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PIEDMONT || Flight of the Pacemaker
written by: Frank Elliot
compiled by: Elizabeth Norfleet
A readable and entertaining history in words and pictures of a southern institution that became one of the nation's
leading airlines. Drawing on exclusive access to Piedmont's files, the book traces the antecedents of the airline
before World War II and documents its growth over the ensuing decades into an international carrier.
Happy Birthday from JetPI & The PAHS! 11/07 : Joe Correnti, Peabody, ma 11/07 : Janice Garris, Matthews, NC 11/07 : Bill Grella, Herndon, VA 11/07 : Gary Malanowski, SEMINOLE, FL 11/07 : William Powell, Lexington, NC 11/07 : Tommy Redmon, Germanton, NC 11/07 : Luanne Reeder, Randleman, NC 11/07 : Mark True, Denver, NC |
Welcome Aboard JetPiedmont.com!
On a cold day in February, 1948, a small DC-3 took to the skies over
Wilmington, North Carolina enroute to Cincinnati, Ohio with intermediate stops in Southern Pines, Charlotte and Ashville, North Carolina, Tri-Cities, Tennessee
and Lexington, Kentucky.
Piedmont Flight 41 was carrying one paying passenger, founder T.H. Davis who was not yet 30 years old and a handful of local dignitaries.
From this humble beginning, Piedmont Airlines grew from the smallest of 17 local and trunk airlines to become the 6th largest airline in
the United States in terms of passengers carried, flying over 200 jet aircraft from Los Angeles to London and more revenue passengers annually than British Airways,
Pan Am or TWA while consistently placing in the Top 3 U.S. flag carriers with the fewest passenger complaints according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
In recognition of its outstanding success, Piedmont was named Air Transport Worlds' "Airline of the Year" in 1984.
August 5th, 2009, marked the 20th anniversary of the
merger with USAir (now US Airways) and the end of scheduled operations as Piedmont Airlines.
While the "Route of the Pacemaker" no longer exists, the spirit of Piedmont that came to life on that fateful day in February, 1948 lives on in the men and women
who served our customers with that "Piedmont know how"!
We invite you to sit back, relax
and enjoy the web site...
as you explore the history and accomplishments of
PIEDMONT AIRLINES
"If you're driving down the road and see a turtle sitting on a fence post,
don't be too impressed.
That turtle didn't get there by itself." - T.H. Davis
JetPiedmont.com News
 Mama Bird in Tennessee Hall of Fame"On November 14, Miss Evelyn Bryan Johnson will be inducted into the Tennessee Aviation Hall of Fame and at the same time will be celebrating her 100th birthday.
Better known as "Mama Bird,” Miss Evelyn has been a flight instructor since 1947. Since then, she has trained thousands of students, including many Piedmont pilots; given thousands of flight exams; and, logged over 56,600 flight hours. She’s in the Guinness Book of Records for having the most flight instructing hours in the world.
Anyone needing additional information can telephone (865) 908-9372 or Email gala@tnaviationhof.org. Click here for more information about Mama Bird or go to http://www.avweb.com/news/profiles/182968-1.html.
"Last year, Carol Fair was inducted into the North Carolina Transportation Hall of Fame and was recently nominated to the Tennessee Aviation Hall of Fame. Capt. Fred Womack was inducted into the Tennessee Aviation Hall of Fame last year."
NC Transportation Museum NewsOn October 12, 2009, the North Carolina Transportation Hall of Fame will honor Ed Frye of Guilford Technical Community College with the Thomas H. Davis Award. Ed is Chair of the Transportation Division at Greensboro Technical Community College. Their aviation building is named the T.H. Davis GTCC Aviation Center. Also, Captain Zeke Saunders will be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
The NC Transportation Hall of Fame Awards Luncheon will be held at the Ballantyne Hotel & Lodge, located at I-485 and US-521S in Charlotte on Monday October 12, 2009 from 11:30am-2:30pm. Additional information and reservations forms are available at North Carolina Transportation Hall of Fame.
Andy Ray
Forum Moderator
Carol Dobyns Fair, Flight Attendant ExtraordinaireIn the Fall 1988 issue of Airliners magazine, the publisher showcased Piedmont Airlines with an article entitled, ”Passing of the Pacemaker.” In this article was an uncaptioned photo of nine Piedmont flight attendants. The publisher solicited public help on identification of those “Piedmont girls” shown in the photo.
Enter our own celebrity, Carol Dobyns Fair. Someone recently showed the dated magazine article to Carol and she was not only able to name every “Piedmont girl” in the photo, she was able to correct the date!
Airliners had already planned an article entitled, Reaching Back, "A Day with Piedmont". After receiving Carol's letter along with her suggestion to do a follow-up on the original photo, they agreed with her and decided to incorporate the update with the upcoming article. Carol wrote a nice piece on the Piedmont girls and last week both items were published in the July/August 2009 issue (pages 72-75).
Carol also represented all the former employees of Piedmont Aviation & Piedmont Airlines at the 2008 North Carolina Transportation Hall of Fame awards ceremony last year. She gracefully accepted the Thomas H. Davis, Sr. Award for Excellence in Aviation on behalf of the entire Piedmont employee family.
Congratulations and Thanks to Carol for her tireless devotion to the best company that has ever been. If you do not already subscribe to Airliners, look for the current issue on a news stand – it’s a terrific publication!
Andy Ray
Forum Moderator
FAY, INT, ROA Breakfasts & LuncheonsRegistered JetPiedmont users are encouraged to log in and check the Up & Coming Events section for information on the bi-monthly luncheon in FAY, the monthly luncheon in INT, and the monthly breakfast in ROA.
FAY has changed locations. Check EVENTS for latest location. PIEDMONT: Flight of the PacemakerPIEDMONT: Flight of the Pacemaker is a wonderful book. It is one of those ‘must haves’ if you ever worked for Piedmont. You will enjoy it even if you did not work for Piedmont. It is about a lot of people who worked together toward a common goal to pull off one of the greatest success stories ever. It is both captivating and fun. It is a genuine pleasure read and to have.
PIEDMONT: Flight of the Pacemaker is a 9x12 hardcover 400-page volume is loaded with over 600 photos in 16 very easy-to-read and insightful chapters. You can read a little or a lot at one time. Each chapter is complete within itself. The whole thing is very well done.
Copies are available directly from the Piedmont Aviation Historical Society (PAHS) and in select book stores. If you care to order your copy directly from PAHS, just click the link and download the order form.
Makes a great gift, too!
Andy Ray
JETPIEDMONT.COM Forum Moderator
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