Good Times and Goodbyes

Capt Bill Rogerson and Gwen Tutor

     When Gloria McCullar first stepped onto an aircraft as a Southern Airways Stewardess in 1964, air travel was glamorous, first class was First Class, and passengers still appreciated the marvel of being strapped into metal tubes and hurtled through time and space from one point to another.

     But as Gloria settled into her new profession, her questioning nature and ardent desire for a safer workplace opened her eyes. Not one to mince words, she opened her mouth. And in a flurry of charm, sharp wit, and uncommon common sense, “Miss Gloria” began a forty-year crusade as instructor, investigator and innovator which, upon her retirement this December, has produced a legacy of safety achievements that has forever changed the industry.

     In the early 1970’s, Gloria found a niche as a Recurrent Training Instructor and Competency Check Flight Attendant at Southern Airways, which would later be merged into Republic Airlines. These were the formative years, where with southern grit and the heart to match Gloria first worked to provide Flight Attendants with realistic, hands-on training and tools to ensure preparedness as the vital link to passenger safety and survivability.

     “Gloria championed the need for change,” said long-time safety-associate Jeanne Elliott, PFAA’s National Security & Regulatory Affairs Coordinator. “With a caring spirit and tenacity, Miss Gloria held those responsible for change accountable.”

     And change came swift and hard throughout the 1970s, 80s and 90s: airlines merged, unions changed, the industry aged, stewardesses became Flight Attendants; time and again airplanes crashed, and authorities turned more to crew members to help sort through the mysteries of disaster.

     First at Southern, then at Republic, and finally at Northwest Airlines, Gloria answered those changes, using her experience as an instructor to propel her into service as an investigator of four major crashes:

     • Southern Airways - Flight #242 – DC-9-30 – New Hope, GA – April 4, 1977 – “I was in the training department at the time – while I didn’t go to the crash site, I was responsible for all Flight Attendant training records, and also was called in to assist when Sandy Purl wanted to listen to the cockpit voice recorder,” Gloria recalled. Flight Attendant Purl, one of the crash survivors, pulled passengers from the burning wreckage in spite of her own serious injuries.

     • Republic Airlines – Flight #927 – Convair – Brainerd, MN – January 9, 1983 – “It was colder than heck, and they couldn’t figure out why the Flight Attendant had to manually inflate the slide at back door,” Gloria recalled. “We found that a small, narrow compartment in the galley had swung open, and knocked the slide pack cover cattywampus – I wrote a paper for the FAA explaining why the slide would not deploy automatically.”

     • Northwest Airlines - Flight #255 – MD-80 – Detroit - August 16, 1987 – “I helped the NTSB investigator out - they couldn’t figure out why the cockpit jump seat was still in the folded position although there was a jumpseater. We determined that pilot sat in an empty seat," Gloria remembered. “They also couldn’t figure out why the Flight Attendants were not in their harnesses – I told them the Flight Attendants must have jumped up to see what was going on.”

     • Northwest Airlines - runway incursion/ Flight #1482/DC-9 and Flight #299/B727 - Detroit December 3, 1990 – “As a result of this we got a third tail cone handle. It was thought that the cone didn’t deploy because it was improperly rigged – in reality, the tail cone handle was broken inside the tail cone area,” Gloria recalls.

     Elliott credits Gloria’s accident investigative efforts as proof of “the absolute value of Flight Attendant knowledge and experience being essential in the investigative process.” “Within FAA and NTSB circles, Gloria has been known for her factual approach and uncanny ability to see the cause and have a good feel for solutions.”

     Although much of Gloria’s experience springs from hours spent sifting through debris-laden fields of twisted steel and broken airplanes, it was a visit to Republic Airlines Atlanta hangar one day that eventually led to the innovation of the “Flight Attendant Green Advisory Light,” a.k.a. the “Green Light.”

     “One day I was at the Atlanta hangar during a heavy check on a DC-9,” Gloria recalled. “I got on the airplane and saw that the annunciator light panel was wired for another light – I spoke to ALPA about the sterile cockpit FAR coming into effect, and asked ‘Why can’t we use the green light to indicate that the cockpit is no longer sterile?’” Question to words; words to report – report adopted and questioning words change industry forever.

     When the company reconfigured the DC-9 fleet during the mid-90s, Gloria noticed that the new overhead oxygen compartments could no longer be popped open with a pin. “The PSU tool was promoted by Gloria in an effort to be able to consistently have an effective means to open a PSU unit and access oxygen masks if the compartment failed to open,” Elliott said. “With that suggestion, the PSU tool is now a standard piece of emergency equipment on all aircraft.”     

     Throughout this time, four unions and three companies relied on Gloria as the 24-in-7 first point of contact as the Safety and Health Emergency Response/Go-Team representative. “Gloria manages to answer all related emergency response and safety questions as they come to her,” said PFAA President Guy Meek, who has called Gloria a friend and associate for more than 30 years. “She always defends Flight Attendants with respect to safety related issues. For those of us who have had the pleasure of speaking with or flying with Gloria, these past years realize what a great loss it will be when Gloria retires.”

     Simultaneously, Gloria has from time to time had to care for her 84-year old mother, who for the past year-and-a-half has relied on her daughter to take her to kidney dialysis appointments. “When I’m not flying I spend most of my time helping my mom,” Gloria said. “It’s kind of tough to fly, still volunteer and do this too, so I’m retiring early to care for my mom.”

     What I’ll miss most is the camaraderie of fellow crew members and my safety work."

     Gloria’s legacy will live on as we reflect on the improvements made as a result of her untiring efforts. Her dedication to our ranks is the epitome of a true “safety professional.” Thank you, Miss Gloria, and best wishes in retirement.