Tales from the cockpit: Pearl Harbor

[trof]

Although I already had several hundred hours in the 747 at TWA, when I hired on at Nippon Cargo I had to go through their training program.
There's the American Way, and the Japanese Way, and they're very different.

After ground school and simulator we started line training. That entailed going on actual working flights with a Japanese instructor/check pilot.
Captain Ito was an older pilot, several years my senior.
He was a strict taskmaster in the cockpit, but when we hit the ground for a layover he was a party guy.

One night we were in Anchorage at a little bar and grill next to the hotel. It was December 7 and the usual stuff about Pearl harbor was on TV news in the bar.
Ito was drinking Long Island Tea.
Yeah, I know.
He was buying rounds and insisted that the crew join him.
So I sipped on my 'tea', slowly. Musn't offend.
Ito drank his down and ordered another.
And then another.
He was getting extremely 'loose'.

Now the Japanese usually don't like close physical contact.
But Ito looked at me for several seconds, then got up and walked around the table. Put his arm around me.
And VERY seriously said "Trof-san? Pearl Harbor? BIG mistake!"
I could only agree.
"Yes, Ito-san. Big mistake."
well, I guess we didn't have to talk about that any more.
;-)

[Bunny]

1. Hahaha! That's funny!

I enjoy your tales from the cockpit, I hope you keep them coming. :thumbsup:

[trof]

2. Thanks, Bunny. You're my best critic.

:-)

[KamaAina]

3. The visitors at the Arizona Memorial are about evenly divided

between Americans and Japanese.

Heartwarming stories of reconciliation are de rigueur hereabouts around September December 7.

edit: spelling

[trof]

6. Pearl Harbor Day was a bit of a touchy subject.

I kind of admired Ito for approaching it head on.

When I decided to accept the offer of employment with the Japanese, I was a little worried about how a close friend would feel about it.

She's Dutch. Her father was a professional soldier. Officer in the Dutch army. They were stationed in Burma when war broke out. She and her entire family spent a few years in a Japanese internment camp. It was damned grim. Her grandparents died in the camp due to disease and starvation.

When I was considering the job at Nippon, I asked her how she would feel about that.
She was very gracious and said I should do whatever would further my career.
Then she said "I have something I want to give you. I've wanted to get rid of it for years."

Next evening she stopped in for a drink and gave me a Japanese battle flag.

She got it when her camp was liberated.
The Japanese abhor that flag now. Like the Germans and the swastika.
I still have it.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. My dear Trof!

I love it! I'm so pleased you're telling us these stories...

And, BTW, just what are the rules about drinking for the Japanese? I know they're pretty strict here...

:hi:

[trof]

8. Rules about drinking for Japanese? You're kidding.

Or do you mean for pilots?
Oh sure.
There was the standard "12 hours between bottle and throttle."
Often observed in the breach.
:-(

On fairly short layovers you did hold the drinking down to a minimum.
But at Nippon, most of our layovers were at least 24 hours.
And I had several 2 and 3 day layovers.
We tried to remain relatively sober the night before departure.
:-)

Ito and I were on night one of a two day layover in ANC.

I learned that the Japanese seemed to be more susceptible to the effects of strong drink. I think it's a metabolic condition. I found could drink most of them under the table.
A fact that I'm not particularly proud of, but there it is.
:shrug:

[Droopy]

5. lol

That's funny. :D

What year was that? How long did you fly for that carrier?

[trof]

9. 1989. I flew for Nippon for 10 years. Until I retired.

I started with TWA in 1968.
In late '88 TWA got a contract to supply crews for Nippon.
They were just starting up and we were their first air crews.
36 of us. 12 cockpit crews.
Captain, copilot, and flight engineer.

I was kinda bored with what I was doing at TWA, so I raised my hand.
"Yeah, I'd like to try that."

And thus began one of the weirdest, funniest, most surreal jobs I've ever had in aviation.

I'll tell more about that later.

[sammythecat]

7. Good. Another one

What year was this?

[trof]

10. See above.

Glad you like it.
:-)

[trof]

11. How many would be offended if I posted in Japlish the way it really was?

Having worked for them for 10 years, I have a great respect for them and their culture. I don't consider it to be racist, but it does add a certain flavor to some of my tales.

Japlish was the term originated by a Japanese friend and co-worker.
It combines their difficulty with English pronunciations of 'Vs', and 'Ls' and the co-opting of English words into their vocabulary.

Example: Japanese always tack on 'san' to your name. Especially in more formal situations. It means roughly 'honored one'.

My last name is Lambard.
So I was 'Rambard-san' to my Japanese friends.
The closest I can come to their pronunciation of 'V' is 'Bree'.
So...how many are gonna be pissed if I render these reminiscences in their original form?
Just askin'?
:shrug:

[GOPisEvil]

12. Speaking just for myself, I read the Japanese parts with an accent.

Then again, I have a lot of experience with Japanese-accented English. :)

[trof]

13. So, that's a yea, or nay?

So many are so easily offended here.
I'm leaning toward telling them the way I heard them and let the rough end drag.

How would Mark Twain read if it were all in 'standard' English?
Nevermind.
I think I just answered my own question.
:-)

[GOPisEvil]

14. I wouldn't.

No sense in ruining a perfectly good thread with the over-reactions of the "no sense of humor" club.