Scrapbook 3: Telstar Relay

Telstar Relay

New York—Trans World Airlines President Charles C. Tillinghast, Jr., last week completed the first passenger radio-telephone call to Europe from an airborne jet transport via American Telephone & Telegraph Corp.’s Telstar communications satellite (see p. 27).

Tillinghast called Lord William Mabane, chairman of the British Travel Assn., in his London office, Aug. 29 and spoke for five minutes to demonstrate the possibilities of future radio-telephone communications for passengers flying anywhere in the world.

Tillinghast spoke from 31,000 ft. over Lewiston, Pa.

The call was transmitted to a Bell System airborne radio ground station in New York, routed to Andover, Me., relayed to Telstar, received by the Goonhilly station in southwest England and routed to Lord Mabane’s office in London.

The radio telephone was installed about seven weeks ago in a TWA Convair 880 (AW July 30, p. 34) to test passenger acceptance of the system.