Breech Academy

Last updated

Breech Academy (also called Breech Training Academy) was a school operated by Trans World Airlines between 1969 and 1988 to train flight attendants, ticket agents, and even pilots. Management training classes were attended there by TWA employees as well as external managers and prospective managers. It was named for TWA executive Ernest R. Breech. [1]

Contents

TWA Breech Academy 1970 Breech Academy 1970.jpg
TWA Breech Academy 1970

History

TWA opened the academy on December 3, 1969, on a 34-acre (140,000 m2), three-building campus at 6300 Lamar Ave. in Overland Park, Kansas, to train women to be stewardesses and air hostesses. The academy was so popular that other airlines sent their own flight attendants to the school. Previously TWA had done its training at its TWA Corporate Headquarters' Building in downtown Kansas City.

In 1972, TWA started interviewing young men for the position that was previously exclusively held by women. The name "Hostess" thus became "Flight Attendant" because of the addition of male employees to that position. Two men were in the first class started in April 1972. Neither of the first two male candidates would graduate. In the years to follow, hundreds of men would eventually graduate the Breech Academy as Flight Attendants.

Training facilities

It was a "state-of-the-art" training school for flight attendants, surpassing any and all other airline schools in United States at that time. The training included being taught inside actual interiors of airplanes such as 747s, L-1011s, and others.

This included intense training of the flight attendants on food and beverage service and emergency procedures which included shimmying down a deflated ramp from 30 feet (9.1 m) to the ground from the plane's emergency door hatch. In addition, physical inspections included weekly weigh-ins. There were modern classrooms, air-conditioned and well-lit with oval-type seating for the "book"-type learning.

Rooming facilities

The academy was renowned for its flight attendant dormitories which were in "pods" with decorative themes such as "Africa", "Asia" and other regional themes. In the African theme, there were leopard skins, bows, and other African type objects on the walls of the living room "pod".

Each "pod" had a sunken living room; or "Common Area" with 10 individual dorm-type rooms for two student flight attendants. These "pods" were grouped so that you could easily visit each dorm room while walking a full circle. In the evenings, many of the flight attendants in their "pod" would converge into the common area room to mingle.

The pods were known colloquially as the “living and loving” centers.

Graduation

At graduation for the flight attendants, the parents and visitors were invited to watch the graduation ceremony taking place on the school stage as the flight attendants accepted their "wings".

Breech Academy today

The Breech Academy’s old dorms are now office spaces owned by Asset Management Group. The buildings were purchased on November 11, 2021, and the office park is being rebranded as ‘Legacy Park’.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TWA Flight 800</span> Flight that exploded and crashed in 1996 off the coast of New York

Trans World Airlines Flight 800 (TWA800) was a Boeing 747-100 that exploded and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near East Moriches, New York, on July 17, 1996, at approximately 8:31 p.m. EDT, 12 minutes after takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport, on a scheduled international passenger flight to Rome with a stopover in Paris. All 230 people on board died in the crash; it is the third-deadliest aviation accident in U.S. history. Accident investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) traveled to the scene, arriving the following morning amid speculation that a terrorist attack was the cause of the crash.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trans World Airlines</span> Defunct airline of the United States (1930–2003)

Trans World Airlines (TWA) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1930 until 2001 when it was acquired by American Airlines. It was formed as Transcontinental & Western Air to operate a route from New York City to Los Angeles via St. Louis, Kansas City, and other stops, with Ford Trimotors. With American, United, and Eastern, it was one of the "Big Four" domestic airlines in the United States formed by the Spoils Conference of 1930.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flight attendant</span> Position in an aircrew

A flight attendant, traditionally known as a steward or stewardess ; or air host or hostess, is a member of the aircrew aboard commercial flights, many business jets and some government aircraft. Collectively called cabin crew, flight attendants are primarily responsible for passenger safety and comfort.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kansas City International Airport</span> Major airport serving Kansas City, Missouri, United States

Kansas City International Airport is a public airport in Kansas City, Missouri, located 15 miles (24 km) northwest of Downtown Kansas City in Platte County, Missouri. The airport was opened in 1972 and a new complex in the airport was completed in 2023, replacing the old one. MCI replaced Kansas City Municipal Airport (MKC) in 1972, with all scheduled passenger airline flights moved from MKC to MCI. It serves the Kansas City Metropolitan Area and is the primary passenger airport for much of western Missouri and eastern Kansas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport</span> Airport in Potter County, Texas

Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport is a public airport six miles (10 km) east of downtown Amarillo, in Potter County, Texas, United States. The airport was renamed in 2003 after NASA astronaut and Amarillo native Rick Husband, who died in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in February of that year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TWA Flight 847</span> 1985 aircraft hijacking

TWA Flight 847 was a regularly scheduled Trans World Airlines flight from Cairo to San Diego with en route stops in Athens, Rome, Boston, and Los Angeles. On the morning of June 14, 1985, Flight 847 was hijacked shortly after take off from Athens. The hijackers demanded the release of 700 Shia Muslims from Israeli custody and took the plane repeatedly to Beirut and Algiers. Later Western analysis considered them members of the Hezbollah group, an allegation Hezbollah rejects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uli Derickson</span> German American flight attendant

Uli Derickson was a German American flight attendant best known for her role in helping protect 152 passengers and crew members during the June 14, 1985, hijacking of TWA Flight 847 by militants with alleged links to Hezbollah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing 307 Stratoliner</span> US-built pressurized airliner with 4 piston engines, 1938

The Boeing Model 307 Stratoliner is an American stressed-skin four-engine low-wing tailwheel monoplane airliner derived from the B-17 Flying Fortress bomber, which entered commercial service in July 1940. It was the first airliner in revenue service with a pressurized cabin, which with supercharged engines, allowed it to cruise above the weather. As such it represented a major advance over contemporaries, with a cruising speed of 220 mph (350 km/h) at 20,000 ft (6,100 m) compared to the Douglas DC-3s 160 mph (260 km/h), at 8,000 ft (2,400 m) then in service. When it entered commercial service it had a crew of five to six, including two pilots, a flight engineer, two flight attendants and an optional navigator, and had a capacity for 33 passengers, which later modifications increased, first to 38, and eventually to 60.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">S7 Airlines Flight 778</span> 2006 aviation accident

S7 Airlines Flight 778(S7778/SBI778) was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Moscow to Irkutsk, Russia. On 9 July 2006, at 06:44 local time, the Airbus A310-324 aircraft operating the route overran the runway during its landing in Irkutsk. The aircraft failed to stop and crashed through the airport's concrete perimeter fence, struck rows of private garages and burst into flames, killing 125 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TWA Corporate Headquarters Building</span> United States historic place

The TWA Corporate Headquarters Building, located at 1735 Baltimore Avenue in the Crossroads neighborhood of downtown Kansas City, was Trans World Airlines headquarters until 1964, when the airline moved to New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northeast Airlines Flight 946</span> 1968 aviation accident

Northeast Airlines Flight 946 was a domestic U.S. flight from Boston, Massachusetts, to Montpelier, Vermont, with a scheduled stop in Lebanon, New Hampshire, operated by Northeast Airlines. On October 25, 1968, some time during the evening, the Fairchild Hiller FH-227 aircraft crashed on Moose Mountain while descending on approach. The crash killed 32 of 42 passengers and crew. Of the fatalities, four were employees from the National Life Insurance Company who were returning from a business trip. The fatalities also included a reporter for the Barre Daily Times and six social workers of the Vermont Head Start Supplementary Training Program on a conference trip. Ten passengers survived the crash with minor or moderate injuries. After the crash, Northeast Airlines continued flight service until its merger with Delta Air Lines in the early 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1955 Cincinnati mid-air collision</span> Fatal plane crash over northern Kentucky

The 1955 Cincinnati mid-air collision occurred on January 12, 1955, when Trans World Airlines Flight 694 Martin 2-0-2 on takeoff from Boone County Airport collided in mid-air with a privately owned Douglas DC-3 that had entered the airport's control space without proper clearance. None of the occupants of either plane survived the collision.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TWA Flight 843</span> 1992 American air accident

TWA Flight 843 was a scheduled Trans World Airlines passenger flight that crashed after an aborted takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport to San Francisco International Airport (California) in July 1992. Despite an intense fire after the crash, the crew was able to evacuate all 280 passengers from the aircraft. There was no loss of life, although the aircraft was destroyed by the fire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1956 Grand Canyon mid-air collision</span> Mid-air collision on June 30, 1956 over the Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon mid-air collision occurred in the western United States on June 30, 1956, when a United Airlines Douglas DC-7 struck a Trans World Airlines Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation over Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. The first one fell into a canyon and the other one slammed into a rock face. All 128 on board both airplanes perished, making it the first commercial airline incident to exceed one hundred fatalities. The airplanes had departed Los Angeles International Airport minutes apart from each other and headed for Chicago and Kansas City, respectively. The collision took place in uncontrolled airspace, where it was the pilots' responsibility to maintain separation. This highlighted the antiquated state of air traffic control, which became the focus of major aviation reforms.

Central High School is a high school located at 3221 Indiana Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri. It is part of the Kansas City Public Schools. Central was established in 1867 in order to help educate the growing population of Kansas City. Formally located in downtown Kansas City, Missouri on 11th and Locust St, Central moved to its current location in 1912. The school colors are blue and white and the school's athletic teams are referred to as the "Eagles". Central has an enrollment of approximately 500 students annually.

Lynn Rippelmeyer is the first woman to fly the Boeing 747, the first woman to captain a 747 trans-oceanic, part of the first all-female crew, and first flight attendant to become an airline pilot. In retirement, she authored two books to chronicle her aviation journey - Life Takes Wings and Life Takes Flight and founded the nonprofit, ROSE - Roatan Support Effort.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TWA Flight 1</span> 1936 crash in Pennsylvania killing 12

Transcontinental and Western Airways Flight 1 , a Douglas DC-2, crashed into Cheat Mountain, near Uniontown, Pennsylvania, approximately 10:20 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on April 7, 1936, killing 12 of the 14 passengers and crew aboard. Flight 1 was a regularly scheduled TWA Sun Racer flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Los Angeles, California, with almost a dozen intermediate stops between. Approaching the flight's second stop, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Allegheny County Airport, pilot Otto Ferguson lost contact with the airport's radio navigation signal, and tracked several miles in a southwestern line off course. Fearing icing conditions, he descended in an attempt to find visual landmarks for navigation. Thick fog hindered him, and his descent continued until Flight 1 hit ice-covered trees atop Cheat Mountain, about 40 miles (64 km) south of Pittsburgh on the West Virginia line and near Uniontown, Pennsylvania. When the plane crashed it was aiming in a northern flight direction indicating that the pilot finally realized he had tracked south of his flightplan and may have been trying to correct it.

The American International School of Jeddah, or the "American School" in short, is an international school with American curriculum in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Established in 1952, the American International School of Jeddah is a U.S. accredited Pre-K - 12 college preparatory institution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trans World Airlines Flight 106</span> Hijacked flight


Trans World Airlines Flight 106 was a scheduled passenger flight from Phoenix, Arizona to Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. On November 27, 1971, the Boeing 727 servicing the flight was hijacked by three armed and wanted men at Albuquerque International Sunport in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA and flown to Havana, Cuba.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patricia Banks Edmiston</span> African-American flight attendant (born 1937)

Patricia Noisette Banks Edmiston is an American who was one of the first Black flight attendants. She combated discriminatory practices in the United States by initiating a legal action against Capital Airlines via the New York State Commission Against Discrimination. She won the case which lead to the start of more airlines employing Black women.

References

  1. "Jon Proctor » 1971 – TWA DCS". jonproctor.net. Retrieved 2018-02-24.

39°00′48″N94°39′35″W / 39.0134°N 94.6596°W / 39.0134; -94.6596