Vale Captain Frank Ball AFC
There hasn't been much press coverage of this but Frank passed away last week. There was a memorial/celebration service last Thursday.
At the TAA Pilots' picnic tomorrow it would be great for Frank to be remembered. An absolutely true gentleman, pilot, leader and airline builder. His like is rarely seen now and we would all do well to remember that such men gave us our careers and......it is no small dream to wish that leaders of Frank's calibre were still running things. Imagine: no more outsourced core airline activity, single seniority list, innovation, service, teamwork....and the pay differential between a junior F/O and the General Manager (no...Frank never had the grandiose aspiration to be a CEO) was maybe a factor of 5. he was not paid a lot more than a senior 727 Check Captain.
Frank gave a very young Sherm his final interview at TAA and mentored the growing Sherm through the years. In the last 20 years especially all around the world I have survived and prospered because of my 20 years in the airline Frank helped build.
Farwell Captain Ball. Thank you. Safe Flying on this last journey