a week and also continue to maintain their regular flight schedule. Now a days with a fleet of planes about ten times larger, and knowing a 747 could make a SEA-TYO round trip in less than a day, that might not be much of a problem. But, with DC-4’s much slower speeds, added time for intermediate refueling stops and more frequent lengthy maintenance checks, a round trip took about three days. This meant the need for five/six aircraft to meet the demand.

            While NWA had a number of DC-4’s in service at the time, not all were of a version that had adequate fuel capacity for the long Shemya-Tokyo leg of the trips. The regular domestic schedule also had to be maintained. To makeup the shortfall, four DC-4’s were provided by other carriers; two from TWA, and one each from Delta and Mexicana, but these were to be flown with NWA crews.

            Pilot availability was somewhat of a problem but cancelation of anticipated winter furloughts, recall of all furloughed pilots and the immediate hire of others quickly made up the shortfall. In those days, prior to GPS and other electronic navigation devices and services there was a need for a Navigator on at least the ANC/SYA/TYO segments of the flights. Employment of some twenty additional Navigators was required. Fortunately at that time there was a supply of World War II military trained Navigators working in other capacities but available on relatively short notice.

            Cabin crews also had to be augmented. For some reason, which we cannot now recall, a new position of Flight Steward was created for assignment to these flights. It may have been to avoid compromising the probable then existing requirement that cabin attendants had to have had prior medical training and/or to be fluent in at least one language other than English and preferablly one of the Oriental dialects. Maybe someone can recall the reasons and enlighten us.

            While, at that time Shemya, was an operating Air Force Base, the company had to provide for its own. Other than materials, which would be periodically flown unto the island, the majority of equipment, fuel and other necessities were barged in every few months from Seattle. Those trips had to be substantially increased. Additional personnel were also needed at SEA, ANC, SYA and TYO.

            Korean airlift flights were operated throughout the war and for a few months after the Peace Treaty was signed, but then at greatly reduced frequency. NWA also flew a DC-3 between Japan and Korea and. throughout Korea that was owned or leased by the United Nations. Those flights were operated as UN-99, but that’s another story.

            To put the challenge of those days in more perspective, the monthly lift and seats provided on the ten DC-4 weekly flights in the early 1950’s required: 60 pilots, 20 Navigators, 60 cabin attendants and the full commitment of six aircraft. Today’s 747 could provide that same lift with the use on about ¼ of one aircraft, utilizing four to five pilots, no Navigators and about a dozen cabin attendants.