Another Buzz story

A while ago,  I had written to a family member of a retired pilot my Dad knew at Northeast Airlines, Roy Ray (on the right) regarding a picture I had of the two of them.

 I thought that the family might not have a copy of the photo and would like one.

Anyway, after sometime I heard recently from said pilots daughter, and thought the exchange was somewhat humorous, I hope you enjoy the story.

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Hi Duncan,
I am so sorry it took three years for me to find your post to me. I hope my delayed response finds you well. 

I would love a copy of the pic you referenced in your post. I remember the operations room well. My dad took my to Logan often and I even flew in the Linx; all in a safer time, although I do remember the hijacking scares back then.

My dad passed a year ago tomorrow…kind of fortuitous my husband found your post this evening. 

Thanks so much for keeping his memory alive for my family and me.

Thanks  

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Good Morning,

Thanks for your note,  I'd be happy to send you a copy of the picture tomorrow I'm out on a trip presently.   Until tomorrow,

Duncan 

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Hi Duncan, 

The picture is great! Can't wait to share it with my family. 

My mom is 92. I will show her this weekend. 

If you find a better quality, great. If not, I am thankful to have this. 

It looks like you fly for United? Are you based in San Francisco?

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Yes, I am based and live in the Bay Area.

I will eventually find the original picture and get a better quality picture to you ASAP.

I'm glad that I was able to get it to you in some fashion after all.

Duncan  

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Hi Duncan,

A quick note to let you know I showed the pic of your Dad and mine to my mom yesterday. She recognized your dad’s face but couldn’t place a name. I would say that is pretty good for someone 92. Your Dad must have been very memorable:-)

Best regards,

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Ha, thanks - that would be an accurate statement, he was memorable. His name was Howard E. (Buzz) Flett, and he always went by Buzz.  I have heard a few stories over the years; I once had a conversation with an ole co-pilot of my Dad's. After we talked for about an hour, he told me that I wasn't anything like my Dad. ;)

He was a bite gregarious I've been told.

All the best,

Duncan

H. E. (Buzz) Flett had went and gone Southern, Who knew!

Well folks, I found an ole' relic of the Pelican's past that I thought you might enjoy. I'm not sure whether this was a precursor of the Commemorative Air Force, but stranger things have happened. 

I hope you enjoy the story

Every once in a while I find myself rummaging through some of my Dad's ole aviation stuff from days gone-bye, and today was one of those days. I was looking for the original picture of my Dad and another Northeast pilot, Roy Ray hanging out in Boston Operations between flights back in the day. I need the picture to scan at a higher rate for making a photograph from, due to Capt. Ray's daughter getting back to me that she'd love a copy of this picture. Unfortunately, she recently got in touch with me three years after I offered it to her through a Northeast website, and now I can't remember which box of stuff it's located in.

Aw well, anyway while I was looking for said picture above ,  I found this great gem of Buzz memorabilia. It seems to be that ole Buzz was inducted into the Confederate Air Corps back on December 7th, 1955.  On this date, he was O'fficially recognized for "having manifested an unusually high regard to black-eye peas, turnip greens, hog jowl, sow belly, pot likker, grits, chittlins, and good ole corn squeezins."   He was even appointed to the rank of Colonel

Support Troop 9's Community Emergency Preparedness Fair

I am inviting all my Petaluma friends to come out and help support Troop 9 of Petaluma at their Fourth Annual - Community Emergency Preparedness Fair.   

Went to a luncheon recently.

 Well Friends, life is funny sometimes.

 

Three weekends ago, I was attending my first California State Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) Youth Awards Luncheon out in Sacramento, CA. Now that is a mouth full.

Truth be told, this is the very first SAR function I have ever attended outside monthly meetings. The reason I was attending this function was that I had been invited to the luncheon by the Chairman of the California State SAR Eagle Scout Recognition Committee, Mr. Gary Jensen (furthermost to the right). This was due to the fact that I had been awarded the SAR's Robert E. Burt Boy Scout Volunteer Award for my work with my local Chapter of the SAR.  The cool part about getting this award for me was; The guy who is pinning that small medal on my jacket is none other than, Robert (Robby) E. Burt himself. How cool is that! This is a great honor for me, as Robby has become a great friend as well.

                    

Now the back story:  In early 2014, I was looking online for ways to honor and congratulate Eagle Scouts in general, because the Boy Scout Troop that I belong too was going to have their first Eagle Scout Court Of Honor. This is a big deal in the Scouting community, and I wanted to make sure that our troop provided something special for our First Eagle Scout. Well, during my research, I discovered that the SAR had an Eagle Scout Recognition process - I was dumbfounded and caught unawares. So in finding out about this possible presentation, I called my local chapter President, which at the time was in San Francisco. He told me that they did do Eagle Scout Recognition Ceremony's, but due to where I lived (an hour North of the city), I might have greater success in having a presentation done by calling the chapter up near where I lived. So I called the President of the Redwood Empire Chapter of the SAR, and found out that they did have an Eagle Scout Recognition Committee, so I changed my affiliation almost immediately, and joined the committee. Went to my first meeting, and that's when I meet the Chapter President James Beatty, and Robby Burt, Chairmen of the local chapter's Eagle Scout Recognition Committee. Then I learned that he started the SAR Boy Scout Volunteer Award in 1988 while he was working as a Professional Scouter and a SAR member. Since then, I have been doing Eagle Scout Recognition Ceremony's with him throughout the local area when requested.

So, what does an Eagle Scout Recognition Ceremony consist of you might be asking yourself. Well, we supply an SAR Proclamation Letter and Certificate congratulating and expounding on an Eagle Scouts accomplishments during their Court of Honor ceremony.

We also provide information and applications for a monetary scholarship, called the Arthur M. Berdena King Eagle Scout Award Contest, whereby Eagles can earn, and spend on anything they want, by writing a 500 word patriotic themed essay. The awards can be quite worthwhile; my local chapter offers the winner a $250 award. We then send his winning story to the State level to compete against other chapter entrants, whereby the California winner receives $750 for their effort, and it doesn't stop there. All State winners stories are then sent to our National Headquarters in Louisville, KY, and three winners receive an even larger cash award. The First Place Winner receives $10,000, and then the First Runner-up receives $6,000, and the 2nd Runner-up receives $4,000. Check out the details at: http://www.sar.org/Youth/Eagle_Scout

And finally, after all the awards were done with and with everyone starting to head for the door, there was one more little surprise for me by my local chapter President, James Beatty. Seems as though my local fellow chapter members had awarded me "The Outstanding Citizenship Award" in December, and since I haven't been able make a meeting this year, he decided to present me the award after the luncheon as well. Thanks to all who made this a great day for me. 
   

30 Year Anniversary

Yesterday, FEB 4th,  I celebrated a double work Anniversary my friends. 30 years ago (FEB 4th 1986) I started training for a Flight Engineer position at Eastern Airlines, and 25 years ago on the same day, I started that same process for United Airlines. Where does the time go?

Happy Fathers Day to the man that exposed me to Flying at the ripe ole age of 4. It's been 38 years (this summer) since he first got me started with flying lessons for a career, And I must admit that after 30+ years of airline flying, I still love strapping into that large cylindrical aluminum tube, stuffed with 150+ some odd passengers and getting them safely to their appointed destination. He may be gone now eternally enjoying Tailwinds and Fair Skies, but for that passion of flight he shared with me, I can't thank him enough. 😎

Pilots’ low pay - By theToledo Blade

 

No offense to cab drivers, but airline pilots should earn more than they do. Right now, many don’t.

Uber drivers in New York City make $90,000 a year, while first-year pilots for regional carriers earn an average of $22,400. A pilot with a family could be on food stamps or working two jobs. A once-glamorous profession, commercial aviation has been battered by terrorism, poor management, and cost cutting.

After losing billions of dollars in the decade after 9/​11, the fortunes of U.S. airlines are improving. They collected $7.3 billion in profit last year, thanks to lower fuel costs. Instead of giving passengers more snacks, they should invest in their safety with better pay for pilots.
Pilot compensation has declined 10 percent since 2000, even as the training required of pilots has increased, along with its cost. The Federal Aviation Administration now requires pilots on commercial airliners to have 1,500 hours of flying experience, up from 250. The cost of obtaining those hours, plus a four-year aviation degree, exceeds $100,000.

While seasoned captains at major airlines earn more than that, more than half of the flights in the United States are through regional carriers. With their comparably dismal pay, a lot of men and women in the cockpit worry not just about wing icing, but also how to pay their heating bills.
As the United States loses experienced pilots to better-paying foreign airlines, a Government Accountability Office report says fewer people are entering the profession. They can’t reconcile the cost of training with years of low wages.

U.S. airlines lost $63 billion in the eight years after 9/​11. It will take years of profit, not a few good quarters, to recover from that hit. They’re hindered by consumers who revel in cheap flights booked online. The average fare in the third quarter of 2014 was $396; in 1980, it was $600.
Even so, airlines are expected to earn more than $7 per passenger in 2015, up from $5.42 a year ago. Improved pilot pay is up to them. No matter how skillful the landing, cramped passengers in economy class aren’t going to leave tips.

Read more at:

Pilots’ low pay - Toledo Blade