BILL CASTLEMAN Maintenance Hello Jake, I got your message and think it is a excellent idea.  You might be bitting off a pretty good size chew.I don't know if I can remember all of the where's and when's but I will give it the old college try. After graduating from Sparten School of Aeronautics in Tulsa Ok.  I got a job with Cessna Aircraft in Wichita Kansas.  Athough I was working in the Military Devision,  factory work is super boring when you do the same thing over and over all day every day. After a couple of years of that,  I sent job applications to every airline in the country. I don't think I missed a single airline.  One day I got a phone call while I was on the job at the Cessna plant.  The call was from the Central Airlines station Manager In Wichita, Kansas.  He asked me if I had sent a resume to Central Airlines? When I told hem that I had,  he told me that he had been authorized to issue me a pass to Ft. Worth for an interfiew.  I flew to Ft. Worth's Greater South West airport, (GSW), where I had a sucessful interfiew and got the job.  On the way back to to Wichita,  I got on a DC3 at GSW and flew to DAL.  While there I was asked to get off the plane because they needed my seat.  I had no idea what she was talking about but I found out real quick.  I got kicked off the airplane before I even had started to work. I spent the night at Love field until the next morning and then got home.  This would happen many times in the future. I started to work for Central Airlines on March 13th 1965 In MKC.  I worked what they called Opps Check in the hanger across the field from the terminal.  Waymond Williams was the Maintenance forman there,  Claire Bearer was the lead. Leo Johnson was the only inspector that we had there. We would pull operational checks on the DC3's on graveyards shift.  I worked there for about a year when an opening came on the line so I bid it and got it.  I was working there when Central Airlines changed their name to Frontier Airlines.  I worked the afternoon shift with  Bud Matlock (Now Deceased) and others.  Then I bid an opening in GSW .  I'm not sure but I think it was in 1967. I was there until they closed down GSW.  FAL moved us all to DEN except those that had enough seniority to stay and worked the DAL line. We moved to Den in December 23 1968.   We were in DEN until the untimely demise of good old FAL.  The first two weeks I was in training on the Convair 580 then went to Heavy check.  I worked Heavy Check until 1973 or 74 and I got a job on the Denver Line.  I have enjoyed my entire aviation carrier but I think I enjoyed working the Denver line more than any other job I have had in the indurstry.  I met a lot of good mechanics, beautiful Flight Attendants (female type) and some first class pilots.  I didn't get to meet very many station agents but have the greatest respect for them. Those that can work around that many passengers and still maintain their sanity, I have respectfor for. We moved to Roanoke Va.and was there for ten years working for Piedmont airlines, and U.S.Airways and retired April 1st. 1997. Jake, is this what you had in mind?  If not let me know and I will try to modify it.    I hope you will excuse the misspelled words and the typo's. I type with two fingers and neather one learned to spell very well. Thanks, Bill Castleman -------------------------------------------- Bill & Ellie Castleman 948 Mockingbird Stephenville, Texas 76401 Ph. (254) 968-7518 E-Mail --------------------------------------------- (5/25/99)