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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! 02/06 : Alan Martin, Charlotte, NC 02/06 : Robert Simon, Wilmington, 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
 N56V January 2012 NewsletterWhen we arrived at the museum on Saturday January 21, it was a cold, foggy and rainy day with the temperature 52 degrees inside the Back Shop. Because it was such a gray day there wasn’t much light inside the building; nevertheless, the largest group of volunteers to be there for a work session put in a very productive work day of well over 65 man hours. We had a crew of seventeen volunteers, including two new members.
Several months ago, the museum director asked if our group would reassemble a Skyranger C-185 that had been in storage for several years. The airplane was built by Commonwealth Aircraft in Kansas City in May 1946 and was given to the museum sometime ago. It had been an exhibit but due to limited space, it was placed in storage after only a short period of time. When the Back Shop became available for storage of artifacts and for limited exhibitions, the Skyranger was brought in from storage so it could again be displayed. Since we had a large group of volunteers available on Saturday, a decision was made to being reassembling the airplane for the museum.
The fairings will need to be attached and a few other things need to be done before it can be displayed again. Perry Miller spearheaded this project with help from Bob Johnson, Paul Dieffenderfer, Bob Bonnett, Walt Ryerson, Matt Sprinkle and a new volunteer, Jeff Sumeraski. The Skyranger looks like a real airplane again.
While that work was underway, Bill Wilkerson and Francis Horton began cleaning up the N65V center wing section in preparation for it being hoisted up onto maintenance stands during one of our next work sessions. Since there are no utilities in the Back Shop it was necessary to bring water in from the Roundhouse one bucket at a time but they got the job done and then went to work on the wings.
Another new volunteer, Leng Oudom, worked with Charlie Hall on the restoration of the forward cargo door. Leng is from Cambodia and is a student at the Aviation School at GTCC. Bob Bonnett and Bill Behrendt worked at cleaning under the flooring in the fuselage. We never know what will be found as we uncover those areas. Old brochures; empty cigarette packs; baggage stickers and this time an old penny. It was so corroded the date could not be determined; nevertheless, it’s said that finding a penny brings good luck so perhaps this is a positive omen for the project.
Joe Barvir and Brian Burkhart worked on the right wing removing wiring, tubing and hardware. The engine and the prop were moved to a better location where work can begin to take place. Since it’s now on a work table, Carly Faulkner and Jeff Sumeraski started cleaning the prop. John Sink stayed in a position on the floor under the center section right wheel well removing wiring and tubing. When the work session ended, John had created a rather large pile of scrap metal.
While all of this productive work was taking place, Bob Reed started organizing the hardware trays with the hardware that had been purchased earlier in the project. Charlie Hall had fabricated a roll-around tray carrier that will be use when we begin putting things back together. Bob also took pictures of the work being done as well as general pictures of the project. We now have close to a thousand photographs for the historical records.
Next month, we celebrate the beginning of our third year restoring the Potomac Pacemaker. Hopefully, we’ll soon have the center wing section is a position where we can begin sheet metal repairs. We can then look forward to mating it with the fuselage. There’s a lot of work yet to be done but progress is being made each month by a great team of dedicated volunteers.
Our next scheduled work day will be Saturday, February 18, 2012 beginning at 0900.
As always, please contact Bob with any questions, comments, or concerns:
Robert H. Reed
NCTM Project Coordinator
PIEDMONT AIRLINES
Potomac Pacemaker
118 Church Steeple Drive
Advance, NC 27006
NC License Plates Are Coming This Month!!!The initial order of 404 Piedmont Airlines North Carolina license plates are expected to be delivered to the first recipients during the first couple of weeks in September!
If you know of anyone still interested in getting the PA plate have them contact Capt. Ken Duncan and he send them an application and instructions that they can mail directly to the NC DMV.
Sometime around October/November, the DMV will have the Piedmont Airlines plate available online at the NCDMV website.
If anyone is interested, a PA collectors Plate is going to be available in a few weeks for $10. This plate will look just like the highway plate but will have 4 zeros and will not have expiration stickers. This will also be available to out of state folks..
Reach Ken at the address below:
Captain Kenneth P. Duncan, Chairman of the Board
Piedmont Silver Eagles Charitable Funds, Inc.
540 Junie Beauchamp Rd.
Advance, NC 27006
336-998-3939
336-414-2443 Cell
888-501-5571 Fax
kpduncan38@earthlink.net
The Piedmont Silver Eagles Charitable Funds, Inc. is a 501 (c)(3) Non-Profit Organization
Friends of Piedmont Golf TournamentThe Tournament is Being Rescheduled from June 20.
New date will be posted HERE shortly.
Help Raise Funds to Restore the Piedmont DC-3
Monday, June 20, 2011 – 12:30pm Shotgun Start
River Hills Country Club
Lake Wylie, SC
(20 minutes from CLT)
Save the Date and start getting your team together! - 4 golfers per team
A portion of your entry fee will be a tax deductible contribution to the NCTMF to support the restoration of the Potomac Pacemaker.
Entry forms to be emailed by April 15th
Contact Capt John McKenna (jhm@bellsouth.net)
or Capt Bob Lawlor (PI9921@carolina.rr.com)
Let’s Eat !Every month, two Piedmont groups meet for a good meal, some good fellowship, sharing old stories, and some really superb airline lies and tall tales.
If you live in the INT or GSO areas, you are invited and welcomed to join the INT group for lunch at 11:30am at Hill’s BBQ on the first Thursday of each month or in GSO for breakfast at Olympic Restaurant in Colfax at 8:30 on the second Thursday on the month.
To be added to the email reminder list which is sent 2-3 days prior to each meeting, simply send an email request to:
Bob Reed
RobtHReed@aol.com
GSO, FAY, INT, ROA Breakfasts & LuncheonsRegistered JetPiedmont users are encouraged to log in and check the Up & Coming Events section for information on the monthly breakfasts and luncheons in FAY (bi-monthly), GSO, INT, and ROA.
Check EVENTS for latest location. New lower pricing available on limited edition prints! General Information for Prospective N56V Volunteers
To volunteer to work on The Potomac Pacemaker Restoration Project, contact Bob Reed, the Project Coordinator, so that you can be added to the list maintained by the NC Transportation Museum (NCTM). His contact information is as follows:
Bob Reed
118 Church Steeple Drive
Advance, NC 27006
Telephone: 336-940-5046
Email: RobtHReed@aol.com
Alternate Email: PiedmontHistory@aol.com
A Section Coordinator will be assigned to each section of the aircraft to be worked upon and volunteers can choose which sections they prefer. If no preference is made, contact the Project Coordinator for a work assignment.
Bring your personal tools if you believe you will need them. After the first time working on the aircraft you will have a good idea of what tools you should bring. Arrangements will be made so that you can leave tools or other material at the work site in a secure locker. You will need to provide the lock. Specialty tools will be available at the work site. In addition, it is strongly advised that you have a pair of heavy work gloves, safety glasses, and a respirator/mask of some type especially if working in the fuselage.
The third Saturday of each month will be scheduled as a work day; however, other work days may be established from time to time by the Project Coordinator.
Contact the Project Coordinator or the Section Coordinator each time you plan to work, including the third Saturday of each month.
Volunteers may work any day, Monday through Saturday by contacting the Project Coordinator so arrangements can be made with NCTM for you to enter the work site. The project is being done in a large building called the Back Shop. Access to the Back Shop is restricted to museum staff and volunteers. Identification Badges will be provided by NCTM and should be worn at all times while working on the project.
DC-3 Restoration Begins In ErnestRestoration has begun on N56V to eventually be a centerpiece display for the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, North Carolina.
This particular Piedmont Airlines DC-3 saw it’s last flight years ago at Charlotte, North Carolina. About that time, some new-fangled technology had come along called the turbojet that made demand stall for the old reciprocating propeller-driven queen of the skies. The venerable old girl sat for years at Charlotte and became essentially a derelict.
Some years later, the Potomac Pacemaker was given to City of Durham as a display attraction when they updated a city park. This park was home to the airplane for for a long time until it was removed several years ago in serious disrepair.
The North Carolina Transportation Museum decided to accept N56V as a potential indoor display attraction for a planned major renovation of “the Back Shop”, a huge carnivorous building located on the museum property. The airplane was moved in pieces into this building where it sits today.
In April 2010, major renovation began to restore N56V to museum display status. It sits in major sub assemblies including the fuselage, the wings, the tail section, the center “wing box” section, and the engines. Work is being done by volunteers who formally meet for a full day of work one Saturday per month with other work being done throughout the month and by students of the Aviation Program at Guilford Technical Community College.
We do not have a formal timeline when the airplane will be finished, but it will undoubtedly be a couple of years at best. The plane is dirty, corroded in many areas and will require enormous work from thorough metal cleaning to seat refinishing to freeing up frozen controls, recovering of the control surfaces and rebuild of the cockpit area. The Guilford Technical Community College Aviation Program has been and will continue to be a major contributor of both work and expertise. Their help and involvement is greatly appreciated. The Piedmont Aviation Historical Society is also closely involved with this long-term project.
Jetpiedmont.com will keep you posted on major milestones for the restoration of N56V. If you are interested in helping with the project, simply show up at 9:00am at the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer on the third Saturday of the month. WEAR OLD CLOTHES and bring gloves – you’ll get dirty but you’ll have fun!
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
Potomac Pacemaker Blog & Photos! Potomac Pacemaker Blog
Also visit us on Facebook and send a Friend Request to "Potomac Pacemaker". We will confirm your request and you'll be able to see all the progress photos and documentary as we move along on this expected 3-4 year project.
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