Jet Mainliner Flight 803 (1956)

finest transportation we have ever known and you [music] think of words like newest and roomiest and best. But words alone are impersonal. Words alone can't tell the story of time and extra care that mean new concepts of comfort and [music] of service. Words alone can't tell the story of the impact of the age of jets on all of us who travel because that is [music] a personal story. A story which to be fully understood must be personally experienced. [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] It is 7:40 a.m. Eastern time at New York International Airport. [music] As it is every this time, Jet Mainliner flight 803 is being taxied to United's terminal for its 9:00 a.m. departure nonstop to San Francisco. [music] Westward across the continent on 803 more than 100 people will be going from New York to fly along with us. [music] New York has more than a million visitors a day and those popular Jet Mainliner flights travel pretty full out of the big city. [music] For that matter, Jet Mainliners are traveling pretty full from all points [music] these days because with jet speed and comfort, people everywhere, [music] more than ever before, are heading for the airport and going places to [music] business appointments, to vacation lands, or to renew warm family ties. At the terminal, as usual, some passengers arrive a little early. And it's a good bet that you'll find first-timers on Jet Mainliners getting a preview of what's really new. They find that after [music] the flight deck, the red carpet room stretches across the width of the plane and is an attractive [music] entryway for first class passengers as they board the plane and walk into the main cabin [music] with its wide two-abreast seating arrangement. The custom [music] coach section, a separate cabin in itself, has three-abreast seating. And even a model reveals the fact that with the size of the DC-8, there is no skimping on roominess. [music] The coach lounge, an exclusive feature of Jet Mainliner transcontinental travel, also serves as a roomy entrance at the [music] rear of the plane. Passengers for 803 have already checked in their baggage and it's on the way to be stowed in one of the Jet Mainliner's spacious cargo compartments. [music] The luggage containers, preloaded in the terminal, are designed to give extra care to personal belongings. The protective containers and their contents travel as [music] a unit and eliminate loading and unloading bags into cargo pits by hand. [music] Now, 803 waits patiently on the ground. And yet, more than half a continent away, behind the scenes [music] at United's operating base in Denver, they already know 803's flight plan for every mile of its transcontinental journey. They know it because they made it at the largest airline weather and communications center in the world. From all over the Northern Hemisphere, the weather reports come in from ships at sea and from aircraft, from Japan to the Arctic Circle. Basic weather data that can be translated [music] into forecasts of weather and wind conditions up to 60,000 ft. It's a matter of taking the weather they're having in a thousand and one different places and figuring out what [music] that weather will be like at any given time along every mile of some 14,000 miles of United's routes. After the basic weather information [music] is processed, final decision for all Jet Mainliner flight plans is based on programming that data for a Bendix electronic [music] computer. The computer will yield in minutes the precise answer it [music] would take human experts hours to arrive at. You feed in your weather data plus such [music] items as payload, reserve fuel required, alternate airports, and out comes your answer in the form of a detailed flight plan. [music] The flight plan for 803 has been transmitted from Denver via United's New York dispatch office to her captain and crew who will fly her along the route and altitude selected with extra care for the smoothest and fastest ride. United Jet Mainliner flight 803 nonstop to San Francisco now boarding at gate four. Last call, all aboard, please. And welcome aboard. For 2,500 miles or so from the Atlantic seaboard across the continent to the Golden [music] Gate, you are the special guests of flight 803. Up forward here in [music] the first class section or aft in the custom coach section, the quiet speed [music] and roomy comfort have been carefully designed and planned especially [music] for you. United Jet Mainliner 803, Idlewild ground control, cleared to runway 31 left, wind northwest 12, altimeter 2972, taxiway Bravo, left turn on outer perimeter. Idlewild tower, United Jet Mainliner 803 ready for takeoff, over. United Jet Mainliner 803, cleared for takeoff. Full full commands 54,000 lb of thrust. Ahead is open sky in the soaring wonder of jet flight. [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] There was a time when the distant whistle of a train [music] sounding in the night would fill our minds with thoughts of places far away. But today, [music] there are no places far away. And it is the quiet speed of smooth jet flight that intrigues the imagination [music] and stirs the wanderlust that lies in the heart of everyone who loves to travel. [music] And aboard 803, we are all a part of this new jet age of ours, flying across [music] the continent in a new hotel on wings. The flight deck is the operating office of our multi-million mile captain and his crew. [music] The red carpet room is an informal sitting room with space to stretch [music] and to relax. That's why this is Grace Bower's second flight on a Jet Mainliner. The friendly service and quiet ride are exactly what she wants after that exciting weekend in New York. They call it the red carpet room because extending [music] as it does the entire spacious width of the airplane, it lends itself so well [music] to the hospitality, friendliness, and comfort that are the hallmarks of red carpet [music] service. For Sue and Jerry Parker, who have just been transferred [music] to San Francisco, this flight is a first. The Thompsons, who run a dress shop together in San Bruno, make New York about three times a year. But traveling salesmen are always on the move, [music] even when they want to be at home. So to men like Frank Morris or Ken Adams, jet flight means that no matter how far their trips may take [music] them, from now on, they will always have more time for fun and leisure with their families. [music] And so it is that to almost everyone, somehow or another, one way or another, the age of jets does [music] have that very real and personal meaning of being able to see more and do more in the best possible way. [music] And to the passengers in the custom coach section, the impact of those personal meanings [music] also becomes quite clear because today, just about everyone is flying. The speed of almost [music] 600 miles an hour, the smooth vibration-free ride, the luxurious interiors, and that exclusive [music] Jet Mainliner conversation piece, the friendly coach lounge, are all features carefully designed for your personal [music] comfort by the same experienced team that has worked so hard to give us the finest transportation [music] system we have ever known. It is a team composed of the men and women who operate the airline to serve the needs of the flying public. Those who build the planes and those who build the engines. And when we look inside those engines, we can see the secret of their vibration-free performance. Smooth-turning compressors and turbines that spin evenly on their axis. [music] Every one of the small compressor blades is in itself a carefully designed and efficient airfoil. We have always been proud of our national reputation [music] for mass production, but quantity is only an objective that must be tempered [music] by craftsmanship and precision. The skill and experience that go into the fabrication and [music] assembly of those Pratt & Whitney jet engines are paying off in a reputation for dependability that is unsurpassed. [music] They are called the most proven engines ever built for passenger planes and for good reason. They have flown more than 2 billion [music] miles. It is only reasonable and logical for new concepts of power to team up with brand new concepts of airplane design. [music] The Douglas DC-8s are designed from the ground up exclusively as passenger transports. [music] And because they are so very large, Douglas had to construct two additional assembly plants with special equipment [music] in order to match the size of their new jets. Just two of which, placed end to end, stretch out longer than a football field. [music] Because the DC-8s are the first of their kind, which have actually been designed exclusively and [music] specifically for the needs and comfort of the people who ride them, they represent far more sophisticated facets of the art of jet design [music] than speed and size alone. Systems tested and proved for function are also tested and proved for passenger [music] comfort. Take the sound suppressors. More efficient at holding takeoff sound levels in the cabin [music] to a minimum, they also incorporate special clamshell devices which close to reverse the jet thrust for smooth braking [music] action during landings. And any way you look at it, the DC-8 [music] is an inspiring fulfillment of its Douglas heritage, of planes whose [music] dependability has earned such universal acceptance that Douglas has built more passenger transports than all others combined. The DC-3 [music] dominated the lanes for 10 years and more and flew New York to San Francisco in 17 hours 29 minutes. The DC-4 [music] made the same journey in 15 hours and 45 minutes during the years of transition to the famous [music] DC-6 series, which pressurized for long-range over-the-weather operation, took 11 hours [music] and 5 minutes. And then, it was the DC-7 for coast-to-coast nonstop [music] in 8 hours and 45 minutes. And now, the DC-8, most respected member of the family, wings across the continent [music] in as little as 5 hours. And today, flying to San Francisco on 803 with the operating member of that transportation [music] team, the airline, one thing becomes apparent. An airplane is built only [music] once. You have to fly it every day and you do it with the comfort and well-being of the people whom you serve always as the one ideal uppermost in your mind. So, you've taken extra care to specify and help design those personal touches [music] that your long experience has taught you to understand so well. Private tables that are large enough and sturdy enough. Private tables that are independent of other people's privacy. You learn to provide a built-in reading light for the best visibility day or night, but one that, moving with the chair, cannot intrude on those who would rather rest. And the roomy comfort of jet Mainliner flight is made more pleasant still because the thoughtfully designed special and larger windows become picture windows to help your guests aboard [music] enjoy a view that changes with the miles. [music] But when you operate an airline, there are many things you learn about the people whom you [music] serve and how to satisfy their needs. So, for the custom coach, you learn to design three abreast seating with ample room for stretching out. [music] You learn how to make coach travel easy on your friends as well as easy [music] on their budget. And of course, they in turn begin to know and understand a little more about the plane on which they're flying. [music] But there are certain things that can't be made apparent by a look around the cabin. The crew, though, up forward on the flight deck, they can tell about it because they're one of the important parts of it. [music] You and 803 are over Indiana now, but long before the DC-8 went into service, the flight crew started flying it out in Denver on the ground in flight simulators, which electronically reproduce all conditions of actual [music] flight just as they are experienced in the airplane. In front of the cockpit, a giant TV screen helps provide the effect of complete realism for training in takeoff and landing procedures. Engine [music] and flight instruments react precisely as they do in the air. In the rear of [music] the cockpit at the flight instructor's station, a control panel lets the instructor set up every kind of practice situation for the crews to handle in the same way that they would during flight tests. Watch the instruments [music] as throttles are for the simulated landing. [music] A couple of hundred yards away, the remote control closed-circuit TV camera moves in perfect synchronization with the controls during final approach. [music] Modern techniques of transition training mean long and comprehensive practice [music] and instruction both in the simulator and in actual flight. To men who know, it takes more than a fleet of airplanes to operate a jet airline. It takes depth in experience and in preparation, depth in planning and in training, and in the basic philosophy of company-wide training, the most important program always has been and no doubt always will be the emphasis on flight crew skills. It is a continuing program and so men who have been piloting passenger transports for 10, 15, 20 years go back to school again. The cost? Over $10,000 per man. The time? As long as each individual member of the crew needs to pass the requirements [music] of the Federal Aviation Authority and the even more exacting requirements of the airline for which he flies. [music] So, hour after hour, day after day, men and planes get to know and understand each other. [music] Together, they go through flight maneuvers far more severe than any that might be encountered in routine [music] scheduled operation until even these newest planes are familiar friends to the multi-million-mile crews that fly them. [music] Depth in training. At United's San Francisco maintenance base, the largest of its kind in the world, mechanics [music] from all over the system are brought in for their comprehensive training programs which pinpoint every feature of the airplane. You can call it planning and preparation and training, but it all adds up to the extra care behind the scenes that, like the radar in the cockpit of your flight 803 today, [music] is helping to make your trip on 803 smooth and pleasant. It is an interesting and significant part of progress that as our planes fly faster, [music] quieter, even better service in half time, speed and physical comfort should not mean a sacrifice of [music] personal interest. And so, it is important that there still is always time enough to have a friendly word [music] with a passenger traveling alone. Or for your stewardess to pin the wings of junior pilots [music] on young and suddenly expanded chests. [music] You can solve even your problems of time by planning. Something like 4 [music] years of planning to reach your goal of better service in half the time. And personal attentions [music] you receive are visual evidence of a much broader picture you seldom see. Case in point, [music] the matter of the empty plate. Object at hand, an irresistible appeal to everybody's [music] taste. And so, because the Continental chefs in United's flight kitchens [music] from Honolulu to New York are experts in the culinary arts rather than in words, they have set up a display as the personal expression of their mission, which is to see that all meals served on United are unsurpassed. [music] [music] It is an unfair conspiracy by master chefs against those of [music] us who have no strength of character at all. But any display would be incomplete without revealing a few of the wonderful things to eat that are prepared with extra care to be served you during flight time. [music] A copper skillet breakfast with ham and sausage and tender steak. And that early morning coffee [music] in a cup that's always full. When attention turns to lunch [music] or dinner on shorter flights, the tray may hold chilled lobster cocktail, bone breast of chicken, and an oven fresh dessert with your choice of beverage, of [music] course. A tasty alternate would be a refreshing soup and salad tray. All this behind [music] the scenes, so that when it's eating time on 803 and your stewardess is in the custom coach section set those appetizing meals before you, forget about the fact you ever heard of diets. You can always blame that extra pound or two on [music] obvious inaccuracies in that scale you weigh on next. This is your dinner hour. So, enjoy those mealtime treats that have been prepared [music] with extra care personally for you. But most memorable [music] of all on transcontinental flights is dinner in the first class cabin, one of the finest dining places in the nation, where red carpet [music] service makes each trip by air one more pleasant and enjoyable experience. The special full course individual service [music] may remind you of that popular form of friendly get-together called a progressive dinner party, [music] where each separate course is served at a different place. But never before a progressive party [music] that is a gourmet's delight and reaches out a thousand miles and more. [music] You've enjoyed cocktails over Ohio. [music] Salad over Illinois. And now it's time for your entree [music] over Nebraska. And when you are ready for your special dessert, say over Colorado, it will be [music] for some a wonderful moment of decision. [music] [music] Time and the miles pass swiftly. High above Lake Tahoe, 803 has crossed from Nevada into California [music] and Oakland air traffic center has control. United Jet Mainliner 803, Oakland center. Cleared to Oakland via Sacramento Victor 28 Oakland. [music] Cross Sacramento 20,000, Oakland 10,000. Maintain 10,000. Contact [music] San Francisco approach control over Oakland. [music] And now San Francisco is almost below our wings, and it is logical to wonder if it is true when they say that as [music] speed increases, our world is getting smaller. But physical distance doesn't change. The [music] world isn't smaller. It only seems that way because we are growing. All of us together are taking giant strides toward individual effectiveness and [music] personal satisfaction as we grow in size and stature along with the wonderful machines we have learned to build and fly so well. [music] [music] San Francisco tower, United Jet Mainliner 803 over the gap on final. [music] United Jet Mainliner 803, cleared to land. 803, roger. [music] [music] [music] Yes, there is something special about what the best of the jets has brought us. Something which to fully understand, we should personally experience. [music] And now on jet, wherever you may be, wherever you may go, to points east, to the Midwest, to the Pacific [music] coast, or over the Pacific to Hawaii, speed, comfort, and convenience are opening broad new horizons of personal [music] pleasure as we fly into a new and wonderful age of travel [music] aboard the flight of our choice.