USA, SOUTH AMERICA- Brasil, and EUROPEAN “specialized” logistics:

 A long time ago (photo of N122AE by PULK:  circa winter of 1966), in a far – far away place (Detroit Metro Airport, Michigan USA); lived a young man – David Pulk, who started his “industry” career with THE Flying Tiger Line. 

Concurrent with university studies, he worked as a “ramp rat”, qualified as ramp supervisor, loadmaster, and later acted as flight manager on CL-44D aircraft.  This was  “pre-JET age” in the air cargo business!

Mr. Pulk worked during his university studies at Flying Tiger Line, and in fact flew on board this aircraft on several occasions – including flights to SouthEast Asia, and the more mundane locations in Alaska, Canada, and USA (eg. Binghampton, NY; Chicago, IL; Los Angeles, CA; and Cleveland, OH).

During the Vietnam era, Flying Tiger Line held a number of DCSR-contracts for the US-military, and it was not unusual to see the “FTL-emblem” in Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, and Alaska.

Graduating in 1970, and armed with a B.S. degree in majors of Geology and Mathematics, Mr. Pulk began his “forwarding service” – opened the Detroit office of Circle Air Freight (then a subsidiary of The Harper Group), and acting in the capacity of District Manager.  During the “Circle days” of the next 11-1/2 years, aircraft N122AE was virtually forgotten.

In 1981, Mr. Pulk joined Air Express International (aka: AEI), then based in Stamford, Connecticut, USA reporting to the President, Mr. Joseph N. Berg, (rightfully already in the 80s, a well known and respected “industry guru”).

One of Mr. Pulk’s responsibilities was to oversee the (revenue) sale of cargo (and operations) for the fleet, wherein AEI was responsible for the sales – effectively acting as exclusive GSA for its own fleet of aircraft.  AEI flew N122AE on scheduled “charter” flights between USA-to-Puerto Rico and USA-to-London over the next years, and this aircraft frequently was seen at JFK-airport during normal operations.

In late 1983, Mr. Pulk joined the upcoming “young” Company – Intertrans Corporation, based out of Dallas, Texas.  Again – aircraft N122QAE was again virtually forgotten.

During the next years – Mr. Pulk, as Senior Vice President Global Sales and COO of the international operations opened offices in South America, where Brasil quickly became an Intertrans “showplace”.  Because of past “service industry record” and client contacts, Mr. Pulk approached, and was awarded the logistics supply contract for air and sea shipments to what was then called Caemi e Jari., which included including forestry, rice, pulp and paper manufacturing, and mining operations.  (see inset information on JARI-project) 

               
Photos – file archives: The port of Laranjal do Jari, near to the pulp mill site on the Jari River; port of Macapa, as its looks (now developed) in mid-90s; state of Amapa, Brasil.

In 1967, billionaire Daniel Ludwig, then considered to be the richest man in America - owner and founded of National Bulk Carriers, and the “father of the Super Tanker” launched his biggest enterprise ever – an attempt to convert four million acres of Amazon rain forest into productive forestry operations, rice paddies, cattle ranches and mines.

Mr. Ludwig had good company in his experiment in the Amazon.  In 1927, Mr. Henry Ford bought almost a million hectares in the Amazon jungle, bordering the Tapajós River, and began a gigantic rubber plantation.  The operation – and Fordlandia, ultimately failed due to changing economies, rubber prices and new growing sources in SE-Asia, and World War II, however… only after millions (today’s billions of US-dollars were spent).

Called the JARI project, Mr. Ludwig’s operation was so vast that even he and the Brasilian government couldn’t keep it secret.  The ultimate exploiter – Ludwig against the earth’s largest jungle; leveled the rain forests, and planted new trees, to be used as raw materials (cellulose) for paper.  To convert the pulp into paper, he had manufactured and assembled a complete mill on barges and towed it from Japan - a floating pulp mill with paper converting machinery, and situated it in the mouth of the Jari River (a tributary to the mighty Amazon River, with its own newly built Ludwig’ town of Laranjal do Jari, and near to the capital of Macapa, then the territory of Amapa, Brasil).

Due to changing economies, and Brasil’s government bureaucracy, Mr. Ludwig abandoned the project in the early 80s, and sold to a consortium of banks, with CAEMI as the largest private investor partner, the Company (project) renamed the entity CAEMI e JARI.

In the late 90s, and early 21^st century, pieces of the Company-project were sold to various companies – BHP and Mitsui bought the mining segment of the business, and new owners took over the pulp and paper mill, which continues operation this day as Jari Celulose S/A.

In 1988, the JARI mill experienced a serious “incident” resulting in shutdown of operations; when several workers were killed, as the boiler/evaporators blew up. 

Problem - LOGISTICS – spare parts and new machinery were proprietary to one manufacturer Goeteverken, located and to be shipped from their plant near Goteborg, Sweden.

Problem - MILL was “out of service”, and shipments via sea freight with required transits would take 45-60 days.

Solution – the CL-44D could “go where other aircraft could not”!

As coincidence would have it, Mr. Pulk – based in Dallas, had noted CL-44Ds, now operated by Aeron Airlines - “out of service”, and parked at Dallas’s Love Field airport. 

The LONG and HEAVY pieces being fabricated in Sweden could not be loaded into conventional side-door B707/DC-8F aircraft, neither in VARIG’s DC-10/30Fs, then in service in the market!  But – they could be accommodated on CL-44D’s!

The nearest (major) airport – BELEM, although able to handle B747F-aircraft, as VARIG Brasilian Airlines did not operate this type, the D.A.C.-Departamento de Aeronautica Civil did not allow foreign registered aircraft to offline points due bilateral flight restrictions.

Mr. Pulk sought special permission – and with his background and experience in the South American – and Brasilian market, with accommodation from senior management at VARIG Airlines, and political pressures exerted by CAEMI, Mr. Pulk - Intertrans and Aeron Airlines received exemption permits from the D.A.C. to operate.

CREATIVITY to meet the CHALLENGE and provide a workable logistics SOLUTION:

Within days, aircraft and crews were brought to operational status, and a one-of-a-kind “air bridge” was organized.  Operated under exclusive charter contract, the CL-44Ds

(including aircraft N122AE, pictured here in Aeron colors)

were utilized by Intertrans Corporation.  Flights were based from Washington, D.C., flown to Amsterdam with commercial and USDept of State AID cargos, ferried to Goteborg, Sweden airport, and from there loaded with components – specially designed in the fabrication process, packed for shipment and special handling, to fit the aircraft profile.  Cargo included pieces of 2.75 x 13MTR length and each weighing between 5-7 MTs each, were flown on a route via the Canary Islands, landing at Belem airport on Brasil’s NE-coast. 

 The uniqueness of the CL-44D, with the swingtail feature allowed for ease of loading of long and heavy cargo.  This photo (CL-44D in Wrangler, Blue Bell Aviation colors, is from archive files – circa 1985)

Upon arrival at Belem, cargo was offloaded by crane,  transported via truck to the port of Macapa, and from there for movement via barge to the field site on the Jari River (see inset photos – description of Jari project). 

18 CL-44F flights were required to move necessary components – and additional cargo(s) were moved via DC-10/30F aircraft chartered by Intertrans and flown on flights from Amsterdam (materials moved via truck from Sweden), to both Sao Paulo and F/S in Belem, and then transported to site via combination of truck and barge. 

Intertrans Corporation, more specifically Mr. Pulk, the Brasilian’ offices of Intertrans, and its management team were specially commended by various Social Bureaus of the Republica Federativa do Brasil, the city of Monte Dourado (Amapa, Brasil), and the state of Amapa for a “job well done”.

Re-supply and rebuild of the mill was accomplished 65 days “ahead of schedule”… saving CAEMI e JARI an estimated 75 days “down time”, US$5MM in lost revenue, and the gratitude of hundreds of workers and their families, who would otherwise not have been employed!

(Incidentally – not the end of this “challenge”.  From Belem, the aircraft were ferried - without revenue cargo per Brasilian D.A.C. requirements, to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and there loaded-flown to Miami, before discharging revenue cargo, and being ferried back to Washington, D.C. for reposition of the continued operations).

So ends the known saga of aircraft N122AE, and from there all we have is the history.  An interesting story – and it’s true!  Mr. Pulk began his industry career involved with CL-44D aircraft, and over the lifetime of this specific aircraft – it became the true workhorse and deserved the rightful appreciation accorded it by many – in the USA, ASIA, EUROPE, and SOUTH AMERICA.

(Special thanks, acknowledgment, and tribute goes out to Mr. Joseph N. Berg, former EVP of Circle, and Mr. Pulk’s first boss in the forwarding industry; later in his role as President and CEO of Air Express International, he was Mr. Pulk’s direct superior.

Many have much to thank Mr. Berg for… he is now semi-retired and lives with his wife of many years – Rene, in Stamford, Connecticut.

He is considered by many in the forwarding (logistics) industry to hold THE premier upper-class status in the business as a visionary and operator!)

Just to set the record straight – a bit of history (and personal involvement):
CL-44D-4, as registration no. N122AE was built by DeHavilland Aircraft of Canada, Ontario, Canada in 1962, and delivered to The Flying Tiger Line that same year.

The Canadair CL-44 was an impressive aircraft, yet only 39 were built; and very few (if any) survive and fly today. The CL-44D had great power over normal operational stage length – and with both the long-range and capacity, (it was able to lift an A.C.L. of 65,000 lbs on the main deck), it was also cost efficient, powered by 4x MTU-turbine (turboprop) engines.

The “swingtail” feature, where the tail swings open, and the aircraft can be loaded from tail straight onto the maindeck, meant that LONG and HEAVY cargo up to 85 FEET in length could be loaded.

A brief history on this particular aircraft: first flown 06Feb62 as N449T, bought by Flying Tiger Line in 1962 and changed owners in 1969: to Trans Meridian London as G-AXAA.

This company changed its name to Trans Meridian Air Cargo a year later; the name was later revised to Transmeridian, and in 1979 to British Cargo Airlines, but c/n 18 was still registered as G-AXAA.

In 1980 G-AXAA was stored and a year later bought by Air Express International and reregistered as N122AE. (Mr. Joseph N. Berg - named her: "Dixie".

This ownership changed to CFG Aircraft II Inc., a leasing company, in 1985. The operator remained the same, but changed its name in Aeron International Airlines that same year. In 1988 N122AE was stored at Dallas-Love Field, Texas.

A new owner appeared on the scene in 1989: Blue Bell Aviation (Blue Bell Inc. is better known as Wrangler Jeans). The aircraft was ferried to Greensboro, North Carolina, but was never put in operation. At some point the aircraft was donated to the Greensboro Fire Dept., which did little good for her secondhand market value... and, (SADLY) it was scrapped in 1999. "