I actually received TWO Fedex packages from NW today.

Of course in true NW fashion, one was at my old address and one was at my new address.

I was pleasantly surprised at the contents of those packages.

The first was my (belated) 20 year service pin.

And in the second ...

A piece of aircraft aluminum in the shape of a 747 vertical stab. A piece of ship number 6622, the last passenger 747 to fly scheduled service at NW.

The company actually took the time to take pieces of aluminum from that last ship after its retirement and mount them with inscriptions and then sent them to every NW pilot that ever flew the 747 classic at NW.

The 20 year pin I could give a rats a$$ about, but the aluminum marks the end of an aviation era and I am actually pleased to receive it as a gift.

 

whats a vertical stab

 

Actually I think ALL employees are getting it. I got mine today, and I flew the whale, but a gate agent was showing off hers yesterday. She said everyone was getting them.

 

That's correct. They went to ALL NWA employees. I think they are nice.

 

Cool,

Its a nice gift.

 

it is a very significant gesture, and I will treasure it. After all the years of turmoil, the disappointments, the broken promises, I realize that little red tail will always mean a lot to me and my family. That tail was there at the beginning, before anyone heard of Charles Lindbergh. It bore the US registration designation, as the first and oldest Airmail carrier. It suffered through the most challenging weather, mountainous terrain, and the most corrosive labor relations. It spawned the movement of the Air Line Pilots Association, of which all the others followed. When the great designers of the early era of aircraft launched a new airliner, more often than not, it wore a red tail. When our nation went to war, the red tail went to the harshest extremes of our land, pioneering the Alaskan wilderness, the Yukon, and in the midst of combat, the Aleutians. And it introduced the Great Circle Route to the Orient, where it would not only thrive, it would create another National Airline in it's own image. It grew to the fourth largest airline in the world, and expanded it's domain to over 225 destinations. That Red Tail brought me home from Okinawa, it took a young couple on a honeymoon, and a family to Hawaii, twice. It brought my aging mother to live with me, as dementia claimed her memories, but not her smiles, and it took my best friend home to be buried. I am proud to fly with a new tail, with a dramatic history, and a legacy of concern and responsiveness to customer and employee. But I will always be a 'Red Tail", just like I will always be a "Rescue" pilot. That little aluminum piece will to the end be among my most cherished mementos. To whoever had the thoughtfulness, I am grateful!

 

Vertical Stabilizer, or more generically, the airplanes tail.

 

Well said. I think on a personal level this is a great memento, however, it still won't beat being able to take my kids to the Smithsonian and show them the exact airplane that I flew many times. Ship 6601 holds many great memories for both me and my wife. Glad to see it found a nice home in DC.

 

 

lol nice observation