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Sir Freddie Laker AVIATION PIONEER
& FOUNDER OF THE LOW-COST AIRLINE REVOLUTION INTRODUCTION I first met (Sir) Freddie (Laker) in 1973. I had just moved to Gatwick Airport from Luton and was working as a Ramp Coordinator for Gatwick Handling - the prominent ground handling company, jointly owned by Laker Airways and Dan Air - (Dan Air was another of Britain's large independent carriers, owned by Davies & Newman Shipping and now sadly gone.) One day, I was scheduled to meet one of Laker Airways' recently acquired DC-10's that had just arrived from Palma, Majorca. Laker's DC-10's were the first to arrive in Europe and were spectacular to see - especially close up. So "ramping" a DC-10 was always exciting. This day, sitting on the tarmac as I pulled up in my van was a Rolls Royce. If I'd bothered to look at the plates I'd have seen "FAL 1" and twigged, but I figured there must be some VIP passenger on board I hadn't been told about - whch was unusual. So I radioed Movement Control to check, and they said "oh don't worry, it's just Mr. Laker - we've organised (customs) pre-clearance on the aircraft and he doesn't need anything." A few minutes after the Customs Officer had boarded, Freddie Laker (who I'd only seen prior in magazines and on television) - suntanned, with his hair blowing in the wind appeared. He seemed larger than life in every respect as he bounded down the steps yelling "Hello Harry" to the chauffeur. He then saw me standing there and to my astonishment said "Hello Greg - how're you doing?" (I wasn't wearing a name badge and he had never set eyes on me before.) He jumped into the (front seat of the) Rolls and that was the last time I saw him for several months. When I boarded the aircraft, I said to the In-Flight Director "Mr. Laker just said "Hello Greg" to me - which is really odd as he's never seen me before." She replied "while we were waiting with the customs chap he saw you at the foot of the steps and asked me if I knew your name - and it was good that I did". She went on to explain that Mr. Laker always made a point of knowing everyone's name he came across and... that he remembered it as well. I made it an immediate priority to pursue a job with Laker Airways and landed one in early 1975 in the Operations Department. That relatively simple, early career move - inspired in part by the first encounter with Freddie - changed my entire life. For the next eighteen years, I had the greatest adventures any young man could dream of. I held huge positions of responsibility, traveled all over the world, and was given the trust and latitude to fulfill my own professional and personal ambitions. In all the roles I played while associated with (Sir) Freddie, I always felt we were doing something incredibly worthwhile. Freddie Laker was my boss, mentor, business partner, and my friend. He will be missed.
Greg
Dix
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YOUR STORY
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you wish to contribute a photo, your story |
LINKS Freddie
Allen Laker will be posting news and material about his father
on his company's site www.ichameleongroup.com |
