Vintage Douglas Aircraft Company Photograph

I bought this old school photograph at an antique store in Long Beach, California a few years back. The caption on a piece of paper that accompanied the photograph read Douglas Aircraft Company, Long Beach. No year was given. It looks to be in the mid 1960's and the plane looks like a DC-8.

I began working at Douglas on January 2, 1979, so this was long before my time. It is a piece of Douglas and McDonnell Douglas Aircraft (and much later Boeing Aircraft) history so I could not leave it behind.  It was a career unlike any other. I am grateful for my time - 36 years - with the company. All good things come to an end.

Click image for a larger view

Douglas Aircraft Company - Section Manager Training Program Certificate of Participation

Of all the mementos and memorabilia that I have accumulated over the years working at McDonnell Douglas/Boeing Aircraft Companies, this is the one that means the most to me. It's the one that I'm proudest of. It probably doesn't amount to a hill of beans outside of MDC/Boeing but it represents a year of schooling and on the job training. It was earned. The program and class, in my case, ran from July 1988 to July 1989. The certificate itself was presented to me by the Douglas Aircraft Company-Long Beach, a subdivision of the McDonnell Douglas Company.

In some ways it changed my life forever. I conquered so many personal fears during this time. I met people that I might never have met otherwise. Good people. It was a great time in my life and a great personal memory.

There was a informal "Graduation" at the completion of the program. The above photo is from that day.

Jaime Lopez: May 20, 1958 - December 12, 2015 R.I.P.

I am overwhelmed right now. I just found out about my friend Jaime Lopez' passing. I don't know the circumstances yet.

God took home a good man. He was real. I miss him. I saw him a few weeks ago when C-17 #279 left Long Beach. My wife met him that day. Jaime always made an impression on you.

God Bless you Jaime my friend. Thank you for all the laughs, the good heart to heart talks, and all the good times but thank you, especially, for your thirty years of friendship. My wife and I send our prayers and condolences to Jaime's family and friends. Rest in peace brother. You will be missed!

(Jaime in #77)

I took this photo of Jaime Lopez at the union hall during the UAW Local 148 /  Boeing strike of 2010. This is Jaime being Jaime. He was a solid union brother and friend!!

A Few Simple Memories

It felt like just another day driving to work today as my wife Jeri and I headed to Long Beach to see ship #279 leave the Boeing facilities and Long Beach, the only difference was that my wife was driving. We took the 605 Freeway to the 91 West and got off at Lakewood Blvd. It has been a year since I last made the drive and nothing has changed. It could easily have been yesterday that I drove to work.

We passed the Flight Room, a favorite watering hole of the old McDonnell Douglas and Boeing crowd. On the other side of Lakewood Blvd , on Carson, was the Thirsty Isle, perhaps the more popular and my favorite of the two. Both bars were always filled at lunch time. It was a chance to unwind, have a schooner of beer and a game of pool before heading back to work
.
We passed the Heritage Family Restaurant on Carson just past Paramount, or at least that's what it's called now. Back in '79 when I hired in at Douglas, it was called Acropolis. It was a Greek owned restaurant that had a few Greek items on the menu but mostly served good standard American food. They made their own bread. My favorite was the raisin bread. Big, fresh loaves. I have never had bread that good since. They also made their own apple butter. Every once in while, I would stop there after work and take home both the bread and apple butter for the family. My old pal, the late Steve Wallace, and I ate breakfast there every chance we got, especially on those nights when we closed up the local bars and needed something to eat before heading home. It got so that we knew every eating spot and bar in the area. I was only twenty four then so it was par for the course.

Back in those days I was working on the commercial aircraft, The DC-10, later the KC-10 and later still, after coming back from lay off, the MD-80 line and then further down the line, the MD-11. The C-17 was not yet a concept or at least it was nothing I had heard about.

Memories were flooding my head as we got closer to Boeing. I started to feel some emotion. I wasn't expecting that. Thirty-six years of memories working on some of the greatest aircraft in aviation history alongside the greatest aircraft workers in the industry will never fade. How could it? With all that was good about working at the Douglas Aircraft Company, the McDonnell Douglas Company and the Boeing Company, it was the people, in every capacity, that was the company's greatest asset. I know that the McDonnell Douglas company recognized this but I'm not so sure the Boeing Company ever did. No sour grapes here. Just an observation. It is the people that I miss above all else. Some of them have become my life long friends.

The drive home was the same way. Just remembering the old drive to and from work.

Adios to the C-17 Globemaster III

My wife Jeri and I stopped at the Boeing Facilities earlier today to watch as the final C-17 Globemaster III left the Long Beach Airport. It felt like old times hanging out again, if only for a short while, with some old friends and coworkers. It was a chance to talk about old times with some of the guys that lived it with me. I'm glad that Jeri was there to share it with me. The show is over and Elvis has left the building. I'm not sure if there will ever be another reason for me to come back here again. All things, good and bad, pass

It was an awesome sight to behold as the C-17 took off, passed overhead, circled and came back for one final fly by and a tip of the wing. It was an emotional moment. The photos don't do it justice. 

Seeing the C-17 do a fly by is something that I have seen many times but for my wife it was her first (and last) chance to see this. It was overwhelming for her. Needless to say, it was bittersweet for me. The end of something really special. The end of a way of life. An experience that for me, will never be repeated in my lifetime. We really did something here.

 

C-17 Globemaster III

I found these old pictures while cleaning out my garage recently. They are pre-production artistic renditions of the C-17 Globemaster III. The date on the back of one of the pictures says 1987. that sounds about right. I found other items and I will post them at a later date.

More than anything, what amazes me about these pictures is that they began in the minds of McDonnell Douglas engineering. The concept was put on paper and made a reality. It was an honor to be a small part of the history of the C-17 Globemaster III. It was also an honor to work with the finest aircraft workers in the industry.

The photo at the bottom is an early production photo of the C-17 production line in building 54 in Long Beach, California. 

The MD-11, Building 84, Long Beach Plant

The MD-11, in building 84, in the early 90's. It is one of the best programs I have worked on. In terms of the physical job, it was my favorite. I worked both swing shift and day shift in those years. I especially enjoyed working "out of position" outdoors in the Pressure Pit.

When the weather was really bad, especially when the rain was coming down hard, it was usually on a volunteer basis. McDonnell Douglas was good with us that way. I didn't need to be asked. I loved working outside during the bad weather. One or two other guys from the crew would be out there with me, and except for the guys running pressure, we had the place to ourselves.

I was working in department 550 and 552 in those days. I miss all those guys from those crews. Good memories. Too bad it all had to end.

C-17 Globemaster III Production Line, Building 54, Boeing Company, Long Beach, California

This is a photo of the C-17 Globemaster III production line in building 54 at the Boeing (Formerly McDonnell Douglas) plant in Long Beach, California. It was taken during the peak production years during the mid to late 1990's. It's the end of an era. This is where the greatest aircraft workers in the world plied their trade.

Douglas Aircraft Company Commemorative Plate by Vernon Kilns

I bought this rare Douglas Aircraft Company commemorative plate today at an antique shop in Long Beach today. I almost missed out on buying it. I was reminded today of that old and oh, so true, saying - He who hesitates, loses.

My wife Jeri and I were out antique hunting yesterday when my wife spotted this plate and one other, both of them old Douglas Aircraft plates. I should have bought them right away but I thought to myself "No one will buy them and I'll get them next time I come back".

This morning my wife said "We better go get those plates before someone else buys them". I thought about it and said "Okay" but I was still confident that no one else was looking for Douglas plates.

We walked into the shop and I walked back to the section where the plates were hanging . When I turned the corner I was shocked, Yes Shocked, to find a man and woman squatting in front of the plates. The woman was holding one of the plates and she was telling the man some story about Douglas. I could see that they were going to get the plates. I turned around and started to walk away and then it hit me like a epiphany "Screw them" (I actually used another word but that is neither here nor there). I walked over, said "Excuse me" reached between them and grabbed the other plate that was still hanging. They gave me a funny look but I got the plate. They learned the same lesson today that I learned. He (or she) who hesitates.....

All in all, I feel like I really found a small piece of aviation history.

On the backside of the plate:

The First Twenty Years

It's a far cry from the Douglas “Cloudster” of 1920 to the B-19 super-bomber of 1940. It's founders had a vision of wings to come, and what they wrought in twenty drama-packed years has shaped the destiny of aviation and written new chapters in history. The military airplanes built for the United States Army were sent on an epochal globe-circling flight. Douglas airplanes brought new standards of safety, speed and comfort for the traveling public, and today Douglas Transport Airplanes serve 57 differernt countries, and in the United States carry the vast majority of all air passengers, airmail and express.

Designed for

DOUGLAS AIRCRAFT COMPANY, INC.

Santa Monica, California

By

VERNON KILNS

U.S.A.

Sold Exclusively By

HENSHEY'S

Santa Monica, Calif.

A C-17 Globemaster III Fly By

My daughter Lori Rowenhorst was in her backyard a couple of days ago when this C-17 Globemaster III passed over her house. She took these pics and sent them to me. What an awesome plane. There is a certain pride in all of us that have worked on it that will never leave us. I feel that way about all of the planes I have worked on but the C-17 is really something special! Thank you honey for sending them to me.

Boeing Family Day October 20, 2013

A Parting Shot

The De La O Family and the McDonnell Douglas C-17 Globemaster III

In the Belly of the Beast.

With the Grandkids

Looking back: It was right about this time that Boeing announced that it would close the C-17 facilities in Long Beach. I knew this would be my last chance to show my family where the old man worked. I'm glad I did. It was a great day for me a great memory. 

The End of an Era as Boeing Pieces Together the Last C-17

I miss this more than I can say, more than I thought I would. I think all of us to some degree or another feel the same way. A large chunk of our lives was spent on this project. It's tough watching a program like this come to an end, tougher still to not be a part of the final stage. God Bless to all my past coworkers and the best of luck to all of you! It's been an honor. All good things come to an end.

Sargent Fletcher Company: The Road to Douglas Aircraft Company

Sargent Fletcher Company
9400 Flair Dr., El Monte, California

In 1977, my sister Evelyn was dating a guy named Gus Van Dalm. I had just been laid off from a cabinet shop in Santa Fe Springs. We got to talking one day and he mentioned that they were hiring at his workplace.

"Why don't you go down there and apply?", he says to me. 

"What's the name of the place?" I asked. 

"Sargent-Fletchers!" 

The flea collar company? 

"Hardly!" He said. He looked a little insulted.

"We manufacture aircraft parts!"

Oh, Aircraft parts.

This was during the Christmas holiday so I waited until the new year, 1978, and then I went to put in an application. I was given an application and sent to a room with a large sofa and coffee table. There was another guy at the end of the sofa filling out his application. He looked over at me and we said hello, then he went back to filling out his application.

A heavy set man walked in and he began to interview the other guy. I couldn't help but hear the conversation. I heard the guy ask "How much will I be making?" "$2.50 an hour" replied the interviewer. They continued the conversation for a few minutes and it was obvious the guy was hired.

The heavy set man walked over to me and introduced himself as Ken Mosley, the foreman at Sargent-Fletchers. He asked me a few questions  and we talked for a few minutes and I was getting the feeling that I was going to be hired. So I asked the same question as the other guy. 

"How much will I be making? 

"$2.50 an hour: He said to me.  

I stood up, thanked him and walked toward the door. 

"Whoa, hold on, what's wrong?"

"I don't work for minimum wage any more!" I meant it too. All my earlier jobs had been for minimum wage and I made up my mind that I would never again work for minimum wage.

"Okay, how about we start you with $3.00?"

I though about it for a few seconds. I needed a job. Three bucks an hour wasn't much but it wasn't minimum wage. I accepted. 

Right then the other guy that had just been interviewed stood up and asked, "Hey, how come he gets $3.00 an hour and I only get $2.50?"

"Because you accepted it, he didn't!" was his response.

The "other guy" was Larry Cota and we became great friends during our time at Sargent-Fletchers. Gus and my sister eventually broke up and went their own ways but he and I remained friends. 

As time went on I discovered that the people that had worked there for twenty years had not yet reached $6.00 an hour. They were not a pay friendly company. I began working on fuel tanks and other small aircraft parts and I really enjoyed the work, and the people even more so. After a month or so, Mosley and the plant superintendent approached me and told me the company was putting a job on the board and they wanted me to apply for it.

The job would be a Test Stand Mechanic. I would be working outside, regardless of the weather. I would be making $3.75 and hour. Again it wasn't much but it was a step up. I applied the moment the job went on the board.

I would be working with a man by the name of Bob Cockrell. Bob was a man's man. He listened to country music, drove an old Ford Bronco an he carried himself with confidence.He was in his late 50's, maybe early 60's. I was only 23 so I just know he was older. I also got the impression I would be replacing him when he retired. They never said so but that was my gut feeling.

The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle. The Sargent Fletcher Auxiliary Fuel Tank (Drop Tank).
Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia

My primary job was to pressurize and test  the drop tanks for the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle. It was a good job, even when the rain was coming down. It was just Bob, an older woman named Alice, who was our inspector and myself. There were other things to do, sometimes we would rig the tanks to large stands, maybe as tall as the lights in a football field. This would be an all day operation. Eventually, the yard would be filled with managers, engineers, and always, the Air Force. We would drop the tank, and the results were recorded and we would move on to the next project.

In the later part of that year, I saw one of the other mechanics that I knew -Dean Wakamora -  walking out of the main building. He was carrying his tool box. His tool box had been sealed so I could see he was leaving.

"Hey Dean, Where are you going?"

"I quit, I got hired at McDonnell Douglas. You should check it out Randy, we're never going to make any real money here!"

I did check it out. The very next day. It was a two week process for me but I got the job. I didn't give it much thought at the time but over the years I came to realize that God has his hand in every part of our lives. My sister going with Gus, me talking with Gus, and walking into the building at Sargent Fletchers at the precise moment Dean was walking out. One small shift in time in any one of these situations and who knows?

I am forever grateful for my short time with Sargent Fletchers and to the path it set me on. My wife and I were just starting out, my daughter Meranda was born in May of that year. It gave me some confidence and a little experience. Things were coming together.

A Sign of the Times: Fly DC Jets

Courtesy of So Ca Metro on Flickr

Once, an iconic local sign of the future of aviation. Now, a landmark and a reminder of aviation's historic past. The sign sits atop the historic building 80 at the former Douglas Aircraft Company - at the corner of Lakewood Boulevard and Conant Street - in Long Beach, California.The sign originally read "Fly DC-10 Jets" but the 10 was removed after a DC-10 was involved.in a disastrous crash years ago. Building 80 was the first building I worked in when I began in 1979.

The Box

When I was hired at Douglas Aircraft, in Long Beach, back in 1979 I had to go to an in plant school to learn basic aircraft mechanic skills. I can't remember exactly how long the school was, maybe six to eight weeks. At the end of school, and before entering our assigned departments,  we had to build and complete a small box. The box was to be built "Per Blueprint" (a phrase I would become familiar with over the years). We were to utilize everything we leaned during school, including tools and fasteners that are specific to the aircraft industry.

To tell you the truth, it was not as hard as I thought it would be. It has been so long that I cannot remember if we had one day or two to finish. Whatever the case was, I was the second person to finish. The first person to finish was John DiRe. I remember him well because at some later point he became my manager.We were told that it would be okay to help anyone that needed help.The guy who sat ext me, Steve Wallace, was the last or one of the last to finish. I specifically remember him for two reasons. He was cussing and kicking his box out of frustration. I gave him a hand and he finished and got a passing grade. I remember him also because we became lifetime friends. We laughed about that day a lot over the years.

I kept my box in the garage and would forget about it for a while, until we either moved, or I was cleaning the garage or whatever. It would just pop up from time to time. Somewhere in time, one side was covered in blue paint, from one of the kids I suppose, it also got a little rusty and dirty. I never really gave it too much thought but I never threw it away. Also, if you look closely, you can see the faded strip of tape that had my name and badge number on it. My friend Steve threw his box away the same day he finished it. Over the years I found that most people did that.  It's just  a metal box but I'm glad I kept it. My wife wants me to clean it up and use it to keep the backyard BBQ condiments in. Maybe I'll do that.

The DC-8: Birth of a Jet

I'm sitting here this morning enjoying a cup of coffee and thinking about work, or rather, the lack of it. Retirement is nice don't get me wrong. Still, it takes a while to get used to the idea that my time with the Douglas Aircraft Company,  McDonnell Douglas and Boeing is over. After almost 36 years - January 2, 2015 would have been 36 years - change does not come easily. Whenever any relationship ends, even a relationship with your job, it takes a while to adjust. I miss the daily camaraderie and I miss the work. 

This video documentary of the DC-8 is before my time in the aircraft industry. I was five years old when this film was produced but it reminds me of how fortunate I was to be a part of something so big, something that was part of the American landscape for so long. It was a special time for all of us that worked at Long Beach. 

The Boeing Logo and Sign

I took this parting shot as I was leaving after being processed out of the Boeing plant. A lot of aviation history took place in Long Beach. It is now rapidly becoming a thing of the past in California, once the leader in the aircraft industry. Another era has come and gone.

Douglas Aircraft Company: Nothing Lasts Forever.

MD-80 Promotional Video

Buildings 80 & 84

These two videos are a perfect examples of the success and the demise of the aircraft industry in Southern California. The 1980's were the boom years for the McDonnell Douglas Company. At the Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach the work force was over 40,00 strong. The feeling was at the time that the future and success of the company was limitless. Okay, so the parking was tough and the traffic on Clark Avenue and Carson Street were miserable but they were remarkable times for both McDonnell Douglas and the aircraft industry. I am grateful to have been a part of it.

I spent approximately eight years on the MD-80 production line, working on the upper fuselage in department 509 in building 13 and on the nose dock in department 546 in building 80. I spent time in both departments as a production manager. When I look back at those years and the friendships I formed at the time, they were like high school years. Unforgettable times.

The first video is a professional commercial video promoting the twin engine MD-80. The second video, was taken a few years ago by a youtube.com user named crankyflier, presumably, a pilot on a tour of the property, shows the empty and deserted buildings 80 & 84.  Today,buildings 80 & 84, have been sold and are currently being remodeled and retooled for another company. Nothing lasts forever, not even a giant aircraft company.

A small side note: Growing up my daughter Meranda thought the MD stood for Meranda De La O. She still gets a smile on her face when she remembers.

McDonnell Douglas: 15 Year Service Award

I was working on the MD-11 when this photo was taken. This was in 1994 and I was receiving my 15 year service award by Fred Myers, the department business unit manager, or as they were otherwise known, BUM's. I worked on the MD-11 for a little over seven years. This was in building 84, departments 550 and 552. 

I had several different jobs on the MD-11, fillet panels, various installations in the wheel well, rework and just too much to mention. Some of the best times I had were on this program, especially on swing shift. During the winter, I would especially enjoy working while the plane was outside in the pressure pit. It was on a voluntary basis only. Rain would be coming down in buckets, and at times all we could do was huddle underneath the wing near the wheel well and drink coffee, smoke cigarettes and talk. Other times the fog was so thick you couldn't see the plane until you got within a few feet of it. 

Sometimes we just had the whole plane to ourselves. No pressure and working at our own pace. Maybe you just had to be there but those were good days. The only two guys on the crew that would go in that weather with me were Charles Kritz and Gabe Camargo, both of them were laid off years ago. Those were good days and it was a good time to work for the company. It was still McDonnell Douglas.We had no idea a change was on the way.

The C-17 Globemaster III and the KC-10 Extender Tanker - U.S. Air Force

Courtesy of the Dailyrepublic.com

Courtesy of Lifeinmilitaryflight.wordpress.com

I was fortunate to work on both of these incredible planes. I worked on the first McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Tanker when it began production in 1980 at Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach, California. The KC-10 is the military version and reconfiguration of the three engine DC-10.

I worked on the first C-17 in 1990 and 1991 as a first line production manager. The last 16 years I have worked on the C-17 as a aircraft mechanic. I completed my job on the final C-17, ship # 279, in October of this year.