Robert S Grant talked to George Mayer about the perils of flying with the United Nations
UNITED NATIONS
MIDDLE EAST
This International Red Cross field hospital on the Rub al Khali east of Saudi Arabia’s Najran treated Yemeni Loyalists. G MAYER
The Otter’s tightly-cowled Pratt & Whitney R-1340 was difficult to access and technicians also had to cope with heat, insects and sandstorms. RCAF VIA MAYER/GORDON JENKINS
As the massive door clunked against the Canadair North Star’s fuselage, hordes of houseflies swarmed inside. Flt Lt George E Mayer peered through the haze at El Arish Airport, northeast of Cairo. The 23-yearold Canadian pilot wondered what he had volunteered himself into after a three-year duty tour on Douglas DC-3s and Beech 18 Expeditors. The phrase ‘need a change’ would haunt him for the next 12 months.
