Lögberg-Heimskringla - 15.07.2013, Síða 2

Visit us on the web at http://www.lh-inc.ca
2 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • July 15 2013
The small nation of Iceland embraced aviation from the first
get go. The islanders have
always been eager to travel to
see the exciting world on the
other side of the big ocean,
and they felt that the advent of
air travel would be important
in that regard. During the last
World War many Icelanders
went to Canada and the United
States to learn to
fly airplanes. Soon
after the war a variety of
aircraft, DC-3 Dakotas,
Ansons, Grumman and
Catalina flying boats, some
war surplus, started flying
domestic routes on the island.
Around 1950 Icelandic Air
Lines, LOFTLEIÐIR, bought
the first four engine DC-4
Skymaster and started crossing
the Atlantic.
The main routes were
between New York, the Nordic
countries and Luxembourg,
with a stopover in Iceland. The
flight from Reykjavík to New
York could take from 12 to
17 hours. The Skymaster was
not pressurized and normally
flew at altitudes between eight
and 12 thousand feet, and
consequently there was plenty
of turbulence, so the paperbags
in the seatback pockets were
in frequent use. The aircraft
could carry 68 passengers and
the speed was less than half of
that of the modern jetliner. The
weather at these low altitudes
was a big factor. Headwinds or
tailwinds were the reason for
the spread between the 12 and
17 hours. Most of the time the
planes had to refuel at Gander
in Newfoundland or Goose Bay
in Labrador.
The Grand Duchy of
Luxembourg, in the heart of
Europe, was selected because
it did not have an international
airline and was thus not affected
by IATA. The International Air
Transport Association was, and
still is, the association of most
of the world’s airlines that,
among other things, oversaw
fare structures to prevent
underbids. Icelandic Air Lines
did not belong to the group,
and was therefore free to set its
own fares, and was offering the
lowest prices for crossing the
Atlantic. Because of this, the
main European IATA airlines,
such as Lufthansa, KLM,
and Air France, pressured
their governments to deny the
Icelanders landing rights in
their countries. So, Icelandic
Air Lines decided to put
Luxembourg on the map.
Business was booming for
the Icelanders and the planes
were almost always full. These
were the times of the hippies
and the backpackers. Icelandic
Air Lines (IAL) was sometimes
called the hippie airline. They
used the planes that the big
airlines were retiring. They
bought the DC-4s when they
were being replaced by the DC-
6s, and when the first Boeing
707 jets started flying, Icelandic
Air Lines bought the DC-6s.
They were always one airplane
model behind. Consequently
they were slower. And they
used that in their advertising:
“We are slower, but we are
lower”. Sometimes they
struggled to keep the flights
on time. The competitors made
fun of them and said that IAL
actually stood for “I'm always
late”. Many baby boomers
and older people in the States
remember IAL fondly. It
offered them an inexpensive
way to get to Europe, many
for the first time. They also
liked the good service from
the pretty, young stewardesses.
Bill Clinton, former President
of the U.S., was one admirer,
flying Icelandic when he was
going to Oxford on his Rhodes
scholarship.
In September 1955 your
reporter was stuck in New
York City for a few days. He
had been an exchange student
at Cornell University and
spent the summer working as
a bellhop at the Ausable club
in the Adirondack mountains.
Despite the low fares on
Icelandic Air Lines, he could
save a bit of money by taking
the steamer home. The Eimskip
freighters had regular sailings
to New York, but this particular
boat had been delayed because
of bad weather. So he waited
three days, staying at the
Collingwood Hotel, which
happened to be the place that
the crews from IAL called
home while in the big city.
There were six people in each
crew, four on the flight deck and
two stewardesses. They had a
Thórir S. Gröndal
Florida
Erla’s stepfather, Magnús Richardson picks her up after a flight
PhotoS courteSy of thórir and erla gröndal
with love
From Iceland
114th Annual Deuce of August Icelandic celebration
Arið tvö þúsund og þrettán (2013)
Mountain, north Dakota
“Hvað er svo
glatt sem góðra
vina fundur?”
“What is as joyful
as a gathering
of good friends?”
Friday, august 2nd
4:00 PM GenealoGy Center
Mountain Community Center
4:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Alfred Hanson - Woodworking display
Kathleen Johnson Ness - Watercolor Art
5:00 PM Mountain leGion Fish Fry
Main Street
9:00 PM street danCe
Main Street of Mountain
Music by “Tripwire”
saturday, august 3rd
10:30 aM Parade
Main Street
Parade will be broadcast live on
KXPO AM 1340
Mountain American Legion
Flag Disposal Ceremony immediately
following parade
11:00 aM Vikur salad lunCheon
Vikur Church basement
11:30 aM GenealoGy Center & souVenir
sales
Mountain Community Center
11:30 AM - 6:00 PM
12 noon Car show and shine
Main Street of Mountain
12 noon kids inFlatable GaMes
Main Street of Mountain
12:30 PM Pedal traCtor Pull
For kids and adults
Main Street of Mountain
2:00 PM heritaGe ProGraM
Mountain Community Center
Keynote Speaker: His Excellency
Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson,
Prime Minister of Iceland

saturday Cont.
5:00 PM old tiMe danCe
Mountain American Legion
5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
6:00 PM iCelandiC CoMMunities
international FellowshiP suPPer
Mountain Community Center
9:00 PM street danCe
Main Street of Mountain
Music by “Back for More”
10:30 PM Fireworks

sunday, august 4th
11:00 aM worshiP serViCe
Borg Home Lawn
Catered Brunch to follow at the
Mountain Community Center
1:00 PM GenealoGy Center & souVenir sales
Mountain Community Center
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
1:00 PM north dakota state traCtor &
PiCkuP PullinG Contest
West of Mountain Community Center
Cash raFFle drawinGs
to be held after Tractor Pull
West of Mountain Community Center
august 2nd - august 4th, 2013
Visit us at www.august2nd.com
Parade Grand Marshals
John h. and darlene Jonson
honorary Parade Marshal
reverend eGill fafnis
Follow us on Facebook
for instant updates!
The Souvenir Booth will also be selling Icelandic Hardfish, Saturday Evening Supper Tickets, and Raffle Tickets
for the cash raffle. Traditional Icelandic foods will be available at the Akra Snack Shack after the parade
on Saturday. Cash raffle prizes of $1,000 and $500 will be awarded, with the drawings to be held at the
conclusion of the Tractor Pull on Sunday, August 4th.