Chic Eather
Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 180
Likes: 2
From: At Home
Chic Eather
I got a copy of his book, "the tales of Betsy" that came out last year and had him sign it. I met him in CX city and he signed it.
I was flipping through it tonight and noticed he wrote,
"C.S.V.U.-Always"
Anyone know what this means?
As I'm typing it I think I figured it out, "clear skies, vis unlimited"?
I was flipping through it tonight and noticed he wrote,
"C.S.V.U.-Always"
Anyone know what this means?
As I'm typing it I think I figured it out, "clear skies, vis unlimited"?
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 673
Likes: 0
From: Out of the pollution.
try here..
5 available.. 4..now.. I just bought one.
5 available.. 4..now.. I just bought one.
Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 180
Likes: 2
From: At Home
Sorry I didn't have the book in front of me when I was asking the question and couldn't remember the exact name. It may be late now but I believe they also sell it at the CX gift shop. It's in interesting look at CX's early days from an original pilot.
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 161
Likes: 0
From: Asia
Dymocks in Tung Chung mall have two copies of " The Amazing Adventures of Betsy and Nicki " on the shelf. (as of yesterday Wed 30 Nov 2011 ".
OP.
OP.
Last edited by Ocean Person; 1st December 2011 at 05:43. Reason: wrong date
Joined: Apr 2002
Aviation Qualifications: PPL
Posts: 734
Likes: 28
From: Australia
Flex
From memory I think the book you may be looking for is called 'From Betsy to Boeing' although not sure if Chic wrote it. The Swire family commissioned someone to write the history of CX.
There was another historical book around by Chic called something like 'Tales from Old Kai Tak'.
It was published more than 20 years ago so not sure if it is still in print.
Chic is still on deck on the Gold Coast so you may try finding him via Google and sending a message.
From memory I think the book you may be looking for is called 'From Betsy to Boeing' although not sure if Chic wrote it. The Swire family commissioned someone to write the history of CX.
There was another historical book around by Chic called something like 'Tales from Old Kai Tak'.
It was published more than 20 years ago so not sure if it is still in print.
Chic is still on deck on the Gold Coast so you may try finding him via Google and sending a message.
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 1,124
Likes: 16
From: GC Paradise
I have read Beyond Lion Rock: The Story of Cathay Pacific Airways by Gavin Young which you may be referring to?
It is a good read and exudes the pioneering excitement and wonderful good feelings that the Company and and all its employees equally shared before the rot set it some 20 years ago now!
Many of the worthless management scum that followed were exposed in the book, "The 49ers - The True Story" by John Warham...but of course that is a more recent tale!
It's funny how many people don't read books anymore and thus their knowledge of history relies upon idle and mostly inaccurate alcohol driven bar chit chat...alas.
It is a good read and exudes the pioneering excitement and wonderful good feelings that the Company and and all its employees equally shared before the rot set it some 20 years ago now!
Many of the worthless management scum that followed were exposed in the book, "The 49ers - The True Story" by John Warham...but of course that is a more recent tale!
It's funny how many people don't read books anymore and thus their knowledge of history relies upon idle and mostly inaccurate alcohol driven bar chit chat...alas.
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 635
Likes: 0
From: All over
Flex,
You make a valid point. I have asked friends, colleagues, girlfriends "does this sort of gossip,vitriol, lies, innuendo go on in your job/industry?" And everytime the answer is "yes"!!!!
We r not alone.
You make a valid point. I have asked friends, colleagues, girlfriends "does this sort of gossip,vitriol, lies, innuendo go on in your job/industry?" And everytime the answer is "yes"!!!!
We r not alone.
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 76
Likes: 0
From: hong kong
Chic Eather
B to B (sic) was written by ex CX skipper and historian, Martin Willing..a slightly sanitized account and a tag trainspotting of CX and it's a/c history..more about sourcing and the whereabouts of cx aircraft etc. Gavin Young, the author of ..Beyond Lion Rock..sadly died in 2001 but was actually commissioned to write a Quasi definitive account of the development of CX. It was basically an attempt to redefine, more formally, the true descriptive of the CX story by a bona fide writer...possibly usurping Chic's pilot based account in Syd's Pirates. The latter was and is a historical narrative that remains accurate although slightly dislocated in it's writing style but the Young read is undoubtedly a good account of the years from 1946 to around 1992. If you're a CX anorak, your library should include, Beyond Lion Rock, Syds Pirates and from B to Betsy... The Nicky account is a coffee table journal, interesting but with glib narrative!!
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 161
Likes: 0
From: Asia
Kai Tak for those who were there:
" Kai Tak the Final Decade by Robbie Shaw ( published UK in 1996 by Airlife Publishing Ltd ) is something special for those who were there. One hundred and twenty coloured high quality gloss pages of photographs showing approaches and ground operations of just about all the airlines operating into Kai Tak immediately prior to moving to Chek Lap Kok.
Pure nostalgia and well worth the effort to find. The book reminds all that Kai Tak was without doubt a place of aviation magic.
OP.
Pure nostalgia and well worth the effort to find. The book reminds all that Kai Tak was without doubt a place of aviation magic.
OP.
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 61
Likes: 0
Having met Chic a few years ago he seemed a nice enough chap - however I believe he almost never gave away a sector.
An STC I flew with when I joined related the following story:
Four sector day in fine weather in a Convair - HKG to Jesselton (Kota Kinabalu) on to KL - back via BKK(?) etc. On the last sector the STC (then a junior F/O) says "Chic I have a Line Check tomorrow, any chance of PF on the last sector home?" Response: "I'm not paid to be a Training Captain". He did all four.
I reckon a true CX hero was Capt. Phil Blown (died last year) and his crew on CX 712, BKK-HKG, 23/7/54 who under gunfire from Chinese fighters successfully ditched their DC-4, VR-HEU off Hainan. Everyone who wan't killed by gunfire survived the ditching although one passenger died of injuries on the way back to HK (rescued from the life rafts by USAF flying Boats from Subic).
Oldie but a goodie from the put upon F/O:
Capt: "I Have control" F/O: "Sigh.......
You always have control"
An STC I flew with when I joined related the following story:
Four sector day in fine weather in a Convair - HKG to Jesselton (Kota Kinabalu) on to KL - back via BKK(?) etc. On the last sector the STC (then a junior F/O) says "Chic I have a Line Check tomorrow, any chance of PF on the last sector home?" Response: "I'm not paid to be a Training Captain". He did all four.
I reckon a true CX hero was Capt. Phil Blown (died last year) and his crew on CX 712, BKK-HKG, 23/7/54 who under gunfire from Chinese fighters successfully ditched their DC-4, VR-HEU off Hainan. Everyone who wan't killed by gunfire survived the ditching although one passenger died of injuries on the way back to HK (rescued from the life rafts by USAF flying Boats from Subic).
Oldie but a goodie from the put upon F/O:
Capt: "I Have control" F/O: "Sigh.......
You always have control"
Joined: Oct 2001
Aviation Qualifications: Aircrew (non-pilot)
Posts: 111
Likes: 0
From: Australia
pjac
Chic was not alone, in not giving a sector away-he had quite a few colleagues. All this came about when the troops became pissed off with (a) the slow rate of new commands and (b), the seemingly "Special" selection of those appointed to "The Brownies". The F/Os of course, were the former group whilst the latter were wannabe "Brownies" who were not given the nod. To counter what seemed to be, the company's unfair selection, a group of line captains publicly announced, that though more training captains were needed, management were not responding to the shortage and they, the group of line captains concerned, were going to emphasize this-by not giving sectors away. Because of the true progressive nature of CX, there was always heaps of latent ambition-though not always accompanied by ability-and this particular event was a product of a strategy that produced a constant stream of ambitious chaps shouting, "Hey, look at me"!
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 227
Likes: 0
From: Hong Kong
I flew with a significant number of the 70's-80's vintage CN's during the mid 90's and onwards.
The "old school" had it's way of doing business. But the profession would have been significantly advanced by more progressive Commanders. They would never ask "next time what would you do differently??" etc.
Shame on the Captain who does not take on the opportunity to educate and develop his crew. Sectors should be given away and briefed/debriefed for the benefit of the crew. This should be done in a way so that your F/O (etc) should be ready for Command when it comes.
I got minimal support/development during my early years in this Company. But it is down to the rest of us here now to put things right.
The "old school" had it's way of doing business. But the profession would have been significantly advanced by more progressive Commanders. They would never ask "next time what would you do differently??" etc.
Shame on the Captain who does not take on the opportunity to educate and develop his crew. Sectors should be given away and briefed/debriefed for the benefit of the crew. This should be done in a way so that your F/O (etc) should be ready for Command when it comes.
I got minimal support/development during my early years in this Company. But it is down to the rest of us here now to put things right.
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 1,124
Likes: 16
From: GC Paradise
Four sector day in fine weather in a Convair - HKG to Jesselton (Kota Kinabalu) on to KL - back via BKK(?) etc. On the last sector the STC (then a junior F/O) says "Chic I have a Line Check tomorrow, any chance of PF on the last sector home?" Response: "I'm not paid to be a Training Captain". He did all four.
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 381
Likes: 0
From: Asia
Capt Eather was good at a number of things but, by all accounts, flying fast slippery big jets was not one of them. He was a black belt in judo and a good teacher of same by all accounts.
The advent of the CV880 frightened the bejesus out of a number of the older brigade who had progressed from DC3 to DC4/6/6B and Electra.
As a consequence they were too worried about their own competence to be able to manage monitoring someone else doing a sector, assuming, normally wrongly, that the F/O probably had the same tenuous grip on things that they themselves had.
There were only a very few that didn't give away every second sector. It was no act of defiance against the company as stated earlier in this thread but simply a manifestation of insecurity.
As an historical footnote, Capt Eather's last flight in the company on the 707 involved a rather sweaty RTO on Rwy13.
The advent of the CV880 frightened the bejesus out of a number of the older brigade who had progressed from DC3 to DC4/6/6B and Electra.
As a consequence they were too worried about their own competence to be able to manage monitoring someone else doing a sector, assuming, normally wrongly, that the F/O probably had the same tenuous grip on things that they themselves had.
There were only a very few that didn't give away every second sector. It was no act of defiance against the company as stated earlier in this thread but simply a manifestation of insecurity.
As an historical footnote, Capt Eather's last flight in the company on the 707 involved a rather sweaty RTO on Rwy13.