The passenger was terrified.
On board a winter flight to Kodiak, heavy turbulence relentlessly bounced the DC3 as it made its way through the pitch-black sky, and a young stewardess was out of options. Ellen Wilson had tried everything she could to calm one passenger’s nerves -- to no avail. It was the 1950s, and although commercial aviation was opening transportation options like never before across Alaska, being airborne still frightened some people.
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| DC-3 on ice :) (en.wikipedia.org) |
Seeking help, Wilson went to the cabin and asked the pilot for ideas. Pointing to the wingtips, he said, “Go back and show her the lights on either side of the airplane and tell her so long as we are between those two lights, everything’s going to be OK.”
Decades later, Wilson recalls how, despite her skepticism, she followed his suggestion. The passenger immediately settled down and spent the rest of the flight gazing contentedly at the lights. “She kept us right between those two,” Wilson -- now Ellen Sassara -- says with a laugh.
Take a look. :)
8 comments:
Recall a story about Pan Am and Juneau. The instrument approach to Juneau is very complex. On the one clear day, when the Pan Am pilots saw where they had been flying, Pan Am pulled out of Alaska.
WSF, IIRC that's correct. It's a tricky low pass through (and around) the mountains. I'm always surprised there haven't been more accidents in southeast.
One of the pioneer airlines in Alaska was Western, now part of Delta. They few flights up your way for the War Dept. They even flew to Barrow with 707 Combi Jets hauling fright and workers to the oil fields during construction.
True, Rob. And there are lots of airlines who used to fly Alaska routes, but the successful ones have mostly been purchased by other successful companies. The smaller ones were eaten piece by piece. :)
I've never bee a fan of flying, and hard turbulence reminds me how much I prefer to be on the ground. I realize I'm not always in control on the ground, but somehow I just feel a little more comfortable pretending I am.
Max, I really do understand. On the other hand, in a really strong earthquake, you might want to be in the air ... assuming there's a place to land, after.
Reeve and Wein really opened Alaska by air... and saved countless lives by flying people to medical treatment who would have otherwise died.
Agreed, NFO. Bob Reeve continued flying for the Army Air Corps after the war, and by the time he left & looked for air routes to develop, the Aleutians were all that was left. He took the far west area (Alaska Peninsula, Aleutians, and Pribiloffs) and turned them into a very profitable airline.
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