TODAY IS AL TOPPING DAY ! (NEW POST)

Today is "Al Topping Day" on my Website and BLOGSITE! Pictured Above: This is my latest story on Page 46 of the April 2006 issue of Airways magazine. It is an interview with a true American Hero who is as down to earth as the day is long. His name is Al Topping. Many of you are new readers to this BLOGSITE, and I have written extensively about the feat that Al performed as Station Manager with Pan American World Airways in Saigon, Vietnam in 1975. When Al realized that Saigon was about to fall to the Communist military forces, he sent his wife home to the safety of the United States and soon after, moved his "office" to a trailer located at Tan Son Nhut Airport. What followed were weeks of monitoring radio and television reports, talking to cab drivers and villagers, and quite literally plotting the positions of towns as they fell. As the country was coming apart at the seams, Al lived through the crash of a US Air Force Lockheed C-5A Galaxy carrying orphans to the United States as part of "Operation Babylift" ordered by then President Gerald Ford. This occurred on April 4, 1975. A rear door pressurization system failed and the door blew out damaging hydraulic units and otherwise rendering the plane uncontrollable. The very next day, two chartered Pan American Boeing 747's and additional 707's were flown in to rescue the survivors and many civilians. Al was part of these missions to board the infants and adults safely. When the FAA ordered all commercial flights stopped, President Ford designated a special "Charter" flight on a Pan Am 747 that would literally be the "Last Flight Out" for Pan Am personnel and their families. So today, throughout thousands of bookstores in the United States (and worldwide next week) we honor Al Topping-a Great American-- for saving so many lives!

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Below: Here is a photo of Al in his Pan Am office with a poster on the wall featuring the real life made for TV movie "Last Flight Out". Al was portrayed by celebrated actor James Earl Jones. Also pictured is late Richard Crenna who portrayed Pan Am pilot Captain Dan Hood, and the late Haign S. Ngor, M.D. who portrayed Al's Saigon assistant Nguyen Van Luc.
After Vietnam, Al Topping served Pan Am as an Airport Technical Operations Advisor and remained with the carrier in Miami, serving his last days as Vice President of Corporate Communications in 1991. Al saved 426 American and South Vietnamese lives on April 25, 1975. Saigon fell just 6 days later.

Above: Here is a photograph from the movie just as the evacuation is about to ensue. The late Richard Crenna is at Left (his last role was as "Jarred" with actress Tyne Daly on TV's "Judging Amy") and James Earl Jones who portrayed Al Topping. To order a copy of the DVD of "Last Flight Out" contact MIAMI AWARE: the Pan Am Memorabilia Shop here in the US at (305) 871-1028 Monday through Friday (Eastern Time) from 11 AM - 3 PM.

ALSO: PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT ADDITIONAL COPIES OF THE DVD, "LAST FLIGHT OUT" MAY BE OBTAINED FROM PAAVN.ORG. THIS CHARITY IS LISTED AT THE RIGHT HAND COLUMN OF MY BLOGSITE UNDER THE HEADING: "COOL STUFF".