Airways Magazine - September 2010
PHOTO: BOEING
Dreamliner Developments
In mid-June, the Dreamliner flight test program passed the 1,000-hour milestone, or about 40% through the test conditions required to certify the 787-8, according to Boeing.
PHOTO: APA
Asia Pacific Airlines: more than another fishy story
by Ken Donohue
At 0400 I’m sitting in the sparse office of Asia Pacific Airlines at Honolulu International Airport, Hawai‘i. A load of fresh tuna from Majuro —the capital and largest city of the Republic of the Marshall Islands—is scheduled to arrive in 30 minutes.
PHOTO: FRANK WEBB
Destination Colombo
Join beach bum Captain Frank Webb on the cockpit jump-seat of an Airbus A330 on a flight to Colombo, Sri Lanka, in search of the perfect Indian Ocean getaway.
PHOTO: SEAPORT AIRLINES
SeaPort: the ‘TSA-free Airline’
by Ken Donohue
Imagine flying commercially in business-style comfort from Seattle, Washington, to Portland, Oregon, and being able to show up at the airport 15 minutes before your flight, without having to worry about a boarding pass or TSA hassles. Oh, and the parking is free. Unheard of, you say? Not with SeaPort Airlines.
PHOTO: JOHN WEGG
The ex-Braniff Guy
by Gary Hansen
Braniff was a dream job, but one that was soon to disappear—a personal account of flying the 'Flying Colors' to coincide with publication of BRANIFF: Airways Classics Nº 5.
PHOTO: PAUL HOWARD
Narrow Shave with a ‘Nine’
by Paul Howard
A colorful trip through Indonesia to Manila, Philippines, with a flight on an ill-fated Cebu Pacific Douglas DC-9.
PAINTING BY MAURICE AZURDIA
The Best—and Worst—Days of My Life
by Mark L Berry
On the 14th anniversary of the loss of TWA 800 off the coast of Long Island a pilot offers a poignant and personal remembrance of the disaster.
PAINTING BY MAURICE AZURDIA
In Memory of Susanne
I really wish I had the rest of my life to share with her
I really wish that I could make things just the way they were
No one feels her loss any deeper than I do
But that is mine to carry and not what she’d want from you
Let me tell you about the time we shared and how she lived her life
Let me tell you why I loved her and asked her to be my wife
We grew up together, she was practically the girl next door
But I was just her paperboy; had no idea that there’d be more
12 years after high school our paths met yet again
I looked into her eyes and knew I loved her starting then
We’re in the 90’s now and computers are the rage
We kept in touch by E-mail mostly at this stage
I met her mother and her brothers and we started off as friends
And now the bonds she built between us I hope never ends
I moved out to St. Louis for training that was unplanned
She just smiled and said, “Honey Bunny, of course I understand”
My airline filed chapter 11 and I worried if we’d make it through
She said, “If the worst happens, then I’ll support you”
She earned the ‘Circle of Excellence’ trip at GE Capital
That gave us one wild adventure in Aspen just last fall
We had a serious side to us but it was always fun
As we tried to pull our lives together into one
We lived together all this year and I miss those little things she did
I couldn’t stick my hand in my own pocket without finding Blistex that she hid
And now the time has come much too soon to say goodbye
Nobody has the answers, no-one can tell us why
You knew how much I love you, even more than I love to fly
Susanne, you were nothing less than perfect in my eye
I will carry you in my heart until the very end
Peace, love, and happiness… to my dearest friend
Listen to the song Under The Tiny Bridge with musician Billy Sea :
Mick James wrote and recorded this tribute titled Susanne; hear it here :
Hardship and Hope at Harare
by Ramsey Qubein
Old School
by Sky Masterson
Both Sides: Flight Log
by Clayton Taylor
Coach Flyer: KLM MD-11
by Christopher Varady
Debrief
Stan Solomon offers a varied selection of anecdotes from the Airways.
Mailbag
Our global forum for our readers’ opinions, feedback, and contributions.
News from the Airways
Colorfully illustrated highlights of the major news developments from North America and around the world, including fleet changes, new airlines, and new paint schemes.
Reviews
DARING YOUNG MEN: The Heroism and Triumph of the Berlin Airlift: June 1948-May 1949
Veteran & Vintage
Dornier Museum
by Andreas Spaeth
View From the Cockpit
by Rand Peck