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WE LEFT IDLEWILD SHORTLY AFTER NOON ON APRIL 16th.  IT WAS RAINING, THE CEILING WAS LOW AND THE VISIBILITY POOR.

THE AIRPLANE WAS A BRAND NEW DC-6B.  IT WAS MAKING ITS FIRST TRANS-ATLANTIC FLIGHT (AND SO WAS I).

WE TOOK OFF AND IT WASN’T LONG BEFORE WE WERE CRUISING AT 19,000 FT. HIGH ABOVE THE WEATHER.

AFTER FOUR HOURS AND FIFTEEN MINUTES WE LANDED AT GANDER, NEWFOUNDLAND JUST AS IT WAS GETTING DARK.  WE WENT TO THE FLIGHT DISPATCH OFFICE AND LOOKING OVER THE WEATHER ON THE TELETYPE CIRCUITS WE NOTICED THAT IDLEWILD WAS ZERO/ZERO AND ALL THE AIRPORTS IN THE NEW YORK AREA WERE CLOSED.  GUESS WE GOT OUT JUST IN TIME.

THIS AIRPORT (GANDER) IS DIFFERENT FROM ANY AIRPORT IN THE WORLD IN THAT IT DOES NOT SERVE ANY CITY OR METROPOLITAN AREA.  ITS PRIMARY PURPOSE IS TO REFUEL TRANS-ATLANTIC AIRPLANES.  IT WAS ORIGINALLY BUILT AS A MILITARY BASE AND AFTER THE WAR IT WAS TURNED OVER TO CIVILIAN AUTHORITIES.  WE WERE THERE LESS THAN AN HOUR AND THEN TOOK OFF FOR LONDON.

AFTER DINNER WE READ MAGAZINES AND WHEN IT WAS TIME TO GO TO SLEEP ALL THE LIGHTS EXCEPT THE AISLE LIGHTS WERE PUT OUT.  WE PUSHED BACK THE SEATS AS FAR AS THEY WOULD GO AND WITH A COUPLE OF PILLOWS AND A BLANKET WE WENT TO SLEEP.  WHEN WE WOKE UP THE NEXT MORNING WE WERE ALMOST THERE.

THE TRANS-ATLANTIC CROSSING FROM GANDER TO LONDON TOOK A LITTLE LESS THAN NINE HOURS.