Literary Biography

DELORES MAE WOODS HUAJARDO August 11, 2022 Biography

I attended the excellent public schools in Cincinnati after we moved there from my birth town of Portsmouth, Ohio. After graduation from high school, I was the secretary in a K-8 school for two years before attending a small Presbyterian school, Maryville College in Tennessee. My exposure to choral and religious music as a member of the a cappella touring choir began my hobby of singing.

MAGIC MOMENTS IN FLIGHT

Delores Woods Huajardo

A series of magic moments occurred when another flight attendant and I were scheduled with a delightful crew of a first officer, a co-pilot and a flight engineer. This was a very special assignment and because Detroit was a small base for TWA, I had flown with this pilot on quite a few trips. In these very popular days of commercial passenger flights many crews worked entire assignments together providing opportunities to have meals together in famous restaurants in a destination city and also working the return flight as a crew team.

This time we were the only people in the cabin without any paying passengers in this, my favorite airplane, the latest and final model of the L1049, the Lockheed Super-G Constellation. Such great power emanated from four 3400 horsepower Wright turbo cyclone engines allowing shorter flight times and luxurious comfort with smoother flights to domestic and international destinations. The fuselage was shaped in the form of swimming sea creatures or the bodies of birds in flight and the three vertical tail stabilizers provided a steady comfortable ride. TWA, under Howard Hughes’ ownership, purchased 28 of the more fuel-efficient Super “Connies” from 1954 until the turbo-jets and Boeing 707 jet (which I also worked) appeared on the scene several years at the end of that decade.

Our special unique assignment was known as “ferrying the airplane” to another city where it was needed for a commercial or charter flight. Sometimes during thunderstormy weather a flight is diverted to another airport and an empty plane must be sent, after the weather clears, to assume the schedule of the diverted aircraft.

During this “ferry” flight I delivered coffee to the crew and stayed to chat with them. Sometimes they liked sharing information about the aircraft, instruments and the flight assignment we were on, if we were interested. I always was curious about everything to do with flying. As I was about to excuse myself and return to the cabin, Randy, the Captain, asked if I would like to sit in his seat to FLY THE PLANE? I gulped with surprise at such an unexpected and unique opportunity, but resumed my composure and eagerly said I would love to.