ebay Treasure

My wife thinks I need an ebay intervention.  Not just me; she thinks Brother Hogan could use one as well!  I disagree---but I'm an addict, so what do I know?  My latest ebay "treasure" is a copy of Legacy of Wings, The Harold F. Pitcairn Story, by Frank Kingston Smith, published in 1981.  Winning bid, $4.99!

My curiosity with Pitcairn Aviation started when I was a new hire Flight Engineer at Eastern Airlines.  Prior to my employment; my knowledge of the history of "The Great Silver Fleet" was pretty slim.  I knew that Eddie Rickenbacker had once run the airline, but that was about it.  Learning the relationship between Eastern Airlines and Pitcairn Aviation came later; after I read a copy of From the Captain to the Colonel, written by Robert J. Serling (Rod's brother), that I purchased at the company store in Atlanta, Georgia.  I learned that Eastern Airlines started out as Pitcairn Aviation, flying the U. S. Mail at night, in PA-5 Mailwing biplanes between New York City and Atlanta, Georgia.  Pretty neat stuff!  I've been hooked on Mailwings ever since.

Of course Pitcairn is probably more famous for his line of Autogiros.  He used the proceeds from the sale of the mail run to fund autogiro research and production.  I was never much of a autogiro fan until I saw one at Oshkosh a few years back.  It was quite impressive; I'm a big fan now!

When I started applying to the airlines back in 1983, the majority of pilot applicants had military backgrounds.  The airlines loved those types.  If you were a civilian trained pilot, you were at a disadvantage.  To have a shot, you needed the "scoop" on how to get an interview---and what to say if you actually got one!  The Future Aviation Professionals of America (FAPA) provided this information (with updates) for about $125.00 a year.  One of FAPA's suggestions was to research the history of the airline you were applying with.  Time spent in the library would translate into a better interview, so they wrote. . .

I didn't do any of that.  My best friend, Joe Mullis, worked as a part time Reservation Agent for Eastern Airlines.  When it was time to send in my application, I gave it to Joe.  He then stuffed it in a company mail envelope, and shipped it right to the desk of Woody Montgomery, the Director of Pilot Employment for Eastern Airlines, Inc., in sunny Miami, Florida.  So Brethren; the next time someone says:  "It's not who you know, but what you know."  Tell them you know a guy with a different point of view!

For more photos of Pitcairn Autogiros:

www.vintageaircraft.org/extras/pitcairn