I wrote this a while back but thought you'd enjoy a "first time" adventure from my very early career! And yet another unforgettable character!
I will never forget my first trip on the Dc9-30! I was a brand new Stewardess with just a month under my belt! Why do I remember that trip so well? Captain Arden (Art) Roeske!
Warning! I can't tell this story without a few quotes which are "blue" words! I've abbreviated for the sake of the integrity of the blog. You'll get the drift! Captain Art Roeske certainly had a way with calling a spade a spade! Ha!
I was a bit nervous climbing aboard that Dc-9, my first time working on a plane bigger than a Convair! There were two Stewardesses on this one! Myself and a seasoned Stew named Mary, who was the Lead Stewardess. I was green behind the ears, but Mary was very kind and encouraging!
One of the things we did in preparation for the flight was to put a large brown paper bag in the cockpit. This was where the pilots would throw their used paperwork and trash during the flight! I dutifully placed the bag in the cockpit, as was required!
Captain Art Roeske walked onboard, gave a nod to us, walked into the cockpit, and let out a swear word!
Remember, I came from a Bible Banging Bible belt family. If my stepfather ever let out a swear word, we hid! We knew it had to be something Really bad!
S0, when Captain Roeske let out the "GD" expression, I froze! Out of the cockpit he came and threw the paper bag into the galley where Mary and I were standing! I'm shrinking back into a corner, wondering what the heck is happening! Mary didn't seem that disturbed, but my heart was racing! Captain Art said "No Paper Bags!!"
I have to say, Mary tried to reassure me that his bark was worse than his bite! I was close to tears. What just happened?! Didn't I do what I was suppose to? How can I be in trouble with a Captain I just met?
By the time the passengers boarded I had gotten my nerves under control.
Early in the afternoon we had stopped at an airport that had a restaurant. (Back in those days there were no crew meals. We could fly for 12 hours without eating, unless we packed food or picked something up along the way!) The pilots deplaned to bring back food for all of us!
While the pilots were gone Mary told me to get as many bags as I could and line the cockpit with them! What?!?! No!!!! My God, was she crazy? I saw my very short career flash before my eyes! However, she was the Lead Flight Attendant! Back then, rank meant a great deal, at least to me. (I was raised by a former Navy man who impressed the need to respect rank!) Silly Me!
With trembling hands I stuffed the cockpit with bags- hanging them on every knob I could find! Then I cowered in the galley- waiting for the even bigger explosion from the frightful Captain!
Up the stairs he came! Oh God! I thought I was going to throw up! Into the cockpit he went. I closed my eyes. My knees were getting weak! I held my breath! And then I heard it! That wonderful belly laugh from the cockpit! Oh My! What a relief!
"Okay-okay!" he said. "Get the GD things outa here! You got me good!" He said this with a smile on his face! Whew!
That was my first encounter with Captain Art Roeske! Over the years I would fly with him from time to time- always enjoyed working with him! I still would tip toe around him a bit, for some reason! Ha! Probably because his language was a bit "blue"! But he proved to be a nice person with a good heart. And when he laughed his whole face lit up! I have a Flight Attendant friend who said she absolutely loved flying with him! He was indeed a gruff son-of-a-gun, but also a good human being!
Art did more than fly airplanes. He also drove a car transport semi-trailer! He retired from flying in the 1980's- but continued to haul cars. I had heard he died in a traffic accident, still hauling with that semi. I tried to find the particulars, but have not been able to locate the accident records.
What I did find was an article in the Green Bay News dated Jan. 17, 1956. It said "9 passengers and 3 crew members escaped injury when a NorthCentral Airlines plane made a forced landing in a field 2 miles south Of Austin Straubel Field and came to a stop in the center of County Trunk G. The plane was in route from Chicago to Escanaba, Michigan. The propellers, one wing tip, and an aileron of the DC-3 was damaged when the plane belly-landed and skidded an estimated half mile through fields on the Harold Vande Hei farm south of Grand Trunk, before stopping on the highway! The first man to arrive at the scene was Norman Bain, who was working in his barn, heard the plane in trouble, and watched as it landed in the field. Bain said the passengers showed no panic. One passenger said he'd fly any place any time with that guy, referring to the pilot Captain Arden Roeske."
Art (Arden) Roeske died April 5th, 1990. He was one of those unusual characters that made up the tapestry of my career! Rest in Peace, Captain Art Roeske! And I think he'd be happy if I added "You Son Of A Gun!" Ha!
Life Is Indeed An Adventure! And A Wonderful Part Of That Is The Unforgettable Characters We Are Blessed To Encounter Along The Way!
4 comments:
Why no paper bags?
Dear unit 501- I don't know! They were large bags, so maybe they got in the way! I never did find out!
I’m a genealogy buff and out of curiosity looked up Captain Roeske’s gravesite online. North Central’s “Herman the Duck” logo is engraved on his headstone. What a beautiful tribute! https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/67143146/arden-g.-roeske
Dear David S- Wow! Thank you so much for the comment! That's indeed a Wonderful tribute to his career with NorthCentral! The "Herman the Duck" engraving made me smile! That's Great!
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