PHOTOS COURTESY ALOHA AIRLINES
A flight attendant in 1976.
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Life was up in the air until he got a job at Aloha, then his career really took off
My name is Terry Visperas, and I have been a flight attendant for Aloha Airlines for more than 17 years. I was supposed to be a practicing nurse. ... Really.
It was that long ago when I was a full-fledged nursing student at the University of Hawaii at Manoa going through my Maternal Child health rotation as a student nurse at Kaiser Hospital in Moanalua. As a student, I was very enthusiastic about my field of study and I so happened to be assigned a very pleasant Hawaiian mom who had just given birth to a baby girl. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to share what I learned in the books and in class, and to teach this mom (Martha McFarland) about breast-feeding and other related things.
She sat ever so patiently listening to this male nurse telling of all things how to breast-feed. We got to talking and she said that she always thought about going into the health field and so I generously shared what I knew about enrolling in school and about the demands and rewards about the health industry. I in turn asked her what she did. She told me that she was a flight attendant for Aloha Airlines, and that she sincerely thought that I would make a good one, too. We exchanged numbers and then one day about a semester later she called and said that they were hiring and that I should try.
The next thing you know I go to the interview and there are almost 700 people applying for the position. Model-looking people everywhere! I was very intimidated. I did not make it on this initial interview, but the company did have an opening for baggage boys. So in the hot, long summer and fall of 1990, my career began as a part-time employee for Aloha. To this day, I can appreciate hard work. ... These guys and gals literally carry the weight of the company!
What do you know, within six months, flight attendant Martha McFarland calls me again saying that they are interviewing. OK, this time I prepare a little better. I couldn't change the physical features, so I adjusted my professional appearance with my attire and my speech and, guess what, I went to the interview with not 700 other people ... but a whopping 900 people applying for only 12 flight attendant positions.
This was probably my life's defining moment. Not only was I one of the 12 picked for the newly hired flight attendant positions during this class, I was the only male to graduate in this class ... talk about twisting my arm to work here -- 11 model-looking people and me. This opportunity would change my life forever!
Through my job as a flight attendant, I have been able to fly with some incredible co-workers (some who have degrees in zoology and speech, mortgage specialist, managers at Times and those who have kids flying next to them as first officers) and I have also met passengers from all walks of life. I have traveled to some pretty exotic locations, all for free or reduced fare. On a good day, I was able to pick up manju in Maui and saimin from Kauai and then visit the in-laws who lived in Hilo.
Another major benefit that grew out of my capacity as a flight attendant is that I was able to practice talking on our PA system. I was able to manipulate the microphone well enough to receive compliments from passengers that later turned into an internship with a co-worker's husband who had many years in the radio industry, Krash Kealoha. I later turned this internship into a simultaneous career as a broadcaster for KCCN.
The doors always seemed a lot easier to open as I was able to serve as emcee and host for several years at many UH sporting events and even being blessed to be able to share my newfound interest as emcee with many of my friends and family and community events such as weddings, baby luaus and even serving as a loaned account executive for Aloha United Way for two years. The most important achievement to me was that I was able (with our flexible flying schedule) to complete my associate's, bachelor's and master's degrees at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, all while working here as a flight attendant.
My family and I have truly been blessed with this incredible company and opportunity to have grown in this special and unique company called Aloha Airlines. ... We will always be grateful!
P.S. By the way, Martha McFarland was so sweet. Only later while flying next to her on the jump seat did she tell me that she already had two other children and had already known everything there was to know about breast-feeding.
I will always be an optimist. Give your best always and know that God-sized miracles happen!
Terry Visperas
PHOTOS COURTESY ALOHA AIRLINES
Actress Lana Turner was given a warm welcome aboard in the 1950s as she arrived in Kona.
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PHOTOS COURTESY ALOHA AIRLINES
Luggage-handling tags make for unique apparel for airline employees in Hilo.
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PHOTOS COURTESY ALOHA AIRLINES
Propjets that included the Fairchild F-27 ruled the skies before making way for the Boeing 737.
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