OYA HELICOPTERS, S. A.: BP100, 5 Rue Guist’hau, Ile d’Yeu, F-85350, France; Phone 33 5159 2222; Fax 33 5159 2077; Year Founded 1983. Jean-Baptiste Moreau establishes Vendee Helicopters at Port Joinville, on the Ile d’Yeu, 15 miles off the French Atlantic Coast in the Bay of Biscay, in 1983. With the first helicopter ever based on the island (an Aerospatiale Alouette II), Moreau inaugurates passenger and time-sensitive cargo (newspapers, medicine, mail) flights to the mainland city of Fromentine.
Operations are difficult over the next five years and the company changes ownership twice. Enplanements per month in 1988, the line’s final year of independence, total 1,489.
In April 1989, Paris-based Heli Union, S. A. enters the picture. France’s largest rotary-wing operator purchases 33% shareholding and signs a management contract that will provide administrative stability. Maintenance support is also given. By August, ridership of the carrier, now renamed Oya Helicopters, S. A., is up to a monthly average of 1,708.
In 1990, the carrier is provided with an AS-365C Dauphin and the city of Port Joinville undertakes construction of a two-ship helipad on the port’s stone wharf, from which waterside location daily services continue.
Enplanements in 1991 total 21,300 and account for 75% of the company’s revenues of FFr 7.1 million ($1.1 million). With the loss of certain local government subsidies during the year, a loss of FFr 856,000 ($142,000) is suffered.
Operations continue apace in 1992-1994. During these years, as before, the company, during slack periods, undertakes a variety of utility flights. These include VIP charters, census flights of local beaches on behalf of the island’s tourism council, emergency medical services (EMS), and, under contract to the French Navy, search and rescue (SAR) services.
Flights continue in 1995-2000. During the latter year, President Moreau’s fleet includes 2 Dauphins and 1 AS-350.
OZARK AIR LINES (1): United States (1943-1986). Ozark is organized by pilot Homer Dale “Laddie” Hamilton and his business associates Floyd D. Jones, Barak T. Mattingly, and Arthur G. Hayne on September 1, 1943 in response to the government’s establishment of a category of feeder airlines. However, due to the war, it is unable to quickly receive its CAB certificate.
Still, the four “sons of the Ozarks” believe they need to demonstrate their suitability to begin scheduled service. In early January 1945, they purchase three Beech 17 Staggerwings. These are put into twice-daily service on January 10 over a triangular route from Springfield to St. Louis to Kansas City and back. The Beech products are replaced in the fall by two war - surplus Cessna UC-78 Bobcats, but in significant financial difficulty and uncertain as to the date for receipt of its license, Ozark suspends operations in November.
There is no CAB action on the company’s certification for five years and during this time, Oliver L. Parks, founder/owner of the East St. Louis, Illinois-based Parks Air College is, in fact, able to win CAB certification for his own company in late spring 1950. Just when it appears that Ozark will literally never get off the ground, the better known Parks is forced to delay service inauguration due to a lack of funds. When the certificate of Parks Air Transport of St. Louis is cancelled for nonperformance during July, its routes are awarded to Mid Continent Airlines and Ozark, effective on September 26. This is the same day that the sale of Parks’ assets, including its Great Lakes and Mississippi Valley route segments, to Ozark is completed.
With 40 employees and 4 ex-Parks Douglas DC-3s with hastily applied new livery, the company initiates scheduled service between its new base at St. Louis’ Lambert Field and Chicago (MDW) on September 26 via Springfield, Decatur, and Champaign/Urbana. The Flight 2 inaugural transports a total of two passengers, including one picked up at Decatur.
During the fourth quarter, employment is increased to 165 and 5 new stations are added: Quincy/Hannibal, Burlington, Indianapolis, Peoria, and the Quad Cities of Davenport, Rock Island, East Moline, and Moline. In this first year, the new entrant transports a total of 4,001 passengers.
The route network grows in March 1951 to include stops at Kansas City, Tulsa, Paducah, Cape Girardeau, Rockford, Springfield, and Joplin. Four more DC-3s join the fleet and enplanements grow to 53,355. One more DC-3 is purchased in 1952, the year in which the company introduces its first trademark, a squared-off reverse italic “Ozark,” with the “O” being larger than the other letters, and a DC-3 flying out of the “O” over the name.
Ozark adds three more DC-3s in 1953. Perhaps, in hindsight, the most celebrated—or disturbing-incident of the early 1950s is a charge of reckless flying against a well-known entertainer-aviation enthusiast. On September 13, the Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA), forerunner of the FAA, begins a probe of a charge, made by the entire crew of an Ozark DC-3, that Arthur Godfrey violated air traffic rules by flying too close to the Douglas on September 7 near Chicago. The government agency demands Godfrey file a written report within 24 hours and in it, the popular personality reports that he was only saluting the airliner by dipping his wings and that he neither came too close or violated any regulations. The matter is dropped.
Three more stations are added in 1954—Columbia, Jefferson City, and Milwaukee. One more DC-3 is purchased and enplanements reach 156,000. Service to a number of the stations begun in 1951 is suspended on September 26. The route network is boosted by 11 more stops in 1955, including Waterloo, Dubuque, Mason City, Fort Dodge, Sioux City, Louisville, Nashville, Marion/Herrin, Mattoon/Charleston, and Clarksville/Hopkinsville/Fort Campbell. Two more DC-3s are acquired, bringing the fleet total to 15.
Airline employment stands at 700 in 1956 as service is begun to Des Moines and Ottumwa. The carrier is now marketed as “The Business Man’s Air Line.” On January 19, 1957, Mrs. Mary K. Maddox of St. Louis is celebrated as the one-millionth (cumulative) passenger and flights begin to Minneapolis/St. Paul.
In 1958, the local service carrier’s fleet comprises 20 DC-3s. Joseph H. Fitzgerald is appointed executive vice president/general manager and although no new stops are acquired, in September and October the company acquires the last four DC-3s of Northwest Airlines. In November, it announces an order for three Dutch Fokker F.27 turboprops to be license-built in Maryland by Fairchild.
During the spring of 1959, frequencies are opened to Iowa City, Madison, and Omaha. In May, the company is ranked first among all U. S. airlines for its on-time performance. The two - millionth passenger (cumulative) is boarded on June 26 and the first of three F.27s to be delivered during the summer arrives on July 27.
Also during the summer, three stylized swallows are adopted as the corporate trademark and the Ozark name begins to appear in a modified block style italic typeface. On August 6, Laddie Hamilton retires, being succeeded by Fitzgerald on October 16.
Airline employment in 1960 stands at 1,000, 66 of whom are technicians hired to man a new maintenance facility at Rockford, Illinois. The first F.27 scheduled service is flown on January 4 over the St. Louis-Chicago route. New stops are initiated at Galesburg, Bloomington, and Kirksville. On September 6, all 14 aboard a DC-3 are hurt when it crash-lands at Des Moines.
Passenger boardings during the 12 months surge up to 572,348.
Ozark in 1961 has CAB authority to serve a route network stretching through the central Midwest, including cities in Kentucky, Missouri, Illinois, Nebraska, and Minnesota. Four Convair CV-240s are purchased from the West German airline Condor Flugdienst, GmbH. and a DC-3 with 12 aboard crashes at St. Louis on June 6 when its brakes fail. The three-millionth passenger (cumulative) is welcomed aboard during the year.
An F.27 with 21 aboard veers off the slick runway at Waterloo, Iowa, after landing on February 25, 1962 and ends up in a snowbank; no one is hurt. Ozark moves from Midway to O’Hare facilities at Chicago, including the transfer up to the new airport of the maintenance facility operating previously at Rockford. The company begins to replace American Airlines services between St. Louis and Chicago via Springfield and Peoria and Braniff International Airways flights from Chicago to Sioux City. New markets are opened at Sioux Falls, Sterling, Rock Falls, and Mount Vernon and later in the year, the German Convairliners arrive and enter service. A DC-3 with 26 aboard overshoots the runway while landing at Clinton, Iowa, on December 22.
Ozark’s central reservations office is transferred on March 15, 1963 to a new facility at Peoria. A DC-3 with 15 aboard is involved in a crash landing at Peoria three days later; no injuries are reported. Also in the spring, plans are announced for the construction of a new hangar and headquarters building at Lambert Field, St. Louis.
An F.27 is purchased from AVENSA (Aerovias Venezolanas, S. A.) on May 17 and Fort Leonard Wood and Tulsa are added to the system. On July 30, President Fitzgerald resigns; as a search is started for a new CEO, he is succeeded on an interim basis by Chairman Floyd Jones.
Enplanements for the year are 778,928 and a $124,000 net profit is earned.
Airline employment in 1964 stands at 1,385 and the fleet includes 35 aircraft. One of these, an F.27, suffers a nosegear collapse after landing from a ferry flight at St. Louis on January 11. Former Slick Airways President and Northeast Airlines Vice President Thomas L. Grace is named president on February 18. Almost in celebration of his arrival, the St. Louis advertising firm D’Arcy unveils the company’s new marketing slogan: “Go-Getters Go Ozark.” The media spokesperson for the campaign using the phrase is comedian George Carlin.
In October, Ozark trades several Convairliners to Mohawk Airlines (1) in exchange for the lease-purchase of 14 Martin 4-0-4s as 4 more
F.27s are acquired. The company moves into its new $3.1-million general office and jet maintenance facility in mid-November, leased from the City of St. Louis. The first Martin 4-0-4 enters service on December 1.
Passenger boardings accelerate 19% to 961,639 and freight traffic is up by 45%. Revenues swell 20% to $20.66 million and allow a record net income of $515,540.
The workforce in 1965 is 1,686. An $11-million order is placed on January 21 for three DC-9-15s. The central reservations office in Peoria is tied into the Univac 490 operation of Eastern Air Lines. One-stop F.27 service is begun between Milwaukee and St. Louis via the Quad Cities. On July 15, requests are sent for three more DC-9-15s. In November, orders are placed for 21 Fairchild Hiller FH-227Bs, followed on November 25 by an order for three DC-9-30s.
Passenger boardings jump 25.5% to 1,215,056, the first time that a million passengers are carried in a single year. Cargo traffic climbs 24.7%.
The first of three Douglas C-47s (military-configured DC-3 freighters) to be received during the year arrives in April 1966 to begin all-cargo services. The premier DC-9-15, wearing a new green and white livery, lands at St. Louis on May 28 and undergoes crew training throughout June. The carrier commences DC-9-15 service on July 8 between St. Louis and Chicago and thereby enters the jet era. A week later, regular service is inaugurated with special ceremonies at each point along the route. The new aircraft allow the company access to another new destination: Denver.
The second and third DC-9-15s arrive in July and enter service in August, while the first two FH-227Bs are delivered on August 5 and 24, respectively. Two more are delivered on October 6 and November 30. They begin revenue flights on December 19, a day ahead of the year’s fifth FH-227B arrival. Merger discussions with Central Airlines end and at year’s end the company operates 3 DC-9-15s, 6 FH-227Bs (the final machine being delivered on December 29), 10 DC-3s, 2 C-47s, 14 Martin 4-0-4s, 6 F.27s.
Enplanements ascend to 1,419,853 during the 12 months and revenues are $30,311,785.
Three DC-9-15s and 20 FH-227Bs join the fleet in 1967 and the Martins, F.27s, and 6 DC-3s are grounded and put up for sale.
With the beginning of the summer schedule in late March, the company now offers 17 daily jetliner services, primarily from Chicago (ORD). These are operated to St. Louis, Kansas City, Denver, and Tulsa. En route stops are made at a number of communities, including Cedar Rapids in Iowa and the Illinois towns of Moline and Peoria.
Nonstop St. Louis to Milwaukee DC-9-15 flights also begin. Indeed, on October 19, Kenneth Kammeraad, a passenger on DC-9-15 Flight 901 from Milwaukee to St. Louis, is declared the company’s 10 millionth (cumulative) passenger.
Passenger traffic is up by 20% to 1,774,816 and a total of 38.74 million freight ton-miles are flown. Revenues advance 18% to $35,899,600. The work force is now 1,922.
Company treasurer Edward J. Crane is named executive vice president in 1968. Due to airport restrictions, only three DC-3s remain, together with three C-47 cargo planes. The first DC-9-30 arrives at St. Louis from Long Beach in February. On March 27, a DC-9-15 with 49 aboard collides with an Interstate Airmotive Cessna 150F while on approach to St. Louis; the jetliner is able to land safely, but the private aircraft crashes, killing its pilot and passenger.
Chairman Floyd Jones dies and is succeeded by Jean Paul Bradshaw. Dual first - and coach-class services are offered, beginning on June 1 and $30 Weekend Unlimited fares are introduced. During the summer and early fall, an F.27 is leased to the Republican Party for use by the Nixon-Agnew “Truth Squad.” In August, the last DC-3s are sold to the Griffin, Georgia-based Aviation Academy. Among the school’s prizes is N133D, the oldest surviving DC-3, which had begun its service life as a Douglas Sleeper Transport when delivered as Flagship Tennessee to American Airlines on July 10, 1936.
Orders are placed in September for three more DC-9-30s. The remaining DC-3s are phased out on October 26, following flights from St. Louis to Jefferson City and from Jefferson City to Springfield. Their withdrawal leaves the fleet an all-turbine unit with 5 DC-9-15s, 5 DC-9-30s, and 21 FH-227Bs. The C-47s are also replaced by two FH-227Cs that begin night cargo flights between St. Louis and Chicago.
Flight 982, a DC-9-15 with 4 crew and 64 passengers, fails takeoff from Sioux City, Iowa, on December 27 and crashes 1,181 feet beyond the end of the runway in deep snow; although the aircraft must be written off, there are no fatalities.
Customer bookings climb 23% to 2,139,000 and cargo traffic accelerates by 30%. Revenues jump 25.4% to $45,010,204.
Airline employment stands a 2,025 in 1969. A direct Peoria to Washington, D. C. (IAD) route is initiated on April 27 and the airline is able to boast “Now We’re 2/3 Transcontinental!” Flights are simultaneously started between Champaign/Urbana and New York (LGA). New Chairman Bradshaw dies in July and is succeeded by Thomas L. Grace, who also serves as president/CEO.
By year’s end, the fleet comprises 5 DC-9-15s, 7 DC-9-30s, and 21 Fairchild Hiller FH-227Bs. A total of 49 stations are served and enplanements are 2,332,621. Revenues total $56.36 million, but there are losses: $1.19 million (operating) and $3.99 million (net).
The employee population in 1970 numbers 2,348 (a 5% increase) and the fleet includes 38 aircraft, all Douglas jetliners and Fairchild Hiller turboprops.
Mechanics and related workers, members of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, walk out on April 19; the job action is settled by mediated agreement on April 24 and ratified four days later.
Three new nonstop routes are now inaugurated from St. Louis to Des Moines, St. Louis to Minneapolis (MSP), and Des Moines to Chicago. Charter services are greatly expanded and the carrier begins on line participation in the computerized reservations system of Continental Airlines.
Passenger boardings jump 5.1% to 2,457,978 and cargo traffic grows by 30.2%. Revenues climb 20.9% to $68.1 million and expenses accelerate 15.6% to $66.6 million. Although an operating profit of $1.5 million is posted, a net loss of $2,271,000 is absorbed.
Like his predecessor, Chairman/CEO Grace dies in office, on July 21, 1971 and is succeeded by Vice President Edward J. Crane on August 1. In late summer, a new $3-million general office building is occupied near Lambert Field. Founder Hamilton dies on October 27. Enplanements for the year total 2,757,538 and the profit increases to $4.35 million.
The workforce in 1972 is 2,681. Employing three leased de Havilland Canada DHC-6-100 Twin Otters, an experimental commuter service is inaugurated between Springfield and Chicago (MDW). Lester L. Cost, board member and former corporate secretary, is named board chairman in May.
A fare quote system is incorporated into the computers of the automated reservations system. Reduced fare Night Hop Service is instituted to select markets, while in other destinations, automatic ticketing is tried. To provide additional capacity, two more DC-9-30s join the fleet, bringing the number of owned Douglas jetliners to 19. All services at Kansas City are transferred on November 11 from Municipal to International Airport.
The same day, an FH-227B sets a speed record of 52 minutes for the service between Lambert and O’Hare airports.
Passenger boardings jump 8.6% to pass the 3 million mark in annual boardings (3,017,386) for the first time. Cargo traffic accelerates by 14%. Income reaches $90.1 million and with expenses under control, Ozark is able to realize a bottom-line net profit of $2.56 million.
Fifty-three employees are laid off or not replaced during 1973. Brandishing a shotgun, AWOL U. S. Army private D. V. Durkin takes a mechanic hostage before taking over a DC-9-30 at Standiford Field Airport at Louisville on January 19. Making his way to the cockpit, the pirate orders the pilot to fly him to an undisclosed location, but he is overpowered by a plain-clothes policewoman before the plane takes off.
Mechanics, members of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, engage in an 11-week strike beginning on April 19. A settlement is mediated on June 27 and ratified on July 2.
While on final approach to St. Louis from Marian, Illinois, on July 23, Flight 809, a FH-227B with 3 crew and 42 passengers, encounters a downdraft during a thunderstorm and crashes 2 mi. from the end of the runway (38 dead).
Standard-class fare is inaugurated across the system as all of the company’s airliners are converted to single-class seating. A yearlong program of airplane cabin refurbishment is also undertaken and another DC-9-30 is delivered, with orders for four outstanding.
On certain frequencies, unusual marketing innovations are attempted. These include a wine-tasting service and in an effort to provide passengers with a sample of world travel, dinners like those offered by international carriers are offered on selected flights. On October 12, the government announces that, due to the energy crisis, a mandatory jet fuel allocation plan will take effect on November 1. Daily departures are cut by 7% during December as fuel availability tightens.
Customer bookings fall 23.5% to 2,307,000 while cargo is down by 25% to 7.9 million freight ton-miles flown. On revenues of $81.61 million, expenses are $79.11 million. The operating profit is $2.49 million, but a $170,000 net loss is absorbed.
Airline employment in 1974 is 2,925. During January, some 300 employees are laid off, 12% of the workforce. Due to the continuing energy crisis, daily departures are reduced by another 23%. Also early in the year, service to Chicago (MDW) ends and the company moves its Dallas services from Love Field to the new Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). Four more DC-9-30s arrive and the company petitions the CAB for nonstop authority from St. Louis to Nashville. It also seeks to offer service from Dallas (DFW) to Mexico City via Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, and Mazatlan.
Single-class DC-9 cabins are made available and the fleet now owns more pure-jets than propjets. On the enplanement side, Ozark makes a big comeback, with record boardings in March, May, June, and August. The 301,497 mark for August is a to-date company record.
Overall, bookings jump 41.3% to 3,261,000. Freight traffic is also up, by 26.5%, as 9.99 million FTKs are flown. Although expenses are $110,52 million, they are wiped out by overall income of $118.56 million. Chairman Lester L. Cox and President Crane are able to report an operating profit of $8.03 million and net income of $3.28 million.
Twelve new employees are added in 1975. Four additional DC-9-30s arrive and are employed to begin nonstop services between St. Louis and Nashville, as well as to increase frequencies on other routes. Permission is sought from the CAB to fly to Montreal and Phoenix. With the regulator’s authority, the local service carrier turns over its Clinton, Iowa, service for replacement by Mississippi Valley Airlines.
The 30 millionth passenger is boarded in May and the twenty-fifth anniversary is celebrated in September.
Although cargo is down 4.5%, customer bookings jump 4.3% to a record 3,401,598. Revenues advance to $133.88 million and expenses are kept in check at $130.86 million. The operating profit is $3.49 million and the net is $546,000.
The employee population is increased by 6.1% in 1976 to 3,117. The Bicentennial year—and the company’s silver anniversary period—is the best in company history to date. A $2-million program of Comfort Class interior refurbishment is begun aboard the DC-9s and orders are placed for six new DC-9-30s so outfitted. Detroit joins the route network as Ozark now operates to 60 cities in 15 states and the District of Columbia. Service to Detroit begins on December 15.
Passenger enplanements accelerate 12.3% to a record 3,819,503. Freight is a little slower, rising 8.56% to 10.35 million FTKs. Operating income is $165.4 million and expenses are $151.04 million. This happy imbalance results in an operating profit of $13.36 million and record net gain of $7.17 million.
As Congress begins to consider airline deregulation in 1977, Ozark becomes one of the concept’s most vocal opponents. Nonstop flights are inaugurated from St. Louis to Denver and a new $2-million hangar is completed at the St. Louis base. The new advertising slogan, “We Make It Easy for You” is now introduced. During the summer, FH-227Bs are sol—two each to Aerolineas Centrales de Colombia, S. A. and the Belgian carrier Delta Air Transport, S. A.
Enplanements for the year total 4,111,000. An $8.06-million net profit is reported on income of $192.99 million.
Airline employment is increased by 16.2% in 1978 to 3,809. Chairman Cox and President Crane oversee a fleet comprising 24 DC-4-30s, 1 DC-9-30F, 7 DC-9-15s, and 14 Fairchild Hiller FH-227Bs. In May, 7 of the company’s 400 flight attendants are released as being too overweight, causing the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) to file an embarrassing federal lawsuit. As is the case with many local service operators, Ozark begins a dramatic expansion following President Carter’s signing into law of the Airline Deregulation Act in October. The company adds Philadelphia, Atlanta, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and Tampa to its 51-city route network, which is increased almost overnight by 86.2% to 17,650 unduplicated miles.
In its largest equipment purchase, Ozark commits $82.5 million, also in October, to the acquisition of two Boeing 727-2D4As and eight more DC-9-30s, six being previously owned.
Passenger boardings jump 13% to 4,725,000 while freight grows 12.1% to 12.73 million FTKs. On revenues of $229.74 million, expenses are $209.49 million. A $20.24-million operating profit is gained, while net profit increases by 1.64% to $8.2 million.
The number of employees is increased by 6.9% in 1979 to 4,071. The New Orleans market is initially entered on May 15 and operations are switched from Washington, D. C. (DC A) to Baltimore (BWI). At approximately the same time, the airline adopts its final livery, complete with a new arrangement of the tail swallows and bold green stripes. New reservations desks open in Orlando and St. Louis, a new passenger facility is opened at Chicago, and five more DC-9-30s join the fleet.
A seven-week September 14-October 21 flight attendants strike by members of AFA (over contract renewal, not weight limits) shuts down service. A new agreement is ratified on November 5.
Four DC-9-15s are grounded on November 13 due to cracks in their tail sections. In addition, a U. S. District Court finds that by firing its overweight stewardesses earlier, Ozark has violated Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
The current strike directly lowers the year’s overall passenger boardings by 11.6% to 4,175,000 and FTKs operated to 10.9 million. Although revenues increase 1.6% to $233.4 million, expenses jump 12.9% to $236.6 million. The result is a net loss of $883,000, the first financial reversal in three years. Part of this downturn is temporarily reversed when, 20 minutes after their delivery, the 2 new Boeing 727-2D4As are sold to Pan American World Airways (1) at a $3-million profit.
The 1980s open badly for Ozark. The employee population is reduced by 6.8% in 1980 to 3,793 and the fleet is strengthened by the addition of 2 DC-9-30LRs. These are employed, beginning on April 19, to offer service over a 2,500-mile route from St. Louis to Kingston, Jamaica. The carrier faces its second job action within a year beginning on May 6 when its Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association members idle the carrier for 27 days over pay, pension, and benefit issues. A mediated agreement is ratified on June 2. Declining traffic and rising costs continue.
To overcome these difficulties, schedules are tightened and service is suspended to certain unprofitable markets, although a new frequency is begun to Washington, D. C. (DCA). A public stock offering of 1.7 million shares of common increases capitalization by $18.5 million, which is applied to the cumulative debt.
In August, the company’s ALPA representatives meet with President Crane and work out an arrangement for averting future strikes. Following its flight from St. Louis to Chicago via Peoria on October 25, the last FH-227B is retired. A number of these turboprops are now sold to Britt Airways, Delta Air Transport, and TAT (Touraine Air Transport, S. A.).
A passenger boarding decline of 4.2% (3,999,000) is encountered and cargo falls a larger 17% to 13.54 million FTKs. Although total revenues advance by 27% to $293.6 million, expenses rise 25.9% to $294.7 million. The new net loss of $289,000 is the second poorest showing in two years.
The workforce is reduced a miniscule 0.2% in 1981 to 3,835. On March 12, the company expands its flight system to include Indianapolis, Detroit, and Philadelphia and begins a $10- million expansion of its Lambert Field facilities. Perhaps surprisingly, the PATCO air traffic controllers’ strike of summer and the subsequent ATC restrictions do not affect Ozark badly; in fact, the carrier makes a turnaround this year. With the addition of three new markets—San Antonio, Fort Myers, and Sara-sota/Bradenton—the St. Louis-based company becomes the major operator between St. Louis and Florida.
The new Florida business, harvested with the aid of 3 new Mc Donnell Douglas DC-9-80s (MD-80s), helps boost traffic by 6.8% to 4,273,265; cargo also increases, up 14.6% to 7.65 million FTKs. Revenues climb 29% to $382.95 million with only a 17.2% rise in expenses to $348.93 million. As a result of these shifts and various economies, a record $16.3-million net profit is posted in addition to the operating gain of $34.01 million-much to the relief of company officials and stockholders.
The payroll is increased by 4.1% in 1982 to 3,993. The fleet is enlarged by the addition of a DC-9-32 and two DC-9-41s, the latter pair purchased from Japan’s Toa Domestic Airlines Company, Ltd. Ozark, the nation’s 16th largest airline, becomes a transcontinental carrier on October 1 when it begins flights into 6 new cities, including San Diego, Brownsville, Las Vegas, Omaha, Cleveland, and Norfolk. At the same time, many older stations are dropped, such as Rockford, Burlington, Cape Girardeau, Decatur, and Quincy.
To provide greater financial flexibility, the board authorizes a reorganization. Ozark Holdings is formed with Ozark Airlines as its major airline-operating subsidiary. The first DC-9-41 enters service on December 23.
Enplanements rise a modest 2.2% to 4,369,000, while cargo grows 1.1% to 7.74 million FTKs. Operating income jumps 5.77% to $406.49 million, while expenses are kept at $388.39 million. Although positive, profits dip to $18.09 million (operating) and $7.54 million (net).
The workforce falls 0.3% in 1983 to 3,981 as the company inaugurates service to 3 more Sunbelt cities-West Palm Beach, Charlotte, and Raleigh/Durham. A new cargo facility is opened in St. Louis and a third DC-9-41 is acquired from TOA Domestic Airlines Company, Ltd. An order is placed on July 28 for four McDonnell Douglas MD-82s.
A DC-9-31 strikes a snow sweeper after landing at Sioux Falls Airport on December 20, ripping the right wing off the plane, igniting a fire, and killing the sweeper’s driver; all 82 people aboard the plane escape injury. The wreckage will be sold to Aviation Sales, which will rebuild the plane and sell it to Republic Airlines.
Partially as a result of its expansion actions, passenger traffic jumps by 12.3% to 4,907,810, while cargo increases 13.3% to 22.59 million FTKs. On the financial side, revenues move upward only 6.4% to $433.2 million. Expenses, although up 10.7%, only reach $430.76 million. As a result, the carrier is left with an operating profit of $2.43 million and a net profit of $1.9 million.
Employment is elevated 1.7% in 1984 to 4,047. Hourly shuttle flights between St. Louis and Chicago are launched in January as Executive Express. Additional routes are opened to the Florida city of Jacksonville and the North Carolina communities of Greensboro, High Point, and Winston-Salem. The expansion gives Ozark a system of service to 66 cities in 25 states coast-to-coast. Northwest Holdings purchases the Lambert Field FBO Midcoast Aviation while in November, a 15-gate expansion of the company’s facilities at St. Louis are opened. The two new MD-80s join the fleet late in the year after serving a six-month lease with American Airlines.
The year’s passenger boardings top the five million mark for the first time (5,052,000), this despite pressure on the carrier’s St Louis hub from both Trans World Airlines (TWA) and Southwest Airlines (2). Still, cargo declines 6.7% to 21.05 million FTKs. On the year, operating revenues incline skyward 8.6% to $465.7 million while expenses rise only 4.5% to $445.65 million. As a result, operating income advances to $20.06 million and a net profit of $12.7 million is earned, the second largest in the carrier’s history.
The payroll is boosted 2.4% in 1985 to 4,144 and the fleet includes 50 airliners. In March, a new 15-gate “Airplex” concourse is opened at the St. Louis hub. Ozark again reaches toward new markets, adding Lincoln, Nebraska, and Oklahoma City in April. In October, a code-sharing agreement is reached with the large regional Air Midwest, which will provide feed for the national in the Midwest. Carl Icahn’s purchase of Trans World Airlines (TWA) now makes that carrier such a low-cost enterprise that it is able to further undercut Ozark at St. Louis. The competition is deadly; most of the $8 million won during the year’s first half is consumed during the second half. In November, as almost an aside, Ozark Holdings purchases the St. Louis FBO Midcoast Aviation for $8.5 million.
As President Crane’s company begins to sink into red ink, labor difficulties resurface. In December, Crane seeks concessions from his pilots, but they resist. The year’s profit is only $636,000. The outlook is grim. During the company’s last year as an independent, customer bookings swell 12% to 5,541,000 and cargo is up by 51.5% to 46.57 million FTKs. Revenues ascend 3.2% to $480.54 million, costs are up 8.2% to $481.59 million, and the operating loss is $1.05 million. Net profit falls to $636,000.
Merger negotiations between the Icahn organization and Ozark are undertaken in January and February 1986. On March 6, Trans World Airlines (TWA) purchases Ozark’s entire shareholding for $239 million ($19 per share of common stock). Although the antitrust division of the Department of Justice recommends against the takeover in July, it is approved by the Department of Transportation in September.
Control over the St. Louis hub will be total within a year. Also in September, Trans World Airlines (TWA) sells Ozark’s entire fleet to a leasing concern and then leases the aircraft back; the transaction gains $240 million for Carl Icahn’s major—the entire price of the Ozark acquisition.
Passenger boardings for the three independent quarters drop 5.2% over the previous period a year earlier, to 4,548,000. During the same period, revenues fall to $350.7 million, expenses are $356.7 million, and a $6-million operating loss is suffered. Still, the carrier goes out on a profitable note with a final net gain of $4.56 million.
Integration moves ahead during the year’s final quarter, aircraft are repainted in Trans World Airlines (TWA) livery, and surviving personnel are moved into Chairman Icahn’s system. Indeed, another $25 million is gained by the Icahn group when the Ozark pension plan is terminated. Ozark flies its last scheduled service under its own name on October 26.
In January 1987, Crane becomes vice chairman of the Trans World Airlines (TWA) board of directors and Lester Cox a member. Unofficial Web sites concerning Ozark are located at http//:inlink. com/~dougm/ ozark. com/ or Http://members .aol. com/dealers/aircraft/airlines/ozark. htm.
OZARK AIR LINES (2): United States (1999-2001). A 20-year dream of reuniting the flying public with the famous green swallows of Ozark Air Lines (1) is realized in late summer and fall 1999 when physician/aviator/businessman Dr. Wesley Stricker, who had purchased rights to the historic name from Trans World Airlines (TWA) the previous year, organizes this carrier at Missouri’s Columbia Regional Airport. Former USN pilot and KAL-Aero owner/operator John Ellis becomes CEO and together the two complete their business plan and seek financing from a variety of banks, lending institutions, and other financial organizations. Most find the $25-million start-up capital requested for the purchase of aircraft and other beginning costs too small an amount to be involved with; however, the Union Planters Bank of Columbia agrees to support Stricker and Ellis and give them the loan. The required paperwork is now filed with the DOT and FAA, and orders are placed with Fairchild Dornier for two copies of its new 328JET.
As Washington reviews the company’s potential and the aircraft are built in Germany, the Ozark chiefs build a hangar and maintenance facility at the regional airport and recruit a staff to operate the airline. A marketing and reservations contract is signed with Worldspan.
Second operator of the Fairchild-Dornier 328JET, the company receives its operating certificate on Feburary 9, 2000. Five days later, it completes its first operational service, a charter that takes the University of Missouri men’s basketball team to and from Lubbock, Texas. Twice-daily roundtrip flights are inaugurated on February 21 from Columbia to Chicago (MDW); one service operates daily except Saturday and the other daily except Sundays.
Plans to operate into Dallas (DAL) are thwarted due to a legal impasse between the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth over the expansion of flights into Love Field. Consequently, interline arrangements are entered into with American Airlines and American Eagle Airlines. Under terms of the pacts, Ozark will provide connecting flights into Dallas (DFW) timed to coincide with AA flights; American Eagle will provide ticketing and baggage handling services for Ozark. Twice-daily return service to Dallas (DFW) starts on March 13.
In the weeks that follow, the Chamber of Commerce of Joplin, Missouri, indicates an interest in joining the new Ozark’s route network. A $300,000 incentive package is put together that includes $200,000 in block grants and $100,000 from the Chamber’s subsidiary Joplin Business and Industrial Development Corporation; an additional $10,000 in marketing funds are also provided. Ozark begins flying in and out of Joplin in May and with the delivery of its second 328JET, connects that city and Columbia with both Dallas (DFW) and Chicago (MDW).
Under a one-year arrangement signed in January 2001 with the Iowa-based start-up AccessAir, new 328Jet one-stop return service from Colombia to Chicago (MDW) via Des Moines, will be inaugurated on February
22. The agreement allows AccessAir to withdraw the loss-making Boeing 737-200 it had been employing on its renewed flights. AccessAir will fail on February 27 and Ozark will halt operations on March 29.
OZARK AIRWAYS: United States (1932-1933). Organized at Springfield, Missouri, in late 1932, Ozark is equipped with a Stinson that is employed to open scheduled multistop passenger flights to Kansas City. Insufficient traffic does not allow operations to continue beyond March 1933.
PAB AVIATION: 3405 Airport Road, Allentown, Pennsylvania 18103, United States; Phone (610) 266-8188; Fax (610) 266-8189; Year Founded 1986. PAB is set up at Allentown in 1986 to provide domestic and worldwide executive and small group passenger charters. The company grows over the next decade and in 2000, employs five pilots. It operates a pair of Grumman G-1159 Gulfstream bizjets, one of which is normally based at West Palm Beach, Florida.
PAC AIR: United States (1989). Arthur Pearson’s Pearson Aviation Corporation, based at the airport at Provincetown, Massachusetts, establishes a scheduled air taxi division in February 1989 to undertake daily roundtrips to Boston. Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain frequencies are inaugurated on March 20, but cannot be sustained beyond October 14.
PACE AIRLINES: P. O. Box 525, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27102, United States; Phone (910) 681-5374; Fax (910) 744-1257; Http://flypiedmond. com/pace. html; Code PDS1; Year Founded 1996. From a base at Greensboro, North Carolina, the original Piedmont Aviation Services continues to flourish, despite the transfer of its Piedmont Airlines (1) to USAir. In 1992, PAS is sold by USAir to an investor group that includes its present management. Now, once again, it conducts domestic passenger and cargo charters with a fleet of 36 lightplanes, in addition to its work as an FBO, aircraft sales facility, and maintenance and overhaul business.
By 1994-1995, the company operates a large executive and small group charter service from seven south-central U. S. bases. From Greensboro, PAS flies 1 each Beech Super King Air 200, B-58 Baron, and B-2000 Starship. A Beech 90 King Air is operated from Hickory, North Carolina, while from Morgantown, West Virginia, 1 Cessna 550 Citation II and 1 B-58 Baron are flown.
Winston-Salem is a major Piedmont hub; from this point the company operates 2 each Cessna 525 Citations and Super King Airs and 1 each B-400A Beechjet, B-90 King Air, British Aerospace BAe Jetstream 31, Gates Learjet 31, and Cessna 550 Citation II. At Raleigh, PAS flies 1 IAI-1124 Westwind, 2 B-400A Beechjets, 2 King Air 90s, 1 Gates Learjet 35A, and 1 B-55 Baron.
Piedmont Aviation Services also flies from two Virginia locations. At Norfolk, the company stations 1 each Beech Super King Air 200 and Mitsubishi Mu-300 Diamond, while a Super King Air is flown from Roanoke.
Pace is established under the direction of PAS President Robert H. Wells at Winston-Salem in the first quarter of 1996 to offer charter services. The 56-year-old privately held PAS, which had once owned Piedmont Airlines (1), was itself taken over by USAir in the famous Piedmont merger of the previous decade.
The March 28 issue of The Charlotte Observer reports that Pace has had to push back its start-up date several times because of disputes over its name. PAS initially applies to the DOT to use the Piedmont name, but USAir, which retains the trademark name on its commuter affiliate Piedmont Airlines (2), refuses to abandon it. The next moniker chosen is “Premier,” but that name prompts objections from a Colorado entrepreneur planning to begin a carrier with those titles. The third attempt is golden and the DOT approves the Pace name and grants Piedmont a certificate to offer jet charter service.
President Wells negotiates a contract to become the exclusive airline of the Charlotte Hornets NBA basketball team. A single Boeing 737-200 is leased and employed to inaugurate services for the team on March 26.
A total of 4,000 passengers are flown by December 31. The $2 million in revenues generated exceed costs and allow a $145,000 operating profit. A net $100,000 gain is also reported.
Customer bookings in 1997 again total 4,000. Operating revenues skyrocket 87.1% to $3.78 million, while expenses climb 87.4% to $3.52 million. The operating profit grows to $264,000, while a $158,000 net profit is banked.
Flights continue in 1998. With financial support from Washington, D. C.-based financiers The Carlyle Group, the airline’s parent, Piedmont Aviation Services, merges with Hawthorne Aviation on July 27 to become Piedmont Hawthorne Aviation. American Beechcraft, a Leesburg, Virginia-based FBO and Raytheon Aircraft dealer, is merged into the new company, along with Transportech, an FBO at Raleigh that Piedmont has been managing for the past three years.
During the 12 months, passenger boardings skyrocket 300% to 16,000. Revenues advance 28.1% to $4.85 million, while costs are held to $4.72 million. The operating profit drops to $263,000, while net gain falls to $42,000.
Coming in from Winston Salem to Rogers, Arkansas, on March 20, 1999, the Learjet 35A with two crew and eight passengers undershoots the runway threshold. The left main landing gear collapses after impacting the concrete foundation of the approach lighting system; the bizjet skids 1,700 ft. before coming to rest on the E side of the asphalt strip. The flight officer and a passenger receive slight injuries.
Passenger boardings climb 12.5% this year to18,000.
A total of 67 workers are employed at the beginning of 2000. The carrier’s B-737-242A continues to fly for the Atlanta Hawks, its B-737-247 for the Charlotte Hornets, its B-737-222 for the Washington Wizards and Capitals, and its B-737-4Y0 for the New York Knicks and Rangers.
In July, two company B-737-236As are wet-leased to the new Sun West International, which begins operating charters on behalf of Har-rah’s Casinos at Laughlin, Nevada, and New Orleans.
PACIFIC AERIAL TRANSPORT (PTY.), LTD. (PAT): Australia (1931-1936) . Led by Raymond “Battlin’” Parer, a diverse group of bush pilots and mining company investors anxious to compete with established Guinea Airways (Pty.), Ltd., form PAT at Salamaua in early 1931. A former KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines, N. V.) Fokker F-III, together with spare parts, is purchased for A?700 and delivered; another 1,000 pounds is invested in two reconditioned Bristol Jupiter engines. Parer test flies the Fokker before an interested Salamaua crowd on March 14.
Unfortunately, four days later, the plane, while attempting takeoff, loses engine power and crashes into a treeline; neither Parer or his two passengers are hurt, but the aircraft must be written off. Wau tavern owner Flora Stewart and other investors now step forward to underwrite the purchase of an ex-Sabena Belgian World Airlines, S. A. Fokker F-VIIA and a de Havilland DH 50 Moth.
During the early summer, PAT begins a charter service to various points throughout Papua and eastern New Guinea. All manner of cargos are accepted from gold, tools, whiskey, clothing, and medicine; unusual freight includes non-safety Japanese matches, detonators, a cow, and a wild boar that gets loose and catches in the Fokker’s floorboards.
Operations continue apace in 1932 and in 1933 the company is taken to court by local Salamaua officials for flying unregistered aircraft, a violation of the Air Navigation Regulations. The ?125 fine is paid by investors and well wishers. While undergoing repair at Wau in November, the Fokker’s wing is severely damaged, causing the plane to remain out of service for several months.
On June 1, 1934, the New Guinea Centenary Flight Syndicate is formed to sponsor “Battlin’” Parer’s entry into the MacRobertson Eng-land-Australia Air Race. The famed bush pilot now sells his interest in PAT and with another of the carrier’s pilots as companion, departs for England, where he purchase a used Fairey Fox and enters the contest. Meanwhile, three pilots are left to operate the airline’s services. The company receives a three-year subsidy from the administration of the Mandated Territory on August 1 for the carriage of passengers and cargo over its existing routes from Salamaua, Lae, and Wau.
Parer’s Fox arrives at Melbourne on February 13, 1935. Shortly thereafter, PAT is sold to rival Guinea Airways (Pty.), Ltd., which allows it to continue flying under its original name until October 16, 1936, when it is combined with the air transport division of W. R. Carpenter and Company to form Mandated Airlines (Pty.), Ltd.
PACIFIC AIR: United States (1994-1995). Pacific Air is established at Portland, Oregon, in 1994 to offer regional passenger and cargo flights. Revenue flights commence during the summer with a pair of Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftains.
Unable to achieve economic viability, the concern shuts down within a year.
PACIFIC AIR AVIATION: 185 East Reno, Hangar B6, Las Vegas, Nevada, 89119, United States; Phone (702) 256-4320; Fax (702) 7953790; Year Founded 1993. PAC is founded at Las Vegas in 1993 to offer executive and small group passenger charters throughout the U. S. and Canada, as well as to Mexico, Hawaii, the Caribbean, and Central America. Five pilots are employed and flights begin with a lAI 1125 Westwind Astra and a Learjet 35A Century III.
PACIFIC AIR CARGO: 6040 Avion Drive, Los Angeles, California 90045, United States; Phone (310) 645-2178; Fax (310) 645-4876; Http://www. pacificaircargo. com; Code 8K; Year Founded 2000. PAC
Is established at Los Angeles in the spring of 2000 to operate scheduled all-cargo roundtrips to Honolulu on behalf of freight forwarders, integrators, and other airlines (as replacement flights). Former American International Airways (American International Cargo) managing partner Beti Ward is named CEO, with Jay Romias as chief financial officer and Jeffrey Vaughn as operations manager.
A Boeing 747F is leased and five-times-a-week return freighter flights duly commence between Los Angeles (LAX) and Honolulu. A total of 44.9 million pounds of cargo are transported during the remainder of the year.
World History
