HONG KONG WINNER - Cathay Pacific
HONG KONG WINNER - Cathay Pacific
HONG KONG WINNER - Cathay Pacific
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eried Hong Kong Trader as it enters service<br />
ure – and past<br />
Original Trader paved the way for CX’s<br />
leading cargo role<br />
The rst dedicated freighter in the CX eet, a Boeing 707-320C,<br />
arrived in 1976 and ew around the region for the next six years.<br />
But it was the arrival of the rst Boeing 747 Freighter in<br />
1982 that really marked CX’s beginning as a serious player in<br />
the air cargo world – and the aircraft was given a name, Hong<br />
Kong Trader, to convey the leading role it would play in the<br />
revitalisation of Hong Kong’s foreign trade.<br />
“We decided emphatically that our commitment to air-freight<br />
was a long-term one and that the next step was the choice of a<br />
replacement for the 707F. The logical choice was a 747 freighter,”<br />
said Robert Atkinson, Cargo Sales Manager at the time.<br />
VR-HVY was actually a second-hand purchase, bought from<br />
British Airways when its cargo division was wound up, and<br />
it went through a big overhaul at HAECO to convert it to CX<br />
speci cations.<br />
HK Trader was “christened” in a ceremony at Kai Tak on<br />
30 April 1982 led by Lady YK Kan, with the festivities enriched<br />
by “two lovely Hong Kong ladies lowered from the aircraft in an<br />
AQ6 [unit load device]”.<br />
The aircraft went into service that same night, carrying<br />
more than 100 tonnes to Europe and putting CX on a path to<br />
becoming the world’s biggest international air cargo carrier.<br />
SHOWING THEY CARE: The students being helped by the PCCCI<br />
thanked their sponsors at the Chicago-themed party (above).<br />
Members got into the spirit of the occasion (below).<br />
Chicago bash marks<br />
year of good work<br />
It was Chicago all the way when<br />
the Philippine Cabin Crew Charities<br />
Inc (PCCCI) celebrated turning<br />
one on 4 November.<br />
The party, held at Valle Verde<br />
Six Clubhouse in Manila, had a<br />
Roaring 20s theme with more<br />
than 150 guests dressing up<br />
in the tradition of the Great<br />
Gatsby.<br />
Showing their support by<br />
joining the members for the<br />
event were General Manager<br />
Cabin Crew Liza Ng, Cabin<br />
Crew Line Manager – ISM & SP Kevin Ip and Cabin Crew Manager<br />
Steven Tsang, with Country Manager Philippines Martin Xu also<br />
dropping by.<br />
“It was great to see them there,” says one of the PCCCI organisers,<br />
Infl ight Service Manager Adelaida Padua.<br />
The PCCCI supports fi ve students attending the University of the<br />
Philippines Integrated School (UPIS) and has a similar arrangement<br />
with the University of the Philippines in the Visayas.<br />
“The students are given a monthly stipend to meet their school expenses<br />
and we meet up with them as much as possible as well as monitor<br />
their progress via school reports,” Adelaida says.<br />
“The students also came to the event and it was a great chance for<br />
them to meet the members. They mentioned how touched they were<br />
by the generosity shown to them, which has allowed them continue<br />
their education. I hope it will also inspire them to help others,” she<br />
adds.<br />
In its fi rst year, the PCCCI has also done community outreach in the<br />
form of feeding programmes and Christmas visits in the Philippines.<br />
More events are being planned for 2012 to help fund the projects and<br />
perhaps expand the reach to more students.<br />
“There are 10 core organisers doing the legwork and sending messages<br />
out, and it’s a lot of work to fi t around our schedules,” Adelaida<br />
says. “But it’s worth it.”<br />
Membership has been growing steadily with more than 150 paid-up<br />
members, most of them active or retired cabin crew.<br />
“We also have about 360 fans on the Facebook page,” Adelaida says.<br />
“Some are retired crew in Sydney, Toronto and Vancouver. This network<br />
is wasted if you don’t tap into it and you’d be amazed at the way they<br />
can get organised in their country and help out.”<br />
Search for “PCCCI friends” on Facebook for more information.<br />
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