HUACHUCA AIRLINES: United States (1983-1985). Organized at Sierra Vista, Arizona, in 1983, this small third-level operation begins intrastate Piper PA-31-310 Navajo services to Phoenix, Safford, Globe, Ft. Huachuca, and Tucson. Operations continue for two years until, deeply in debt, the carrier stops flying in 1985.
HUB AIR SERVICE: United States (1964-1976). HAS is established at McGrath, Alaska, in the summer of 1964 to provide scheduled passenger and cargo flights to local destinations. Employing various Piper and Cessna lightplanes, revenue services commence on October 15 linking the company base with Medfra, Tatlina, Ophir, and Flat.
Operations continue apace for just over a decade until the company folds in 1976.
HUB AIRLINES: United States (1966-1973). George Bailey establishes Hub Airlines at Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the late fall of 1966 to provide scheduled air taxi services to Chicago’s Meigs Field via South Bend and to Detroit. Employing a Beech B-80 Queenaire, the company inaugurates daily revenue frequencies on December 21.
In September 1970, Hub acquires the Meigs Field-based Commuter Airlines of Chicago, together with its Beech 99. Bailey transfers his headquarters to Chicago and maintains his schedule, adding flights to Dayton, Ohio.
On May 1, 1972, the company enters into an association with Flint, Michigan-based Great Lakes Commuter. Operations continue apace throughout the remainder of the year; however, financial difficulties ensue in 1973 and in November the company closes its doors and its routes are transferred to Skystream Airlines.
HUB EXPRESS: United States (1987-1991). Ex-U. S. Marine Corps helicopter pilot Morris “Rhett” Flatter signs a wet-lease agreement with New Hampshire Helicopters in late fall 1986 to begin Hub Express, a rotary-wing air taxi operation based at Minuteman Airfield, Stowe, Massachusetts. Flights along the I-495 and Route 128 corridor from Boston to Logan International Airport commence on December 1. Shortly after nonscheduled service begins, HubExpress is able to acquire by merger the paper Part 135 operator Air East Airlines.
During 1987, as operations continue apace, Flatter is able to raise nearly $1 million in investments, including $100,000 from Boston University. Additionally, by March, frequencies from suburban landing sites to Logan are increased to 17 per day and in September the DOT grants the company a fitness determination, originally started for Air East Airlines, but amended for helicopter operations.
Regularly scheduled helicopter shuttle service from Logan International Airport to various corporate locations in the Boston area begins in December. The fleet of the nation’s only federally registered helicopter commuter airline comprises 3 Bell 206B JetRangers.
A total of eight scheduled round trips are completed by year’s end and, after start-up costs are deducted, revenues total only $100,000.
Sustained revenue operations commence in January 1988 and in August, daily roundtrip flights are increased to 26. The fleet is increased by another JetRanger.
Charter flights grow to account for 40% of the carrier’s business; however, the remainder is all scheduled and 90% of the passengers are business people. Enplanements for the year total 6,756.
By May 1989, the company has concluded joint-fare agreements with seven airlines serving Logan (Northwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines, USAir, American Airlines, Swissair, A. G., Sabena Belgian World Airlines, S. A., and Trump Shuttle) and added another LongRanger. Plans for substantial growth are made, including the inauguration of shuttle flights to New York and Washington, D. C.
Passenger boardings jump 108.9% to 13,279.
The workforce is increased by 7.4% in 1990 to 29 and the fleet now includes 2 LongRangers. In March, Bell Helicopter Textron agrees to finance 90% of two new $950,000 LongRangers that are placed into service. Plans are made to expand to Washington, D. C. and link the Reagan National and Dulles Airports with an intermediate stop at Tysons Corner, Virginia’s business park. Operations continue apace into the summer as 14,000 passengers are transported.
Iraq’s August 2 invasion of Kuwait forces up avgas prices and causes a severe downturn in business travel. As the Massachusetts recession deepens, Hub is unable to maintain its viability let alone launch its expansion. No profit has been earned since start-up and $3.5 million has thus far been invested.
Still, based on traffic generated early in the year, customer bookings accelerate to 26,035.
Investors, in January 1991, call off plans for a major recapitalization effort and, in February, all but a few of the 40-person workforce is laid off. Unable to generate sufficient traffic to continue, the company ceases operations at the end of June, becoming the latest in a long line of American scheduled helicopter operations to fail.
World History
