What's the name of one of the people who glimpses the Japanese coastline?
After leaving Sea Island Airport in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Canadian Pacific Air Lines Douglas DC-6 "Empress of Tokyo" airliner will overfly Shemya island in the Aleutians, before continuing to Tokyo, a 4,600 miles non-stop flight. Once airborne, reporter Fred Davis begins by explaining that airliners, like ships at sea, are bound by international regulations that prescribe certain precautions taken to ensure safety. The flight attendants (called stewardess at the time) take care to explain how to use the life preservers that are on board.
Captain Bob McGuiness indicates that "George", the automatic pilot keeps the aircraft flying and allows the air crew to relax during most of the flight. Once reaching the point of no return, the captain, with assistance of the navigator, then plots the route to their final destination through the International Date Line. After 19 hours, the reporter and passengers glimpse the coastline of Japan, and the flight crew prepares everyone on board for a landing at Haneda Airport, Tokyo.
Fred Davis