Rand's resume
I flew for the airlines for 38 years, from 1974 until 2012 and despite several bumps in the road had a wonderful career, met great people, saw lots of our world and enjoyed endless experiences. Below is a short synopsis of that career.
Commuter Airlines Binghamton, NY. April 1974 to May 1974. I flew the Dumod Infinite II and the Beech 18 on a night mail route. I also flew the Piper Navajo occasionally on passenger flights. Commuter Airlines later became Freedom Airlines flying CV-580's before shutting down.
Hyannis, MA based, later Boston based Air New England from 1 June 1974 until our last day of operation on 31 October 1981. I flew the Twin Otter, Beech 99, Fairchild FH-227 and got a little DC-3 time. Founded by Joe Whitney, Nelson Lee and George Parmenter as a part 135 commuter with Beech 18's, the airline finished as a Part 121 operation flying CV-580's, FH-227's and de Havilland Twin Otters. This is where I got my real start and and have my fondest memories.
After ANE shut down I received a Part 135 certificate to fly charters in a Navajo. With another ANE pilot we then started Farmingdale, NY based Atlantic Express Airlines in May 1982. We flew four Fairchild-Swearengin Metro III's around the Northeast until April 1984 when we sold the company. I was a co-founder, Director of Flight Operations and FAA Designated Examiner here. Although it was a great experience, it wasn't a lot of fun and I was very happy to move along and resume my flying ambitions.
Former ANE pilot and United Airlines pilot Ward Dunning called one day to ask what I was doing. Ward was flying as a 727 captain and instructing at Raleigh, NC based Orion Air while furloughed at UAL. Shortly there after, in April 1984 I was flying at Orion as a 727 FO, FE and FE instructor until April 1985. At Orion I flew night freight under UPS and Purolator Courier contracts.
While flying for Orion, former ANE pilot Wes Lundquist called while I was on a layover somewhere and said, "Rand, Republic Airlines is hiring right now, call Karen Dompier at this number, she's expecting your call." ANE pilot Bob Finnegan had introduced me to Karen a few months earlier, the skids were greased and a couple of weeks later I was a new 727 FE at REP. I flew as a 727 FE, FO and FE instructor at REP from April 1985 until we merged with Northwest Airlines in October 1986. REP was formed by the mergers of North Central Airlines and Southern Airways in 1979 and with Hughes Airwest later in 1980. This was my first major airline job flying coast to coast in Boeing 727's. Because it grew from three regional airlines, it was a very friendly place to work. REP was Minneapolis based and I was based in Detroit.
While on a REP 727 layover in SFO, the front desk clerk greeted me as I entered the lobby with... "I see you fellows just merged with Northwest." WHAT?? This was a complete surprise, but from October 1986 until October 2008, I received yet another airline uniform and settled in for 22 years with NWA. At NWA I flew a huge variety of jets, domestically and internationally. Although contenious labor/management relations persisted over this period, I ignored it as I had no control over the matter and simply enjoyed the flight and layover experiences.
Wait... don't go away just yet. I have one more uniform fitting to go. In 2008 as both NWA and Delta Air Lines exited from bankruptcy, they joined forces, merged and created a wonderful place to fly. Under the strong leadership of Richard Anderson, I finally flew for an airline that I was convinced was in business to make money by transporting passengers in airplanes. I very much enjoyed my final four and a half years and retired as a 747-400 captain in October 2012. It was a hell of a ride!
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Until I discovered my Dad's models, I was never a model collector. These are the aircraft that I flew at Republic, Northwest and Delta Air Lines. REP 727, NWA DC-9, NWA 727, NWA A-320, NWA 757, NWA DC-10, DAL 767-300ER, DAL 747-400
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My movie career.... OK, my movie experience.
Filming, I AM ALIVE.
Click on this picture for the whole movie.
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Click on this picture to watch the trailer.
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January 2010 I traveled to Dallas to consult with AMS pictures and Andy Straitfeld in their remake of "ALIVE," the 1972 story of a rugby team that survived 72 days in the Andes after their plane crashed. It appeared on the History Channel.
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Lights, Camera, Action....
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AMS crew with the F-27 in Oklahoma.
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Our pilots are briefed.
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A few words of wisdom from their F-27 "expert.".
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Just a little memorabilia: These are my fathers and my airline wings and caps that span from 1946 until 2012.
AIRCRAFT FLOWN WITH THE AIRLINES.
DUMOD INFINITE II - FO (CA)
BEECH 18 - CA (CA)
DEHAVILLAND TWIN OTTER - FO, CA (ANE)
BEECH 99 - FO (ANE)
FAIRCHILD, FH-227 - FO (ANE)
SA-227 - CA, DO, DESIGNATED EXAMINER (ATL EXP)
DC-10 - FO (NWA)
B-727-100 and 200 - FE, FO, CA, CHECK AIRMAN (ORI-REP-NWA)
DC-9 (-10, -30, -40, -50) - FO, CA, CHECK AIRMAN (NWA)
AIRBUS A-319, A-320 - CA (NWA)
B-757-200 and 300 - CA (NWA-DAL)
B-767-300ER - CA (DAL)
B-747-400 - CA (DAL)
CA: Commuter Airlines, ANE: Air New England, ATL EXP: Atlantic Express, ORI: Orion Air,
REP: Republic Airlines, NWA: Northwest Airlines, DAL: Delta Air Lines
DUMOD INFINITE II - FO (CA)
BEECH 18 - CA (CA)
DEHAVILLAND TWIN OTTER - FO, CA (ANE)
BEECH 99 - FO (ANE)
FAIRCHILD, FH-227 - FO (ANE)
SA-227 - CA, DO, DESIGNATED EXAMINER (ATL EXP)
DC-10 - FO (NWA)
B-727-100 and 200 - FE, FO, CA, CHECK AIRMAN (ORI-REP-NWA)
DC-9 (-10, -30, -40, -50) - FO, CA, CHECK AIRMAN (NWA)
AIRBUS A-319, A-320 - CA (NWA)
B-757-200 and 300 - CA (NWA-DAL)
B-767-300ER - CA (DAL)
B-747-400 - CA (DAL)
CA: Commuter Airlines, ANE: Air New England, ATL EXP: Atlantic Express, ORI: Orion Air,
REP: Republic Airlines, NWA: Northwest Airlines, DAL: Delta Air Lines
I've also owned several little airplanes along the way.
1947 Cessna 140
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1942 Stearman, PT-17
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1946 Piper J-3 Cub (2)
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And finally, thanks very much for perusing my material, I hope that you found enjoyment with my airline photography and comments. Needless to say I owe a great deal to thousands of people as I progressed down my career path. Many thanks to the pilots, flight attendants, mechanics, dispatchers, gate agents, office personnel, caterers, aircraft cleaners, chief pilot offices, crew schedulers and planners, company executives and financial planners who all had a hand in making every flight a well planned out and safe event. And thanks to all our passengers who pay the bills and trust us to transport them safely and efficiently from A to B. It may not always be apparent to the public, but there's always a plan, very little is done off the cuff.
Capitalism at work!
Advertising in a jetbridge.
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It was revealed, shortly after we took pay cuts at NWA in 2006, that management had rewarded themselves handsomely with bonuses. Do you believe it? To offset my pay cut I decided to "think" like management and sell advertising space on my flight bag. After all, how many people a day saw it rolling around airports throughout the world. Although not lucrative, it was fun and received many interesting comments from passengers wanting to know the "real" story behind my enterprise.
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Advertising in the DTW terminal.
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Just a few thoughts.....
Although I served in the U.S. military, I never flew there. My heritage, therefore, can be traced to single-engine, fixed pitch airplanes. Low and slow in Cubs, Cessna 140’s, Luscombes and Stearmans that evolved into a wonderful career within transport category aircraft.
Even nearing 30,000 hours, little has diminished my thirst for flight. I relish the opportunity to jump into an airplane and fly; most any airplane will do as I enjoy the sights, sounds and the intoxicating aroma of combusted Jet-A or 100 Low-Lead. Whether surrounded by digital instrumentation and flight management computers or relying upon simple needle, ball and airspeed is immaterial; it’s the simple act of “flight” that will lure me back tomorrow for more.
Although infinitely different, the scene from 1,000 feet in the back hole of a Stearman, with goggles and cloth helmet, silk scarf trailing in the wind or from FL390 on a starry night over the vast Pacific, I’m unable answer the question most often asked of me.
“Which do you prefer?”
If you’re waiting for an answer, I hope that you have time to kill.
In a manner of speaking, I’ve flown full circle. The view from the Cub earned me the view in the Boeing, but the view from the Boeing affords me now the view from the Cub. What ever you fly, or hope to fly, don’t fail to take the time to enjoy your unique view and all that it encompasses. In the end our views may be the same, but the best part is, that the experience will be yours and look entirely different through your eyes. You just need to look out the window now and again and savor the flight.
Although I served in the U.S. military, I never flew there. My heritage, therefore, can be traced to single-engine, fixed pitch airplanes. Low and slow in Cubs, Cessna 140’s, Luscombes and Stearmans that evolved into a wonderful career within transport category aircraft.
Even nearing 30,000 hours, little has diminished my thirst for flight. I relish the opportunity to jump into an airplane and fly; most any airplane will do as I enjoy the sights, sounds and the intoxicating aroma of combusted Jet-A or 100 Low-Lead. Whether surrounded by digital instrumentation and flight management computers or relying upon simple needle, ball and airspeed is immaterial; it’s the simple act of “flight” that will lure me back tomorrow for more.
Although infinitely different, the scene from 1,000 feet in the back hole of a Stearman, with goggles and cloth helmet, silk scarf trailing in the wind or from FL390 on a starry night over the vast Pacific, I’m unable answer the question most often asked of me.
“Which do you prefer?”
If you’re waiting for an answer, I hope that you have time to kill.
In a manner of speaking, I’ve flown full circle. The view from the Cub earned me the view in the Boeing, but the view from the Boeing affords me now the view from the Cub. What ever you fly, or hope to fly, don’t fail to take the time to enjoy your unique view and all that it encompasses. In the end our views may be the same, but the best part is, that the experience will be yours and look entirely different through your eyes. You just need to look out the window now and again and savor the flight.
Approaching the west coast of Greenland in a B-757.
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Approaching Plum Island from Ipswich, MA in a J3 Cub.
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NWA 747-400 leaving HNL.
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1946 J3 Cub, Brookline, NH
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Now, you tell me. Which is the more beautiful?
