January 27, 2006


Tales of Aviation History

Memories of a Pan Am Stewardess

By Donna H. Eliason
Staff Writer

When recalling her career as a stewardess for Pan Am Airlines, Jane Gottschall has quite a list of stories to tell.

Jane Gottschall, now 80, enjoys oil painting and a round of golf now and then, which is why she moved to The Villages in Evergreen a decade ago. Photo by Donna H. Eliason

For instance, in l945, a 20-year-old Gottschall was newly hired as a stewardess for the previous men-only Pan Am Airlines when she heard this comment from a passenger:

“Why aren’t those propellers moving?” the passenger pointed to the starboard engine on the DC-3 plane.

Gottschall, now 80, remembers, “I glanced out the window and saw three blades, silent and still. It was the first time I had ever seen a ‘feathered engine’, and there was no cockpit call.”

Before public address systems, captains communicated with the cabin via electric bells. A specific number of rings conveyed a particular message. Needing information, Jane opened the cockpit door and asked, “Captain Cornwell, that motor out there on the right side, I mean ‘engine’ that has stopped- what should I tell the passengers?”

Then the other engine sputtered. Since ground communication was available only near airports, the radio operator typed a Morse code SOS. The captain decided to land at La Libertad, a small opening in the Guatemalan Peten jungle about l5 minutes away.

Jane calmly announced the plan to the 21 passengers as if the stop was routine. When she saw the starboard engine start spinning, she told passengers everything was fine.

A passenger asked, “Well, why’s the other engine feathered?”

The plane descended quickly, causing a rapid cabin pressure decrease.

“Fifteen minutes in an aircraft with both engines barking spits and threats can be an eternity. The pilots had turned the engines on and off alternately to gather as much power as could be mustered,” said Jane. “The earth appeared to be coming to us, not our going to it. I saw no clearing. Fear came upon even the most courageous, when suddenly there was no sound outside, not even the wind. Both engines were extinguished. We were floating down.”

“Years later,” she added, “When asked about this flight, I would say I was too young to be really frightened and too busy to think about fear.”

This was the first of many memorable airline experiences for Jane.

Dad says to get a job
Born and raised in New Orleans, 20-year-old Jane followed her father’s advice to apply for the reservation clerk position in Pan Am’s Latin American division. After several months, Pan Am opened stewardess positions to single women less than 27 years old. She had just enough French and passable Spanish to meet the requirements.

“Instead of arranging trips for others, I wanted to go too. I wanted to meet people and see what there was to see,” she said.

Tourism Began in the l950’s
Since extensive tourism didn’t begin until the late l950s, most travelers were government agency employees and celebrities. Alfred Hitchcock, Edward G. Robinson, Marilyn Monroe, Bob Hope, Red Skelton, Art Linkletter, John Denver, Tennessee Williams, Jackie Robinson and Frank Sinatra are a few notables on Gottschall’s flights.

She remembers seating Frank Sinatra who entered with a “combative mood” because the plane was late without giving him notice.

Jane offered to reseat him after she realized a toddler and crying baby were across the aisle. He refused, saying he chose that seat because of the legroom. Soon he asked her to warm the baby’s bottle.

“Later I saw ‘Blue Eyes’ coming down the aisle to our DC-4 galley with a baby bottle in one hand and his other hand holding the baby. He claimed the milk was cold and proceeded to show me how to test the milk in a baby’s bottle,” said Gottschall.

Early Airlines Provided Deluxe Services
Early plane service had deluxe features such as separate lavatories for ladies and men, food served by courses, sleeping berths, and seats where passengers could stretch out.

Jane Gottschall, a resident of The Villages in Evergreen, was only 20 years old when she signed on to be a reservation clerk in Pan Am’s Latin American division. A few months later, she signed on to be a stewardess for Pan Am, reasoning that “instead of arranging trips for others, I wanted to go too.”

Gottschall remembers working long shifts, sometimes 24 hours, arriving exhausted at a hotel in the middle of the night and finding no showers, completing one shift before learning another one was scheduled in a few hours. Her job could vary from sewing a pilot’s torn trousers to comforting a frightened caged dachshund.

She also remembers Pan Am giving the stewardess’ per diem expenses in local currency during international flight layovers, enabling them to see local cultures before the growth of tourism and the later vast changes brought through technology. One special memory is the fragrance of the Guatemalan trees and flowers that could be detected from her packed clothing when she returned home.

Airlines Provided New Opportunities for Women
Gottschall considers herself a pioneer, not only in the quickly changing world of aviation, but also in the expansion of women’s opportunities. A special bond exists between the stewardesses, highlighted by yearly reunions scheduled around the world.

In l959, she became a San Francisco Pan Am supervisor until the signs of future difficulties encouraged her and 85 other Bay Area employees to take a retirement package, entitling them to lifelong pensions.

During the last l0 years, Gottschall has followed her mother’s example to oil paint. Her favorite scenes are ones with flowers.

Because of her passion for golf, she chose a home in The Villages that overlooks the l6th hole a decade ago. She also volunteers in The Villages library and boutique.

Drawn by a fascination with history, she’s researched her family genealogy through the Internet and by visiting numerous county courthouses. This resulted in discovering her long lost maternal relatives in Illinois.

More Stories can Be Found in Her Book
Jane self-published a book, copyrighted in l998 about her stewardess experiences based upon her dairies, her aviation log and her letters to her parents. The book, As Pistons Flew, may be ordered from Xlibris by calling l-888-795- 4274 ext. 876 or online at www.xlibris.com.