Capt Charles R. Hall

 

 

Chuck Hall, call sign 'Odin', retired as an international airline captain, flying Boeing 747's, and now has over 30,000 hours of flight time to his credit. His professional career began as a 19 year old airline pilot flying the North Pacific between Alaska and Japan. During his airline career he rose to Vice President of Operations for a major U.S. air carrier. He was Chief Pilot on the L-1011 program for the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, during which time he was elected to membership in the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. He graduated first in his class as an Army Aviator and spent his military career flying helicopters.  He is a graduate of the University of Alaska. Over a span of almost 20 years he participated in the Reno Air Races as an unlimited class race pilot flying various P-51 Mustangs. He won several races and was always a top contender. Today, he is very active in the civilian warbird community and is qualified in many of the former military fighter aircraft in civilian inventory. As a member of the Air Force Heritage Flight Demonstration Team he participates regularly in air shows nation wide with his personal P-51 Mustang

 

On May 25, 1972, veteran test pilots Anthony LeVier and Charles Hall transported 115 crew members, employees, and reporters on a 4-hour, 13- minute flight from Palmdale, California, to Dulles Airport outside Washington, D.C., with the TriStar’s AFCS feature engaged from takeoff roll to landing. It was a groundbreaking moment: the first cross-country flight without the need for human hands on the controls. Fly-by-wire technology was here to stay.

In August 1972, the TriStar arrived at Luton on August 12 for demonstration to Court Line and Britannia. British Caledonian, British Midland, Dan-Air.The airlines had a chance to inspect the aircraft during flights planned from Gatwick on August 17 and Heathrow the following day. The following week the TriStar left for a tour of Ireland, Denmark, Germany and the Near and Middle East which took the aircraft as far as India before returning to the United Kingdom at the beginning of September for the Farnborough airshow.