system- American, |Wide “PAA routes. 25,000 Employees Today Juan, Trippe started. Pan Am- Latin America and many of jerican Airways with . $30,000, an over-ocean routes to. Europe, | \ ‘ Foe American-Cuban — airmail con. played major parts in the devel- | t¥act, eee Fokker F-7 © tri- nenit jioneering of new |™0tored’ landplanes operate rou Grit the Binatetion of |motcred land-planes and ‘.a ew services . throughout the handful of employees. Today ying Times Sharply Cut. ‘On Key Runs ing times along ‘key’ inter- perican ‘routes .have been shed as much as 1,200 per « in Pan American World ays’ 20 years of operations. pical of the reductions is one chalked up on the Mi- Panama run. n American started flying service in 1929 with short- ie S-38s. The 2,064-mile led from Miami through yana to Mexico, then down ugh British Honduras, Ni- " a and Costa Rica to the thmus. The flight required an eli time of two and one- days—56,_.,heurs—wih ight stops at Belize and nagua. (> . Time Cut to 29 Hours /) In 1930 longer-range ‘Commo- dores inaugurated j ver 4 ,time to 29 hours. _- Today PAA pl stop between an- ama—1,166 mil and The routes betw fiami and Buenos Aires by way of the west coast of South Ameri- ca—opened jointly by Pan Am- ' erican and Pan American-Grace moneys in October, 1929—ori; ' imaliy required nine days of tra- ’ veF with overnight stops all _ along the line. Today, with re- cent inauguration of ;The In- | teramerican sleeper service, the _ Same flight requires 20 and 1-2 holirs, with only three stops en ‘route. water route by way’ nd } ica, cutting th istgace to 1,385 miles and the, elapsed Pan American and _ its affiliates operate ‘more than 25,000 per- sons, On ‘these flights between Key -West and Havana, only maii_ and company _ personnel | Barly Flying Days aviation, a knowing gleam comes an World Airways master pilots. days of th were already experienced pilots, with several thou- hours of flying time to their credit, when they joined the} FINANE€IAL d States’ first international « : ANCE almost 20 years ago. were carried’ until the aircraft | eld crews, radio and _ nayiga- tion facilities had been <tho- roughly tested by weeks of s2r- vice. That same thoroughness ; and caution,’ still observed by Pan American, has resulted in many national and international ‘air safety awards. In 1928, PAA moved. its terminal from Key West to from: Latin America. The next year — 1829 —Pan| the Bolivian airline, Lloyd Aereo American flung a route from Miami to Nassau and across the Caribbean to the Guianas. From Brownsville, Texas, Clippers began flying to Mex- ico*.City and Guatemala. Miami was linked to Panama via Ha- vaya, and Belize, Honduras. Then PAA and _ its affiliate, {Pan' American-Grace Airways (Panagra),. pushed down the arid overi'the Andes to Buenos Aires. Caribbean Encircled In two years, the infant air- routes. Its progress has continu- ed in succeeding years. By 1931, South America and the Carib- bear. were encircled. Then in turn came the con- quest of the Pacific and Atlan- tie by linking of Alaska to the | United States. | Juan Trippe’s dream .of 20 ,years ago was fulfilled in June, |1947, when Pan American be- jgan round-the-world air ser- | viee, making -every country a ‘next-door neighbor of all the best TES GIVEN TECHNICAL ASSIST. Parelleling ., the srowth of Pan American World re ~ linking aerial network in the past two decades-has been. the. develop- ment of 15 affiliated companies fn Latin’ America ‘to provide ly swift, efficient service within the countries they. serve to connect at key cities with ‘AA’s globe-girdling routes . When Pan American made its first -90-mile flight between Key ‘est, Florida, and Havana, Cuba,October 28, 1927, the Uni- ted States was at the bottom tung of the world aviation lad-, der. Domestic air service was just getting under way, where- ag government-subsidized Eu- ropeay air transportation-was a full-grown industry. Both the Germans and the French had al- ready built up substantial sys- tems in Latin America. The ‘effect. 6f this service was to enhance the advantage Europe had always enjeyed in communications with Latin America and to bring this rich trade area two weeks nearer Europe than the United States, In the course of ,its rapid ex- pansion in Latin: America, Pan American began acquiring inte- rests ‘in embryonic airlines in various Latin: American _coun- tries. Thorugh technical and fi- nancial assistance, PAA helped these companies strengthen their position and expand their operations. : Panagra Formed In 1929 The first move in this direc- tion was in 1928 when a contract for establishment of an_ airline was arranged between PAA and the Peruvian government. Grace Line Steamship Company was invited to-take a half interest in the new company, and the next year Pan American-Grace Airways (Panagra) came into ad Area to the eyes of two Pan/ ASSOCIATED +COMPAN. phenomenal ae nent a ecneacl anetappercuasmanbinahihatemapsaieeatetel nage y 3 4 Original Key West - Havaha ~ schedules Were operated with ~ tiny. woden-winged Fokker F°7 . and C-2. tri-motor ‘aireraft;+ the + jfirst land planés to be opcyated = on_ Gverwater routes. v be ae | “Because of the . almost total abscnce of airports in the @t- : ibbean Pan © American ai ty - was drawing up ptingen 3-8 a for an. amphibian-type pp! ~ which ‘could be used on watér ~ Jor Jand. First delivered in Oc jtober, 1928, the engi | Sikorsky S-88 carried ej 7 ngers. at 105 miles, Followed By S41. Tee S-38-.was eka pie ie 3 Sikoxsky: S.4l,...which . carsied . . 10 passengers and had a crus) ~ pa: hour. PAN AMERICAN WORLD AIRWAYS’ growth and the developnient ,21-pastdagér, ‘twin-engine plane, imfréducéd: iin. 1997, aera eet: 2 of modern transport planes have gone ‘hand in,hand, a survey ot Rogie et Shits re tinties ce bosyicass ng 1929 ani. commercial plane evolution on the 20th anniversary of. the pioneer 1940. es Sikor s. 5 oe a id ‘6 flying rae Ke by PAA. i: : St international airline shows, Planes pictured are: 1—Fokker tri-mo-| in’ 1931. 6-Sikorsky S renin agf bad seed carrying 12 passengers at 119 .. \2-passenger flying boat. pleced in PAA tor, with which PAA launched first flights in 1927. 2—Douglas DC-3, | service in 1934.” aes Bi SP al state: air? commerce was not im-! and mountainous | and* sparsely sors peded -by“any ‘of:the states. Isettled country ‘rendered many . ‘ 28 The ‘situation confronting Pan’ conventional types of equipment |’ at 119-miles em hour. the S-40s. - American in’ developing ‘air Of little value, made operation; | were the first four-engined air: ~~ transportation between the Am- ,™°re hazardous and created se-; craft to be regularly used ip: .. ericas, was: different’ ‘in’. almost ;!0US propanol epee coramercial air service by. any’ : every’ respect. Legislation’. pro- Built Own ‘Airports American flag airline. = © | viding compensation for the car-} Except in a@ few larger’ cities,| The’ S-40 was succeeded* 4n - riage of air mail to foreign coun- P48" American was required. to }1934 by. the longer-range S-42, tries:was not. passed uftil Mar. build its own, airports .apd ‘air-}4 33.4 nget flying boat w' 1 a: grdss weight of 38,000 pounds *’ {United States syuchronized with’ a-period of intense government- zl interest and development of civil aviation. The Post Office Department had pioneered many | Airlines Face Complexities!:: the domestic air mail routes | as early as 1919. PAA FORCED TO PRO.}. The government was) develop-.| ing federal. airways @quipped VIDE OWN FACILITIES} with frequent intermediate landing fields,» beacon. lights, International being. From that smalt begin- ning Panagra has, grown steadi- Jy into an imposing network of 9,000 route miles extending from Panama down the west coast of South America. and across the Andes. to Buenos Air- @s. The following year PAA ac- quired 100 per cent gwnership of Compania Mexicana de aviacion (CMA), an airline organized in 1924. CMA had become — .and and acquired the stock of its Brazilian subsidiary. Renamed Panair do Brasil, this company today is the largest airline in Brazil, operating thousands of miles of routes along the coast and to the interior. Backed by the U. S. State De- partment, PAA set out in 1940 to help Colombia develop a na- tional airline jointly owned by Pan American and the Colombi- an government, The result was the national airline, Aerovias Nacionales de Colombia (Avian- ca), officially organized in June, 1946; and now operating more than 8,000 route miles inside Colombia, as. well as regularly international flights to the Uni- Miami, still heedquarters of | cooperation of Latin American the Latin’ American Division, | governments, and mein North American | placing all gateway for air travel to and services in Latin America. Among west coast of South America| line had forged 11,000 miles of |* ted States. When it appeared in 1941 that war was inevitable, PAA, with the succeeded in re- Axis-controlled air those taken over at that time was Boliviano (LAB). 2 Other Lines Acquired Two other national companies acquired by PAA in the early; years were Uraba, Medellin & Central Airways (UMCA) in Co- lombia and Compania Cubana de Aviacion (Cubana) in Cuba. UMCA was organized by PAA in 1931 to operate between Panama and Medellin—a route it still serves. Cubana, acquired in 1932, today operates more than 5,000/ miles of internal routes in Cuba, | as well as routes to the United States. ‘ Pan American has lent financial assistance. and helped train per- sonnel for-eight other national airlines im Latin America. Four ef these “have been organized since June, 1945. Serving Nica- ragua, Honduras, Costa Rica and Panama, respectively, they are | Lineas Aereas de Nicaragua (La! Nica), Servicio Aereo de Hondu- | ras (SAHSA), Lineas Aereas Cos- taricenses (LACSA), and Com- pania Panmamena de Aviacion (COPA). Four other companies which PAA helped organize operate, re- spectively, in Venezuela, Mexico, | 1928. None ofthe routes had yet Port: buildings. Some “of: these a reap oBerated..The carrier, not ‘ases were in. remate, -areas.| Aiso introduced in 1934 in the e Post. Office Department, was. Months were rediired’ to ‘survey }Central. Amefican ‘service _.was 4 ebliged to. perforni the pioneer- locations apg. being Pp hep and tha Douglas DC-2, a twin-engifié In two decadés of operations, firom 1927 through 1942 totalled ing: task. The ‘routés crossed? CWipmentS"" ‘ + |lahd “plane carrying betters - Pen American World Airways $140,988,660. : (numerous . ntries. with dif- 4 — lactmeryete i <esoulahy ‘Mighly saxreqleata exulsrag # a sm = has, pioneered the establishment!) * Spent ~ (ferent laws; regulations," langu- S*V¢loped teamwork "~~ ome eile: per TONE. hibian, *. of air transport service for ‘the ; In’ addition, countless. cities.all ages ‘and,social ‘customs. | rork of pilots, mechanics," en, | In 1936. another amp! ce st United States over internation. vér-the United States were| .'The-very’ premise of any "®!ncers, designers, ‘diplomats; 'fi-|the 14-passenger Arey, bees al trade routes considered *0f4¢onstructing - costly ~~ municipal | operatién—the - -right-* to~ rifesch wey pneea hand apy a Yost prvi ets at the first importance to commeree, "fit ports. From .1927° through ' Had’ to- be secured, las sll ists—that ' Pan. metienf wag rem of its’ familiar Douglas - Oy arate % i able to ‘carve ‘out ‘its amazing | : : Airways in, Latin America had ; e Giant Boeings Acquired. %\ ON LATIN AMERICAN |racio ranges, weather reporting stations and other aids to aeri- ROUTES iS al navigation. Deverctistuen postal service and national de.'{ 1942, $822,699,537 had been ex-! Pan Ameri¢en’s:own e! H fense. pended for such’ facilities. = % ° a ices |. The + i Sasaintai 20-year saga. of international still isthe largest and most The Latin American sevoteee Phe operas of the we to be hanya ene and progress. . Fir its. trans-ocean services important airline in Mexico. —the first to be developed— ; He. ‘) rm a aye — bay Hantan y van sire g ae a) -———— PAA during this period acquix- ~, expanded, jera i Magee tence alt sang) 9 iis iD eam Mla Sipe te ech ih « Becht irt st pee! Une a 5 avers Juns’e WILL. BE SERVED « . |and later the giant Boeing 314 7 In 1930 Pan American pur- {2"¢2 Siving the United States | re ” ABOARD foir-engined flying’ boats. Also’ , the equi lead aas sole eres air Bites: sys-, | PA A Scores Man ‘ Firsts 1 ny 2 CLIPPERS delivered in 1940 were three > Navegepl a ‘Aion Line (NYRBA) em Position in other parts |, : | Thousands’ of pérsons ‘tho- Boeing _ Stratoclippers, first ot the world. . ' jroughout the Western . Hemis- EASY TO FORGET psx AMERICAN WORLD AIRWAYS, in 20 years of interna-‘rhere will help Pan America It is easy now to forget all} tional operations, has pioneered in every phase of aviation; World Airways ‘celebrate » its that went into obtaining -this! progréss. Among scores of trail-blazing achievements, PAA; “th anniversary ° at. : birthday result—the years of planning, | was the first in the field of American air transport to: | Parties high in the sky... hard work and serious financial i ees huge, tasty, el- risk; the development of. suit- f i ii i ii i | sborately lecorated ~ birthda: able aircraft; the installation of | ra parson Aperims ronctia pe cakes are being baked in flight transports equipped. with pres: "_ surized cabins for high altitude flying. ; x s With the perfection of long-7~ range land planes, PAA decided pa to. discard its slower flying \, boats, ‘Delivery was interrupted: by the. war, but’ since then PAA > pratt othe instal ‘kitchens the 1 ’ i construction of airports, permis | Utilize radio in-air transport—1928. | erican Division network: ‘to ‘be Bhi: Deane mae nals and maintenance facilities; Employ multiple Hight crews—1928. » [eut tnd served as part. of lunch ae placed anes Ae . “y che iuegubcaonlatioperative esi Use ground aviation direction tinders—1928. ‘ ;and’ dinner menus aboard Clip- boy the gee planes: céssions and contracts with for- Develop an airways traffic control -system—1928. pers October 28-—20th anniver- | - Still more the 300-mile-an-hour, twin-en- gineea CV-240 by Consolidated- Vultee’ and the giant S0-penere Ps er. Boeing Stratocruiser—aré~ id to be delivered’ to PAA . this winter and next spring. velop” and, use instrament flying ‘technique—1929.: : prehn @ complete aviation weather. service—1929. Send: out Arctic flight study expeditions—1930. Develop and use radio: direction firtders on aircraft —1931. ? ‘ . Develop and operate four-engine ‘flying. boats—1934. {sary of the airline’s’ first sched- pare flight between Key West, Blorida’ and Havana, Cuba;* i EMPTY ROOM’ SERVED AS FIRST. PAA OFFICE eign governments; the perfect- ing of operating .techniqués and procedures; the solicitation and promotion of traffie; the adap-} tation of laws and regulations to the requirements of interna- tional air transport, and _ the Develop and install integral fuel tanks on airline air- « Pan American ;Warld Airways’ | Pan: American Personnel struggle for position against craftt—1935. pa, | first office was an empty room Th d-Fold_: heavily subsidized airlines of | r Increases ousand-F old = Develop and use long-range weather forecasting—1935. {in the La Concha Hotel in-Key Develop and use ultra-high frequency radio—1935. foreign~ nations. | West, Florida. The office “desk” The problems which sur- The handful of men who help- Inaugurate scheduled air service across ‘the Pacific tw cypress board .set on two|first international airline rouncee ar soelovceest an Sea. i king cases; the motor. shop|years ago has multiplied a thoy ~ merican flag system of air I j and maintenance ba: rei ~! : ; Install ing galleys aboard planes—1936. ean se were in }and-fold. Prt transportation to Latin Amer- | Fs i | Briled air piieala: across the Atlantic ‘an old fort; the radio shack was] The Pan American World Ait : ica wees they esueneregy 71939. hed Hfrequently mistaken fora Chic]ways system today employs. very different from if - . . 2 Saie. han 25,000 persons for its» fecting operations within the Order and operate pressurized, high-altitude aircraft One of the airline's top. execu- veielgiating eae toans. "Ohad continental United States. —1940. . jtives today recalls his job.as| in the Latin American Divi-~ The development of domestic Order and operate four-engine landplanes—1940. ‘mechanic’s helper, —‘ airport}sion alone are more than 6,800 > air transportation within the Tnaugurate regular scheduled round-the-world air serv- {clerk, stock clerk and ticket sel-|employees, One-third of that» ice—1947, ler.” number are serving Pan Amér-~ the Dominican Republic and: the Bahamas. They are Aerovias Venezolanas (Avensa), organized in 1943; Aeronaves de Mexico (Aeronaves), organized in 1934; Compania Dominicana de Avia- cion (CDA), organized in 1944, and | Bahamas Airways, Ltd. (BAL), organized as a scheduled carrier in 1936. In many instances Pan Amer- ican initially supplied the en- tire financial backing for estab- lishment of the affiliated com- panies. During the intervening years, PAA has followed a consistent policy of gradually reducing its interests as the airlines became’ firmly established. Today each of the 15 Latin American airlines affiliated with PAA is directly controlled by na- tionals of the country in which it is situated, with Pan American retaining only a minor share of stock. ican in various Latin American— countries and aproximately 90") percent of these are natives af the countries in which they are.» working. itt To keep pace with Pan Amer-* jcan’s spectacular growth, shops.; at International Airport in Mj; ami, Florida, often have been> turned into classrooms for Latin + American employees. This train=™, ing-within- industry prograriee Mhas afforded instructions. in alr, phases of PAA’s operations. CROSS OCEAN : 13,320 TIMES™ Pan American World Airways flight crews completed 13,320, ocean crossings for the United ~ {States Army and Navy in the” period between the Japanese at-,. tack on Pearl Harbor, Decem- | ber 7, 1941, and February 28, 1945. rf PAA’S FIRST OPERATING BASE AND TERMINAL AT KEY WEST THE FIRST OPERATING BASE of Pan American World Airways at Key West, Fla., is shown in this picture taken in 1927 shortly after the iaternatienal airline was e¢stabli: |