Claude Girard LEGEND

A Frenchman at TWA With Enormous Responsabilities

(Article Published in ICARE Magazine in 1966).

His name is Claude Girard. He is 45 years old. He is French and one can find him at Orly Airport in a comfortable and functional office where he fills the functions of the TWA Director Flight Operations Interntional Region. He is one of the very few French nationals to have held such an important post in an American airline, or probably any other big American firm in France. When he talks about his company he says "one starts from scratch - TWA takes nothing for granted". For example, the new problems and challenges faced by Flight Operations in opening the new East African lines to Nairobi and Dar es Salaam. He speaks American English. There is no pretention in this strong, open minded man - "it's true", he admits, " I have difficulty speaking French in my job as only half of my co-workers are French, the other half are American". As Director of Flight Operations International Region, Claude Girard, covers the biggest region of TWA, i.e, all of the world outside of the U.S where the other three regions are located: Pacific Western, Regional Exchange and the Atlantic.

This post carries enormous responsibilities for a French national. His background: "I did a little flying before the war and then during the French occupation, along with many other young Frenchmen, I crossed the Pyrenées to Spain where i spent some harrowing weeks before going on to North Africa to join the C.F.P.N.A (American crew training centre). From there, I was sent along with many others to the United States where I became part the 9th detachment and dismayed to have to learn to fly all over again. I was retained as Instructor at Turnerfiled, Georgia until March 1946. I wanted to become a trainee pilot for Air France at the time, but the positions were few and and far between. I was told by Air France that, if accepted, I would have to begin my training all over again. But I was convinced that I had nothing more to learn.

 

 

About that time, TWA begin flying internationally and it was said that they might be hiring foreign pilots. The head of international Operations for TWA, told me that although he couldn't yet promise me a job as a pilot, he proposed that, while waiting, I accept a job in the Flight Dispatch office at Orly Airport, which I did. So after one year, I was incorporated into the Superbursar Flying Dispatch Europe and my luck was that Paris-Orly as TWA's base for all international operations. In 1949, to enlarge my experience, I was assigned the job of assistant Manager Airport Services and in that same year, I was sent to be TWA's representative in Switzerland after the opening of that station in 1950. Six monts later I returned to Paris.

in 1952, the Vice-president Transportation, Larry Trimble, was successful in getting a DC3 aircraft to be based in Paris and to be used as a spare aircraft. He took Claude Girard as his co-pilot. "That is when I started flying again. In 1957 I was sent to Kansas City for pilot training and, on my return, I was transferred to Flight Operations. In 1960 I was trained on Boeing aicraft and in 1962, when the head pilot of TWA based at Orly Airport returned to the U.S I replaced him for 2 years. Then in 1964 I was promoted to Director Flight Operations international Region." And now? "Now, I must say that up to now I have had a unique career path. I did face some difficulties along they way - in the beginning the U.S pilot unions were wary of me and I have to say I understood their resentment. Everyone was fighting for jobs and there was lots of competition. At the beginning they also doubted my technical abilities, which, I must admit dissipated rapidly. Now all contacts are cordial, even with people that I don't personally know. 

dreams are made of for all those fascinated by air transportation."

 

 

 

Thank you Mr. Girard, I was very proud to have been part of your team for several decades.  FDO marc brécy.

(Why did ICARE interview Claude Girard? Because this issue if focused on American aviation, and because he is an exceptional man and has had an exceptional career. It is not often one meets a 45 year old Frenchman who has spent his whole career in an American company, holding a post of responsibility as head of flight operations fot the international region in an airline tha takes nothing for granted...even the nationality of its highest management.)