The return to Douglas was the beginning of a different kind of flying for Jim. He flew a number of trips to White Sands in support of the Nike missile projects as well as some test and acceptance flights for aircraft delivery to various airlines. However, a new entry was to be found in his logs - "Link".
The Link Division of General Precision, Inc. produced ground flight simulators for crew training. Training for state-of-the-art aircraft using state-of-the-art technology before anything remotely known as a computer existed. Flight deck crews could train in and experience realistic flight simulations before setting a foot inside an actual aircraft. Douglas acquired from Link a DC-8 simulator in June 1958. The stick and rudder experience Jim had amassed over the years proved to be an invaluable asset to Douglas as they turned their attention to new training technologies. In 1959 he was appointed chief of the Douglas Pilot Ground Training School for their DC-8 program.
From the 1960 issue of "The Connecting Link" - General Precision, Inc.
It had not been too many years prior that Jim was flying DC-3's through a Burmese civil war - nearly costing him his life. He was now flying a desk, of sorts, in a technical and virtual world of aviation. Even before classes of airline or military personnel passed through the ground school that would be under Jim's purview, he found himself representing Douglas at other venues that were very different than the old days of training, on site, in Denmark or Australia or the Philippines. He was now participating in seminars on topics like the use of closed circuit TV in the DC-8 simulator at places like UCLA.
Or discussing "The Manufacturer's Viewpoint of Training" at the 1957Air Line Pilot's Association convention.
|
One of Jim's log entries for early December 1956 read - "Dad passed away Saturday morning December 8, 1956"
The Engineer and the Aviator Robert Harper, who had set his son's feet on the path into the air, was now gone. It is doubtful a son could have been more proud of his father than the aviator was of the engineer. |
As operations began at the Lawndale, CA location a wide range of aviation professionals passed through as students or visited the school as guests. Somehow, Jim came away with the school's register and a scan of the first page illustrates the point.
|
On March 20, 1959 an old friend and colleague came to visit - Phillip Blown, Cathay Pacific Airways, Hong Kong. This pilot was no ordinary pilot - if there is such a thing. Phil Blown & the crew of one particular DC-4 Cathay Pacific Airways flight were men and women that exhibited distinguished valor in the face of extraordinary circumstances - |
______________________________
As groups of trainees completed the ground school course a "class picture" was often taken to commemorate the event. A number of these were signed by the participants and collected in Jim's albums. These photographs would have been taken between 1959 and 1961.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
_______________________________
The financial stability of Douglas Aircraft was uncertain in spite of the massive and ground breaking success the company had with the DC line. Boeing had hit the marketplace first with the DC-8's competitor - the 707. R&D costs skyrocketed while key military contracts were being canceled and the company was feeling serious financial pressures. So much so that the company Donald Douglas had built and headed had to merge with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 in order to survive. Before that, however, large restructuring and workforce reductions were implemented in an attempt to avoid what eventually happened. In Jim's words -
Douglas Aircraft went bankrupt in the early 1960's and "everybody got fired,: said Harper. "Oh God, it was sad, all those people lining up to get their final paychecks."
Jim was one of those receiving that final paycheck. And so, the long and extraordinary career with Douglas Aircraft was at an end. Jim ended his flying career not in the air, but on the ground - simulating flying. He must have found that an odd development.
In the face of this, there was but one thing to be done - pack everyone up and return to the Far East .... And that is exactly what he did.
This time to the Hong Kong Jim knew so well....
To Hong Kong and a business association with an old pal - Simeon Baldwin.
And how did the Harpers choose to transit the Pacific in their return to the Far East - by ocean voyage, of course.
________________________________
Before leaving this stay in Long Beach, however, a big event occurred for Sally in 1958 - Araceli Ruiz Harper became a citizen of the United States.
 |
 |
 |
 |
