Expo 58
As time went by I rose up the promotion ladder. We were still being paid a bonus on every hour over 50 each month and we were paid more for flying the more modern and , usually bigger aircraft. This led to the common practice of people who, for one reason or another, could not exceed 50 hours , "offering their flights to friends who could, to the benefit of both parties, Strangely enough, "Rostering" never seemed to complain about this practice. I wonder why ! It was quite common to exceed 100 hrs. per month as there was no limitations on flying hours.
One day, in a Convair 240, I was just about to land at London airport , when a gigantic Air Canada Constellation taxied on to the runway in front of me. I was at about forty feet and had cut my power and realised that I was too low to overshoot with the "Connie" in front of me so I ,literally, bounced it over the Constellation. There wasn't much runway left and I had to brake and reverse hard. Later, a very cool (British!) passenger told me that he had seen the three tails of the "Connie" pass under his window and had then seen his glasses slide to the end of his nose and back again. Oh !, I forgot. As it happened I was being "line checked" by my Chief Pilot,Europe, Marcel Vanderverren. He didn't say a word. He just sat there, white as a sheet and didn't speak for about five minutew. He later sent me a very nice letter of commendation. I heard , but cannot confirm, that the hapless Canadian had become hopelessly lost whilst taxying out and had taxied on to the runway thinking that it was the taxiway.
Belgium was now preparing for the World Exposition that was to be held in Brussels in the summer of 1958. They were quite ruthless. The city was torn apart and a network of very fine roads and ring roads with underpasses was built. Even the ubiquitous trams went underground and their systems were extended to the suburbs and became more like trains, with level crossings being built in the respective boroughs.
Notorious black spots had underpasses built beneath them and although it was chaotic for a long period, you could eventually drive from one side of the city to the other without encountering a traffic light and for decades afterwards, Brussels was left with a very fine road system.
The Atomium was built and the Exhibition grounds at the Heysel were taking shape. The replica medieval village, "Joyeuse Belgique" or, to give it it's jollier Flemish name "Frollijke Belgie", became an integral part of Belgian night life. Sabena crews would go straight from their flights to the village where it's numerous Cafes, Bistro's and Restaurants never closed from the opening of the Expo, welcomed them amd they would be joined by their wives and partners who believed in the old adage about what to do if you could'nt beat 'em.
One of the British architects responsible for the building of the British Pavilion had conveniently left a cleverly constructed secret entry into the Exhibition Grounds and it was hilarious to join a group of elegantly dressed Diolomats and their guests, after one of the numerous Embassy parties , sneaking in by the back door, to continue the revelry.
In those pre EU days the British Colony was quite small but had a very good , well organised social life. Amongst the British Pilots of Sabena ,we found that we had become the Uncles and Aunts to each other's children who had left their real relatives behind in the U.K. The British Royal Cricket Club was one of the leading lights of the social life. It had existed since 1815 when the Guards had played Cricket, before the Battle of Waterloo, in Brussel's lovely "Bois de la Cambre" and had continued by playing in the Dutch league and friendlies with many British visitors. We once played the crew of a British submarine that had made it's way up the Canal system to Brussels. We paid a visit to their boat afterwards and the ladies all remarked how gallant the crew were in helping them out of the bottom of the conning tower as they stepped out. We didn't tell them that the crew drew lots for the job of sitting at the bottom as they descended. the ladder ! I always remember one of the Officers telling us that he had had a wonderful night out the night before and had not been allowed to pay for a drink. We offered to take him back there but he could'nt remember where it was but he remembered it was called by a girl's name , "Stella " and we were so drunk we even tried to find it ! Regle