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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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