Thank you for Urs Weidmann's story on the Convair 990 (January 2011), which gave credit to a unique jetliner. The wonderful double-page photo of three Modern Air Coronados reminded me of the truly charismatic and recently deceased Morten S Beyer, who ran Modern Air Transport at the height of its success [see obituary, page 61]. Mort is given credit for the idea of day charter flights from West Berlin to Paris, complete with topless German showgirls (in addition to the regular cabin crew) serving Champagne en route. Dubbed Busenvogels (bosom-birds), they were advertised as a 'getting away from Momma' trip Only one such flight took place, in 1970, carrying 107 male and three female passengers, but Beyer claimed that the free publicity garnered by the airline was well worth the outcry from women's rights groups.
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