pilotyip
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 26, 2001
- Posts
- 13,629
1978 Willow Run Lear story. I am working for TransAmerican Airlines; I am standing reserve at my base KYIP. Reserve call out by our ALPA contract was by phone between noon and 1600. If you didn't get a call, you were relieved until the next day. However, if you answered the phone, they could tag you for a trip. All my buddies said get two phones one for the company and one for everyone else, but on F/O's pay that was an expense I decided to forego. So anyway the phone rings at 2000, it is crew schedules, she says "You have a trip" the magic words you could not ignore. "The co-pilot on our 2230 scheduled flight out of KBDL just quit, you need to pick up that trip, just pack for one night we will get you home tomorrow". I said "How am I going to get there?" She says "We have chartered a Lear Jet out of KYIP, some company called Kalitta, they will be waiting for you at Hangar One". So I show up in uniform with my bags. I look in the airplane; it is a cargo bird with a seat cargo strapped to the deck in the back. The guy in the right seat sees me and says "Oh! you are a pilot why don't you sit up here". Begin fresh out of the Navy and not really understanding this civil aviation stuff beyond 121, I figure this is one of those small airplane like a C-310 that only needs one pilot, so I hop in the right seat. The pilot put on a real show, he was doing well over 250 kts by the end of the runway 5R at height of about 50' and then pulls up to a steep climb and we cross the Detroit River at FL230. We show up in Hartford shortly thereafter. The Electra already has two engines running waiting for me. I hop in my seat and away we go. I did not get home for 18 days, pilot shortage was effecting us back in those days, people were bailing in rapid order as the owner starting selling his airplanes. I bailed the Corporate world the next month, but that is another story.
BTW: There are still rumors at KYIP of flying the Lears with blow up dolls in the right seat.
BTW: There are still rumors at KYIP of flying the Lears with blow up dolls in the right seat.