Books, Movies & Beyond

Two of Transocean's Convair 240s were leased to fly the eighty performers of "The Show of Stars of 1952" to some fourteen one-night stands in the U.S. and Canada. Captains Ed Landwehr and Joe Goeller were with the group for three weeks, with Landwehr flying most of the troupe, and Goeller the musical instruments and some of the passengers. But the first flight left Memphis en route to Kansas City, Kansas, without Fats Domino (early rock n roll performer, who didn't like to fly and drove his white Cadillac to Kansas City).  Once there, however, he was convinced by the other performers that flying with Transocean was "the greatest," and got aboard Landwehr's plane for the .next leg of the journey. Fats became a believer. He was so thrilled with flying that he decided to buy a Convair for himself and his group. He asked Landwehr if he'd be his private pilot, but Landwehr declined, preferring to remain with the airline.

For a while, Transocean became a flying billboard for the Domino group. The titles of some Fats' most popular songs were painted on the nose of Captain Landwehr's plane, "I'm Walkin'," "Honky Tonk," "Yes, Indeed!," "Blueberry Hill," and other song titles greeted the thousands of teenagers who met the aircraft at every stop on the journey.