04/24/08 EDIT***

I have had the privilege of taking part in an email exchange with a couple of Airline Captains who flew during Edward Daly’s era. One was even a World Airways Pilot. I asked for and obtained permission to duplicate those emails here. I would love for these guys to join up on PlaneMadness.Com (HINT… HINT..) but until then, this is the next best thing. I think this kind of insight into airline yesteryear is absolutely incredible and deserves all the attention I can give it.

You can see the emails at the bottom of this post.
Capt’n Chris

Here’s another top-notch find from PlaneMadness Member SpeedBird48.

It’s Dan Rather from 1975 doing a report for the CBS Evening News on the deteriorating situation at that time in Da Nang, South Vietnam.

On the directive of it’s owner, Edward J.Daly, World Airways sent a number of flights into Da Nang to transport stranded refugees out of South Vietnam.

On this final flight, the US Embassy and the Vietnamese government warned that they would be unable to secure the airport from mobs of people. Still, Daly wanted to send one last flight in to pick up women and children and transport them to safety.

Instead, crowds mobbed the Boeing 727 after landing as it continued moving on the tarmac. Daly himself fought off soldiers who were pushing women, children, and their own relatives out of the way to get a spot on the plane.

So instead of a load of women and children, the 727 was mostly full of men, who shockingly had pushed their own family members out of the way to get on. The plane was also heavily over-loaded, and people were jam-packed in the cargo compartments - with the doors still open in flight.

After departure, the pilots were never able to get the gear up, as their were people in the wheel wells. The rear stairs never came up either, as there were also a number of people clinging to them as the airplane climbed- Most of which fell off but Daly crawled out onto the stairs himself and pulled the one last survivor in.

This is a tale of heroism and bravery on World Airways and Edward Daly’s part.

Many thanks to SpeedBird48 for the link.

Capt’n Chris

—– Original Message —–
Sent: Wednesday, April 23, 2008
To:
Subject: World Airways - Last Flight from Da Nang

Bob, one time I landed at E.L. Cord’s Fish Lake Valley ranch. (E.L.Cord founded American Airlines and hired C.R. Smith) The ranch foreman told me that the day before a guy named Ed Daley was there, in a Citation jet, and he got off the plane wearing a brace of revolvers. The foreman thought it was pretty cool. <g>

—– Original Message —–
Sent: Wednesday, April 23, 2008
To:
Subject: World Airways - Last Flight from Da Nang

Steve, I knew all those guys. My only “combat” experience with Ed Daly was in 1979 when we were on strike and he came to the picket line with a revolver. He was waving it all over the place. I was about 3 feet from him and turned to go get my picket sign when I heard the damn thing go off. I dived into the iceberg plants and then heard the bastard laughing. He fired off a couple more rounds then left. He used to come out and arm wrestle us on the picket line. He was very strong. He was known to show up to union negotiations with a gun, slap it on the desk and say, “OK you sons of bitches let’s talk!” Our union was the Teamsters and he even scared them. I’ve got a lot of Daly stories some funny but most were sad. He was a mega drunk and won World in a poker game.

While that flight was going on I was flying Rescue HC-130s for the USAF.
BTW, We had to watch that video during new hire indoc and some recurrents until Daly died. He was an SOB but definitely a real man. Loved to fist fight to settle problems.

Bob
p.s. Sometimes on a quiet night I can still hear all my different airline uniforms fighting in the closet! World always won-must be the Daly legacy!

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