TWA Operations Center in Paris. Flight Dispatch and Planning.

By Bob Mouilleseaux Director International Flight Operations.

After the Second ^World War (1939-1945), the USA gave two American airlines permission to operate overseas : PAA and TWA.

• Management also quickly realized that there was a need for an operational center for " Overseas " Europe, Africa, Asia, similar to what existed in the USA with the center in Kansas City. (This center is composed of flight dispatchers to ensure consistency across all flight dispatch centers ). PAA chose London and TWA chose Paris. (This was our great luck).
• The Flight Dispatch Paris center became Operational Planning, with the responsibility of managing all irregularities due to weather problems, mechanical problems, various strikes, etc. Before the departure of an aircraft from its home station, it is the "Schedule - Timetables" department that publishes the schedules/cities served. But as soon as the aircraft leaves its home station, Operational Planning is responsible for making all necessary decisions to allow the best return to normality, to satisfy passengers, taking into account all the parameters concerned; obviously this is also done with the relevant dispatch centers , Station Managers, etc. It must be remembered that the communications of the time were not at all those of today.
• Paris Operational Planning was also responsible for scheduling commercial crews ( Pursers /Hostesses) outside the USA.
• Paris Operational Planning was also responsible for using the C47 (based in Paris), replaced by the C82 to transport an engine/jet engine to a station with a broken aircraft and needing to replace the engine/jet engine.
• The planning manager would call the crew (often in the middle of the night) and prepare a flight plan. (Larry Trimble – Claude Girard – Pete Boe – Lucien Picolier and/or another mechanic were involved with the C82)
• It is important to note that aviation in the 1950s is not comparable to that of today. Planes carried fewer than 50 passengers, for long journeys, such as Paris-New York, there was a "multiple crew " with 3 pilots, 2 mechanics, 1 navigator, 1 radio operator (Morse code being used to communicate). Now large planes carry 500 passengers and there is no longer a radio operator, navigator and mechanic, we cross the Atlantic with 2 pilots!!!
• Similarly, at Paris/Orly, a dispatcher arriving for his 15-hour shift would go to metrology to pick up two wind forecast sheets at 500mbs and 700mbs for the Atlantic, and return to the office to work on a flight plan for the 22-hour flight from Paris to Shannon/Gander/New York. This took us about 2 hours!!! Nothing to do with the current computer that prepares the flight plan in a few minutes!!!