ABOVE AND BELOW THE CLOUDS

Not long and Herbert was promoted to be at the ticket counter. He liked it with a passion, since he enjoyed being in contact with people.

He was sent to England to attend a course in FARES & TARIFFS. This class was held at the White Hart hotel across from the Queen’s other residence, the famous Windsor Castle. When Herbert arrived at London Heathrow airport he was met by a limousine driver and addressed as “Sir”. It sounded so strange to him being spoken to in this form by an Englishman. Thinking back when he was a driver for the British Forces in Hamburg and talked this way to his English bosses. He enjoyed the fourteen days there and came home with a diploma for a successful completed mission.

One day a newspaper article announced: Pan American World Airways is hiring girls to become stewardesses to be flying out of the United States.

Hell broke loose after that!

Herbert at the ticket counter was selected to hand out applications to those aspirants and file these forms after completion. The majority of these papers were filed by him in the waste basket. Following given comprehensive instruction, of course.

Amazed by the willingness by so many young women to leave their country and venture out into a world of uncertainty.

The goal was to select about thirty to forty females, who would be informed by mail, about their status and when to report for a final interview.

A five persons committee was expected to arrive from the States, to make the final selection.

When the time for those interviews had arrived, the same office in the basement was selected, where Herbert received his first impression of this industry, two years ago.

A large table was placed with five chairs behind it. Another chair was positioned, at some distance, in the middle of this arrangement, facing the interviewers.

One by one were summoned to come down, by means of telephoning Herbert at the ticket counter. The last person to be interviewed was Herbert. He had approved himself to be a finalist. When he showed up, the surprise was theirs. He sat down in the torture chair, wearing already the uniform of this airline; he thought it would give those people an inspiration of what he would look like as a steward.

“We don’t hire any guys!” was the opening statement of this quintet!

“I know, but I like to be in contact with people, and I can see myself doing it on airplanes,” was his response.

So the interview took place and ended, like all the others, with the usual statement:

“You will be notified!”

Meaning: “Don’t call us, we’ll call you!”

Herbert considered it as case closed and was more than surprised when a cable arrived; few days later, with the question:

“When is he available to come to the US of A?”

His superior congratulated him and agreed to help him in any way possible.

Now a big problem was to tell his wife.

He had mentioned it to her with the true explanation that only girls were able to get this job and both had taken that fact as a final consequence.

But now Herbert had to come clean to explain the circumstances of his next to no time departure to the new world. His better half and his new born daughter had to follow, naturally. That was a huge concern to him of how to tell his wife.

Many times, in the past, she had stated: “Not even ten horses will be able to haul me out of Hamburg!” And that troubled Herbert a lot.

On his way home, in a rattling streetcar, he tried to imagine the scene confronting his spouse, balancing, one approach after another, of how to bring the news across in a smooth way. He finally decided to give her a choice, to go to America for ONLY two years or to stay.

And so it was.

Thirty three years later he retired from Pan Am and is still living in Miami.

Pan Am sponsored the chosen ones, a very important arrangement and absolutely necessary to immigrate to America.

When the selected ones showed up at the office with the letter of acceptance, they received their instructions to report for a physical examination to a designated doctor and to a throat, nose and ear specialist. Afterwards X-rays and a visit to the American embassy were necessary to obtain a training visa. Mandatory vaccine shots for smallpox, tetanus, cholera and yellow-fever had to be taken, and voluntary inoculations were suggested for polio and influenza. A large amount of cash was required to be able to pay for food and drink, hotel and transportation. After all this, they finally got their FREE one-way ticket to New York with the guarantee for a return ticket in case of failure to successfully complete the training.

Herbert had the pleasure to make out his own ticket, how many immigrants could do that?

The first uniform was paid for, but later deducted from the paychecks. All in all, it was a very expensive and risky venture, without guarantees. A six month probation period was also stipulated in the contract. It could mean a dismissal without explanation, leaving that individual in the cold. A return ticket was not provided, after the completed training, neither a refund for the uniform. The starting monthly salary was $ 231.50, even in 1957 not enough to jump for joy, or to write home about it.

Chapter 2 Training

When Herbert arrived at Idlewild (now JFK) airport, a supervisor of Pan Am met him, and drove him to a small hotel, in Kew Gardens. There he found some girls of the same class he was assigned to, and who had arrived earlier, either from England or Germany, no other country.

There were a total of 25 hopefuls to become flight attendants and Herbert was the only male. He was called, later, the boy with his harem. Everybody of this group was unsupported by anyone or anything. They were alone in a foreign country and for the Germans, also a foreign language. They had the suspicion it was a planned test to see how they cope and adjust to the environment. The coming Monday the training was to commence. The only information this group had was the address of the Pan Am building in Long Island City, the time to be there and a subway plan with the station “Long Island Plaza” indicated where to get off the train. Glad to have a concierge at the hotel, who was a world of information! He explained the New York subway system to these eager listening foreigners; it must have made him feel like a professor at the university. One could see how he gleamed knowing his status as a guru.

At the entrance of this small office building, being the headquarter of this giant airline, was a poster instructing arriving flight attendants students to proceed to classroom X.

Nine AM sharp. An instructor showed up and gave a short, very short welcome speech followed by handing out a massive amount of papers to be signed. First and most important, among others, was to join the Transport Workers Union. Health insurance and pension plan to mention a few. Never mind the advice not to sign any papers without reading them first. That’s theory! After a long time, nobody cared anymore and kept signing document after document. Nobody dared to question the new employer of their credibility. Most of it was newfangled material for those Europeans. Much later, it became apparent how important these papers were and all of them turned out to be beneficiary to those applicants. After all, the biggest step, to a new future, had been done already. It seemed to treat foreigners as people who have always been here and are comprehensible familiar with the American way of life. On the other hand, Americans appear to believe, when in another country, the whole world speaks and understands English.

–Surprise!–

“It ain’t necessarily so!”

One has to understand the apprehensive emotion of these young people in this classroom. Most of them have been for the very first time, in their lives, outside of their homeland. On top of it, they are alone. The group from England had at least no difficulties with the language, besides the different pronunciation, speak accent. The German part of this party had some obstacles, because their school English was very different from the way the folks speak in New York. In the very first days, two girls from Germany had to call it quits. They were not able to follow the fast pace of instructions and when asked questions they were unable to answer. Back home they went!

Now this class consisted of 22 girls and one guy, Herbert. He had no problems, with his experience, for two years, to get used to American-English.

The first three days were conducted by an elderly lady, a registered nurse, all dolled up in her white outfit with a high pitched vocal sound, looking somewhat anorectic. Where Pan Am had found her? Who knows! She turned out to be a warmhearted likeable spinster with a different view of the world as most people will experience it. A nanny type who would fit perfectly in the household of the British Crown at Buckingham Palace, having the unfortunately task to teach children of a lower class. Her attitude was like being on a high situated judge’s bench talking down to a crowd of nitwits, which was nothing but a front of a person with an inferiority complex. This group of students in her class was amused by her way of explaining things, like the way to maintain healthy body maintenance. She knew that everybody in her class was from Europe and it seems to be her perception people over there are still living in medieval times. Many times one looked at another with a big smirk, when she produced a completely erroneous proclamation, like: “Don’t drink milk outside of the United States!” Good advice, she forgot, all classmates had grown up on milk in other countries. (And lived!)

Nobody had forgotten, this instructor had the power to terminate any student, therefore everybody was careful not to comment on anything adversely. After all, they knew, it was only for three days with this LADY.

Among other subjects she advised the eager listeners how important it is to shave the armpits. And yes, that includes the gentleman in this class, she declared with a face of obvious disgust. Who knows what experience she must have had with men, real or imaginative? Amazing how painful it seemed to be for her to talk of those things, being a nurse. One would imagine all nurses have experienced worse situations in reality, so talking couldn’t be so painful. But in those days many subjects where taboo. Not like nowadays where everything in in the open and will be discussed even on television, like: “Dr. Oz or The Doctors.”

Regardless, she continued to talk about shaving. It is imperative to shave the legs, but the man in this class is excused, she announced with a big smile, exposing her impeccable dentures. She talked about her recent travel in Europe where she had noticed a considerable number of women with unshaven legs. It wouldn’t have bothered her too much, but those females wore nylon stockings, utterly repulsive and she emphasized it by making a face like she had taken an enormous bite out of a lemon. Her whole body was shuddering in disgust. Everybody feared she would vomit any moment but they had to fight very hard not to show any enjoyment.

A knock at the door, a container with coffee, creamers, and sugar, paper cups, was delivered.

Exactly the way it was provisioned on the airplanes.

“Short recession,” she announced and continued to give information where to find the rest rooms on this floor and lit up a cigarette. Nobody believed their eyes seeing her smoking. Miss Mazoor (The classmates had christened her “Miss Razoor,” after the lesson of shaving different parts of the body), smiled and explained how unhealthy this bad habit was and permitted her students to smoke also. (After all it was at a time when TV adds by cigarette companies were abundant. Doctors endorsed their favorite brands and the huge advertisement of a “Camel” cigarette smoking face, puffed gigantic clouds of vapor over Times-Square.)

Her whole attitude had changed all of a sudden into a pleasant jovial very likeable lady. She sat with her students as if they had been friends for a long time. They were on an equal level, all the way. Only to return, after the break, to the same old authority spinster, she had been before.

This was for the European members the strangest experience they had ever encountered with a teacher. It was another image to grasp the American way.

Another topic in those three days of medical education, for first aid, were the comprehensive instructions given to aid a child birth. Every flight attendant must be able to replace a midwife. Miss Mazoor had developed a routine to demonstrate the step by step procedure to follow when a pregnant woman becomes a mother. It happens often on airplanes that a sudden urge of an unborn occurs to enter this world. The reason is the drop of air pressure at high altitudes in the cabin. It can also be observed to transpire at times of hurricanes when the same condition is present.

Before she initiated her demonstration of a child birth, she asked her class who had witnessed such an event. Just a few girls put her hands up and so did Herbert. When he was questioned how and where, he explained to have been present at his daughter’s birth. This was, however, not true at all. He figured it would ease the tension for the girls, as he would be looked at as an expert in this matter. His wife had told him so many times of this important event, he could have been there at such a significant experience for a young couple. Those topics were not discussed openly at the time when this happened. None of the girls were married as one requirement to become a stewardess, which did not apply to male flight attendants.

Miss Mazoor put a chair on a table with the backrest down, where the two legs up in the air representing a woman in such a position, which triggered a nervous giggle by some girls. She draped the upper legs of the chair with bed linen, which were provisioned on long haul piston airplanes with upper and lower berth. A play doll was used to represent a new-born baby. Newspapers and an aluminum pan (containers where the prepared food was delivered by the caterers), were put aside to hold the afterbirth for a later exam by a doctor at the next airport, where an ambulance would be standing by to transport mother and the new-born child to the nearest hospital. The ambulance will be ordered in advance by radio transmission.

Also the first aid kit was present, which contained several twain threats and scissors to bind and cut the umbilical cord.

With all the paraphernalia handy, the simulated birth of the play-doll could begin.

She particularized with very explicit details step by step how a normal birth will take place. To emphasize her dialog, she handed out pictures, some in color of close ups starting with the first sight of the baby’s head to show up, or just hair, in some cases. Some of the classmates got almost cross-eyed looking at these pictures, losing the coloring in their faces. Others were obviously embarrassed or even having their stomachs turning. The two girls sitting on either side of Herbert one to hand the pictures to him and the other to take them, didn’t know where to look and how to act, being in this painful situation. While Miss Mazoor kept on explaining those pictures with a seemingly diabolic satisfaction seeing the unpleasant effects on these young girls, pointing out that many of them will experience those endeavors when they become mothers.

With a big grin, she is nodding her head, asking,

“Is there anybody who would like to be excused?”

Nobody dared to do so.

She didn’t forget to mention that it had never applied to herself because being single, how could it be? Who knows what her purpose was to mention it. Maybe she was under the impression talking to three year old children.

Now she announced to show a film, in color of course (at this time, it was still not a normal thing on 16 mm film), of a normal child birth.

She underscored again, it will be very drastic and explicit, and she had to tell the students, that in earlier classes, girls had been passing out during the show.

Was she hoping the power of suggestion would work?

The film was planned to be shown the following day.

This assemblage of tormented bodies, discussed how to master getting through this presentation without showing their oppressor any weakness.

They were tormented bodies, because every day a lot of inoculations were given to face a world of germs and diseases.

The movie was shown and nobody passed out, but it was detected, many of the spellbound observers had their eyes closed or looked somewhere else, but not at the presentation.

Fortunately Miss Mazoor did not face the audience but looked at the display.

Afterwards she announced her admiration and congratulation to this class, being the first one, in her career, where no one had failed.

It was not the only movie the tortured audience had to endure. They had to watch accidents with burns, cuts, and other injuries. Those were all very realistic and gory, made in Hollywood, especially for the training of fire fighters, police, coastguard and military. Not easy to watch. One has to swallow a lot not to get sick to the stomach. It is the same feeling when a doctor put the tongue depressor too deep and gagging occurs. How many times did you see in the movie theaters a film where young to-be doctors observe their first live operation and keel over at the moment when the scalpel draws blood? The whole audience roars with laughter. It will terminate abruptly when it is you, being confronted with a similar situation.

These hours of torment seem to last forever but did finally end and this group of flight attendants to-be found themselves in the subway to Kew Gardens where the home, away from home was.

VERY FEW PEOPLE SHOWED UP FOR DINNER, THIS EVENING!

“Why?”

Bunches of papers were handed out to be studied in the evening. A very serious business, the whole future was in the balance, not just to get good notes, like in school. So, everyone was studying very intensely. The dark shadows under the eyes affirmed it.

Not only were the evenings engaged with studying, a home had to be found. The hotel was eating up the pennies too fast. Some established flight attendants volunteered to assist those newcomers finding a room or an apartment. A very welcome gesture to establish the feeling to belong to a group of professionals who have a bond towards each other like family members have. And a big family it is indeed! Even today after more than twenty years after the demise of Pan Am.

Among endless movie shows, there was one, produced by the Canadian Air Force, with the theme, “Loss of cabin pressure!” A most interesting issue to observe the reaction of people in a minus pressure environment. In this hermetic sealed chamber the air is sucked out slowly and the aviators inside are closely observed. They have all an oxygen mask dangling in front of them to be quickly attached to their faces, over their mouth and nose, that is. This is done by a trainer wearing his mask at all times. Each individual in this compartment is performing a simple assignment, like it is done in a pre-kindergarten school. Put a star-shape form in the place where it belongs, put a cube in a diamond figure, and so on, in its place. It is easy child’s play, yes? Not so, when the ever so important oxygen is not present. The first sign of depletion is a silly grin, the star goes where the diamond shape is supposed to go. All of a sudden the controls of the hands are not there anymore. No coordination whatsoever, the eyes close and the head becomes too heavy. That is the time when the instructor puts the oxygen mask on this individual. The recovery is spontaneous and the thumb up sign is given, as the instruction was prearranged beforehand.

It was a very important lesson for flight attendants to recognize a slow decompression. They will be the first ones to be affected since they are active, while the rest of the people, including the pilots, are seated and therefore being in a rested position, needing less oxygen.

“What do you think about a stewardess bringing back trays to the galley, at the end of a meal service, and throwing them on the floor, instead putting them on a counter?”

Instructors of annually emergency training sessions like to ask this question.

“Correct, it is a slow decompression.”

These recurrent training classes, once a year, are required by the FAA (Federal Aviation Agency) in order to keep the flight status current.

Someone failing the test at the end of the training class will have an immediate vacation.

The test can be repeated a few days later and if failed again the vacation can be permanent, without pay!

What other job has such strict requirements?

Pan Am, however, conducted those tests every half a year.

After all, it was the “Most Experienced Airline,” as the slogan proclaimed.

On the other hand, a sudden decompression announced itself by a loud explosive boom and a sudden fog lasting only a few moments. Air rushes out of nose and mouth and the oxygen masks fall out of the compartments above the seats. Clever, as the designers of aircrafts are, there is always an extra mask provided. For example over a two seats there are three masks and so on.

The reason is, there might be a baby on a lap, needing the mask. But also a flight attendant or any other person in the aisle must grab a mask really fast, since there is only a short time of consciousness remaining, namely seven seconds.

And that isn’t much time!

Those three days of medical preparation and agony behind those “Sky Walkers,” to be, the fourth day of training was a wet one.

No, it was not raining, no umbrella needed but bathing suits and one bathing trunk. The day was scheduled to simulate a ditching (landing on water) and the anticipated problems of such a calamity. A bus took this group to a nearby swimming pool, including, this time, a male instructor.

All imaginary passengers and crew were supposed to be in good shape, after the plane had come to a stop on the water and was floating. No injuries of any kind.

But some girls asked to be excused to go into the water because of their monthly.

The instructor didn’t want to hear anything about it and mockingly said in a high voice:

“No captain, you cannot ditch this airplane today because I have my……!”

He was looking at Herbert with a big smirk, nodding his head.

None of the girls smiled and Herbert was looking at the water as if he expected to see a dolphin or something very interesting in there.

This out-of-place humor was cut short by Mister Parker; he threw a package, containing a life vest, into the chlorinated waveless water, substituting a real ocean. This, he explained, is the way the life jacket looks, found under each passenger seat. They all watched this little yellow bundle floating there at the deep end of the pool, wondering what will be next.

“Who will volunteer to jump in and put the life vest on?” He continued,

“Anybody can put it on easily on dry land, as you have seen it done coming over here!”

He knew his class consisted of all Europeans.

“Asking how about it?” There was no reaction!

Looking at Herbert with a face like a big question mark.

And so did all the girls.

Herbert thought: “I should have laughed at his stupid remark earlier, when he imitated a girl. Now he is getting even with me, sweet revenge,” and continued thinking,

“That’s what you get, when you are the only guy among women folks,” and jumped at the same moment into the H2O. Still in midair, he came to the conclusion,

“NEVER VOLUNTEER, YOU IDIOT!”

Wow, the water was colder than he anticipated, and almost took a deep breath as the involuntary reaction demanded, but didn’t because he was still submerged.

By no means was he a Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan or any other aquatic animal. He struggled and trod water like hell and managed to open the unfamiliar package without reading the instruction, swallowing an unhealthy amount of water, hating the chlorine taste, and tried to imagine it were gin and tonic. Herbert pulled at the inflation handle, after he had managed to get this device over his head, ending the fight for his life. He displayed a shy grin, while the whole gang applauded. He tried to take a bow but the inflated life vest prevented his stupid attempt.