Dreams Come True
Although as a flight instructor Boeing 737 Captain Ray-Sean Silvera has helped hundreds of Continental pilots earn their wings, his passion to recruit future pilots and other co-workers lands him in many Houston-area classrooms.
“I dreamed about being a pilot ever since I was a kid,” says Captain Silvera, who was born in Jamaica and moved to the United States with his family in 1978. “I grew up in New Jersey and used to go to Newark Liberty all the time just to watch the Continental jets land and take off on the runways. I always preferred playing with toy airplanes over cars.”
Silvera coordinates a program with the Houston Independent School District to place pilots in classrooms to discuss their careers with Continental. This spring he spoke to a group of 400 grade school students who attend the Katherine Smith Elementary School in Houston. He estimates that he spends time with thousands of students every year.
“I talk about the importance of education and how they should never give up on their dreams,” says Silvera. “I also tell them about the importance of math and science in their lives.”
Silvera likes to offer encouragement for anyone interested in getting a job with Continental and explains in detail the steps one would need to take to become a pilot.
“Captain Silvera is one of those pilots that you wish you had a million just like,” says Continental’s Flight Operations Vice President Fred Abbott. “He actively promotes Continental on and off the job and spends countless hours promoting aviation to minority groups.”
Captain Silvera has worked for Continental for nine years and is about to complete a two-year term as the Southwest regional vice president for the Organization of Black Airline Pilots.
— Roxanne Butler
Continental Is No. 1 in Houston
Continental Airlines received top honors as Houston’s No. 1 public company in the Houston Chronicle’s annual ranking of area businesses, known as the Chronicle 100. Continental Executive Vice President of Marketing Jim Compton accepted the award on behalf of the airline from Jack Sweeney, publisher and president of the Houston Chronicle.
Companies were judged on four criteria: total revenue, earnings-per-share growth, annual revenue growth, and one-year total return to shareholders on a dividend-reinvested basis. The annual study compared Continental with 99 other Houston-based companies, and Continental came out on top.
“Continental Airlines staged a comeback in 2006 — turning a solid profit after four difficult years — with a long-term strategy that’s bearing fruit,” according to the Chronicle. — R.B.
Silver Anniversary
Continental Airlines is celebrating the 25th anniversary of flights between Guam and Manila, the Philippines. Continental has flown the 1,597-mile route longer than any other carrier.
“Continental this month is proud to celebrate the milestone of our inaugural flight between Guam and Manila in 1982,” says Continental’s Asia/Pacific and Corporate Development Senior Vice President Mark Erwin. “We want to thank the thousands of loyal customers who have played a key role in our growth in this market.”
Continental now offers 12 flights each week between Guam and Manila on a 155-passenger Boeing 737 aircraft. — R.B.
Smart Skies
This year, Congress will consider comprehensive aviation legislation that will reauthorize and fund the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Air traffic is expected to grow from roughly 45,000 daily flights to 61,000 daily flights in the next 10 years. FAA analysts and technical experts agree that the existing system cannot accommodate the projected growth and must be overhauled.
America’s airspace is not much different from our city’s major highways. Increased traffic causes congestion and gridlock in the narrow “lanes in the sky.” The Air Traffic Control (ATC) system still relies on World War II–era technologies like radar and analog radio that limit usable airspace. With modernization, the FAA can reduce delays and create a more efficient system. Without it, air travel will be intolerable and delays will continue to cost passengers billions of dollars each year.
A modern, satellite-based ATC would reduce delays and congestion by enabling more aircraft to safely use the airspace and fly more-direct routes. It would also help the environment by reducing flying time and conserving fuel.
What needs to be determined is how to pay for the improvements. Currently, customers who purchase commercial airline tickets are charged taxes and fees that contribute to ATC system operation. While airlines and their customers provide more than 90 percent of all revenues in the Trust Fund, they use only 68 percent of the ATC services. Corporate aircraft operators should be bearing more of the cost since they too are users of the airspace. The number of corporate aircraft in the United States has grown to 18,000, compared with only 1,800 in service in 1970. Many travelers would benefit if all users of the ATC contributed to the upgrades.
By upgrading the current ATC system, the government hopes to reduce delays and address congestion in the nation’s airports. Continental Airlines is seeking support of legislation that will return the financial oversight of the ATC system to a cost-based funding system that is fair to everyone who travels by air. Continental Chairman and CEO Larry Kellner addresses the issue in “Continental’s View.” To learn more, go to smartskies.org. — R.B.
Songs from Their Hearts
Continental Airlines is playing some unique songs written and performed by children on one of its inflight audio channels during the summer. The performing artists recorded their original songs as they underwent treatment for cancer and blood disorders at the Texas Children’s Cancer Center (TCCC) in Houston.
“I Am a Work of Art,” performed by 6-year-old Gracie of Lake Charles, La. (right, with 9-year-old Keila of San Benito, Texas), is a lighthearted tune that celebrates how the cancer patient is special in her own way.
Another song now playing on Continental’s flights is by 12-year-old Stephen of Houston. His song, “I Can Make It,” offers a personal declaration of hope. Stephen, who had been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, based his lyrics on a prayer his mother repeated while he was undergoing treatment at TCCC.
Musician and composer Anita Kruse launched the project last year and works directly with pediatric patients and their siblings in the medical center’s in-house recording studio to set their feelings to music. The program is called Purple Songs Can Fly.
The inflight channel offers a sample of some of the 55 songs that have been recorded since the program’s launch last year. The program emphasizes giving the children the freedom to express their feelings through music. The themes include friendships and what’s important to a child at that moment.
“I feel very blessed to be able to help these children express through music what may never have emerged in quite the same way,” says Kruse. “I do believe there’s a song inside every single child waiting to be heard.”
The color purple was chosen for inspiration because it is believed that “purple can stimulate a child’s creativity,” and purple is often associated with courage, healing, strength, and confidence. — R.B.
