Pan American Airways Photos
Robert S. "Bob" Winter
Avionics Engineering HGR-17, Kennedy Airport, New York
Bob Winter in Pan Am Mechanics Uniform, Miami, FL
Robert S. Winter, II worked for Pan American Airways from 1940 in Miami, Florida unti his retirement in 1980 at Kennedy Airport. A career that spanned forty years. His specialty was electronics. especially instrumentation. These photo were in his collections.
Bob Winter attended Muskegon Senior High School in Muskegon, Michigan, 1931-1934. He was active on school magazin, Editor of the magazine during his senior year. He was Class Valedictorian.
Bob Winter earned a B. S. at Olivet College. Michigan. There he majored in physics and mathematics. At Olivet, he worked in the dining hall and kitchen and was a grader for physics classes. He next attended University of Iowa for one year working towards a Master's degree in physics (1938-1939). He was a Lab Instructor at Iowa. He then completed a course at Massachusetts Radio School (1939-1940), obtaining commercial radiotelephone first class and radio-telegraph second class licenses. The school was located at 18 Boylston St., Boston.
He joined Pan American in Miami. Florida, July 23, 1940, and spent six years in radio maintenance including the positions of Radio Inspector snd Foreman of the Radio Shop.
On October 27, 1940, Robert Winter married Lois Lincoln Brown, his fiancé from Massachusetts. They were married in the Plymouth Congregational Church in Coconut Grove, Florida.
In l947 he joined the Engineering Department as Technical Writer, preparing maintenance procedures, and after one year in this capacity was assigned to the Engineering, Instrument and Electrical section as a Service Engineer. In 1960, he was appointed Supervisor of the Instrument and Electrical group and in 1964 was made Supervisor, Avionics Engineering. In this capacity, Mr. Winter was responsible for auto flight control, instrument and electronics engineering for Pan Am’s Miami Base.
1940-1946 Communications Department, PAA, Miami - Radio Mechanic, Radio Mechanic First Class, Radio Inspector, Radio Shop Foreman, Dinner Key Asst, Radio Shop Forman, PAF; assisted in office or Aircraft Radio Maintenance Supervisor.
1947-1953 Senior Areo Engieer, Instrument. & Electrianl Section
July 1953 - April 1954. - Staff Engineer, Component. Service Engineering Section
April 1954 - December 1959 - Staff Engineer, Specialist Engineer, Instrument & Electrial Design Section
Business Experience,
Sept. 1957 -April. 1959
Represented the Engineering Department on the Jet Provisioning Team, attending provisioning/training sessions at the following vendors: Jack & Heintz; Minneapolis-Honeywell; Carrier; and Westinghouse. Attended a two week factory training course
on the DC-8 electrical system in September, 1959.
Jan. 1960 - March, 1961
Supervisor, I.&E. Group in Jet Aircraft Service Engineering Section, Attended training courses on KIFIS system at Kollsman
factory, and SP-30 autopilot at Sperry during 1960. Member All Weather Maintenance Committee, 1963-1964.
March 1964-Aug 1968
Supervisor, Avionics Engineering, PAA, Miami.
Attended three day Sperry Digital Computer Courses at Miami.
Attended two week B727 Electronics Course at Boeing factory in 1965.
Took PAA B727 General Familiarization Course (12 hours) in 1966.
Served as Supt. Component Engineering (Acting) from November 15, 1965 until January 28, 1966
Sept 1968-Dec 1968 Supervisor Avionics Service Engineering, PAA, JFK, Member of B747 Avionics Maintainability Working Group
Jan 1969-Dec 1970 Superintendent Avionics Service Engineerin PAA, JFK. Attendxed four day B747 Familiarization Course given by PAA Jan 1969.
SOCIAL & BUSINESS ACTIVITIES:
Member FAA Management Club (NAP)
Member Plymouth Congregational Church
HOBBIES
House Modifications and Classical Music
Since 1960, Mr. Winter took an active part in the engineering or flight testing of the following projects requiring STC approval:
Cockpit Voice Recorder Instsllstion - DC6B
Dual Doppler Navigation System - DC-8
Low Range Radio Altimeter System - DC-8, B707
Clear Air mrbulence Detection System Evaluation
Litton Inertial Navigation System Evaluation
EMCO Autopilot Monitoring System - B707
In his 1970 position of Assistant Avionics Engineering Manager, Mr. Winter was primarily concerned with service engineering for the avionics systems on the B747 aircraft. In connection with these duties he had received classroom training both at the Boeing factory and in-house at Pan Am. He was a Pan American representative on the B747 Avionics Working Group which prepared the avionics maintenance program for FAA Maintenance Review Board approval.
In 1977, Bob Winter was promoted to Supervisor of Avionics Engineering. He had previously served temporarily in this position a number times.
Pan Am Album
Acknowledgement: Dick Rew, a retired United Airline pilot and tennis buddy provide the identification of some of the planes here and all of the instruments in the photos.