NORTHERN AIRWAYS (3): United States (1956-1972). Based at Burlington, Vermont, a third Northern Airways is formed in 1956 as an FBO offering flight training and charters. During the next decade, non-scheduled Cessna and Piper lightplane and Douglas DC-3 passenger and cargo services are offered throughout New England.
In the summer of 1967, a ticketing and ground support arrangement is entered into with Mohawk Airlines; in exchange for the assistance of the local service carrier, Northern agrees to provide commuter feed from remote destinations between upper New York State, Vermont, New Hampshire, and down through Massachusetts to Boston. Revenue services are inaugurated with de Havilland Canada DHC-6-100 Twin Otters and Piper lightplanes on September 11, initially to Lebanon, New Hampshire.
Operations continue apace during the remainder of the decade and into the 1970s. In 1972, the carrier is reformed and incorporated under the name Air North.
NORTHERN AIRWAYS (4): Sanford Regional Airport, Presidential 413 Hangar, Sanford, Maine 04073, United States; Phone (207) 324-9300; Fax (207) 324-9341; Http://www. biddleford. com/ northern; Year Founded 1973. This Northern Airways is founded at Sanford, Maine, in 1973 to provide executive and small group passenger charters throughout the Northeast.
Flights continue apace over the next quarter century and by 2000 the company employs six pilots and schedules flights from Canada to the Caribbean for its Cessna 550 Citation II and Beech King Air 90.
NORTHERN AIRWAYS (5): United States (1983-1985). The fifth Northern Airways is set up by Dave Ramhee and Orvis Kloster at Grand Forks, North Dakota, in late 1983. Employing a Piper PA-31-310 Navajo, the small regional inaugurates scheduled daily commuter flights to Bismarck via Fargo, maintaining them as primarily a mail service until July 1, 1985.
NORTHERN AIRWAYS, LTD.: United Kingdom (1934). Newcastle bus fleet owner George Nicholson forms this carrier on July 1. On the same day, a new de Havilland DH 84 Dragon, christened Brentwood and piloted by Ted Palmer, initiates daily Newcastle to Carlisle and Isle of Man service that continues (with fewer frequencies as the season progresses) until October 31. In the first 4 months of operation, 11,000 miles are flown, but only 182 passengers are transported.
NORTHERN AIRWAYS (PTY.), LTD.: Australia (1934). Northern Airways (Pty.), Ltd. is formed at Newcastle, New South Wales, in early June 1934 to fly a single route to Sydney. Employing Codock aircraft, the company begins flight operations on June 11.
In December, New England Airways (Pty.), Ltd. takes over the aircraft, route, and other assets.
NORTHERN AND SCOTTISH AIRWAYS, LTD.: United Kingdom (1934-1937). Former motor bus operator George Nicholson forms this carrier on November 21, 1934 to expand upon the lessons learned with his earlier Northern Airways, Ltd., flying from Glasgow (Renfrew) to take over the western Scotland routes of failed Midland and Scottish Air Ferries, Ltd. Initial capitalization is ?7,000 and Nicholson again names himself managing director.
On December 1, the Brentwood and another DH 84 initiates north-south London-Glasgow via Liverpool and Belfast, service, including carriage of mail under a contract formerly held by Railway Air Services, Ltd.
In January 1935, the first ambulance charter is flown. Glasgow (Ren-frew)-Campbeltown weekday frequencies begin on February 1, with an extension to Islay on alternate days; on March 15, the frequency is advanced to twice daily to both destinations. Thrice-weekly Glasgow (Renfrew)-Isle of Man DH 84 flights are initiated on May 17; the frequency is reduced to once daily on June 1 and twice daily on July 1.
Meanwhile, as Whitehall Securities begins planning for a large independent carrier, it purchases control of this small airline on May 23; capitalization is increased to ?12,000 and George Nicholson is replaced as board chairman by J. de C. Ballardie. Following several proving flights to the Western Isles, Capt. David Barclay, flying a DH 84 in company with another of the airline’s Dragons, initiates twice-weekly Glasgow (Renfrew)-Skye service on December 5.
The Skye route is extended to Askernish in South Uist on January 21, 1936. The former mail contract of Blackpool and West Coast Air Service, Ltd. for the Isle of Man-Liverpool route is awarded to the carrier in February. The South Uist route is extended to North Uist on March 18. As part of a larger arrangement, a contract is undertaken on June 30 to fly certain local Irish Sea area route sectors for British Airways, Ltd.
(1) ; the major independent provides Northern and Scottish Airways with 4 DH 89As, 3 Spartan Cruiser IIs, and 1 Spartan Cruiser III.
The next day, it is announced that the company has become a wholly owned subsidiary of Whitehall Securities, as the BA managing director is appointed to the Northern and Scottish Airways board. Simultaneously, the former British Airways, Ltd. (1) Irish Sea area routes are started: two from Liverpool (to Glasgow via Belfast and to Glasgow via Blackpool and Isle of Man); two from Belfast (to Glasgow and to Isle of Man); and one from Isle of Man to Carlisle, while the Western Isle routes are started in opposite directions to be flown on alternate weekdays. Campbeltown is added as an on-demand stop on the Liverpool-Glasgow route as of October 4.
On January 6, 1937, the company radio station at Sollas, North Uist, enters operation. Railroad Air Services, Ltd. takes over the Northern and Scottish Airways Liverpool-Glasgow via Blackpool, Isle of Man, and Belfast route on May 21. The Glasgow-Isle of Man service is resumed on June 1.
Unable to sustain service, half interest in the carrier is now acquired by the London, Midland and Scottish Railroad and its associated motor bus company, David MacBrayne, Ltd. It is merged with Edmund Fres-son’s Highland Airways, Ltd. (also owned by Whitehall Securities) to form Scottish Airways, Ltd. on August 12.
NORTHERN CONSOLIDATED AIRLINES: United States (19451968). Alaskan FBO operator Ray Peterson proves himself an adept salesman when, on November 16, 1945, he convinces the owners of six small pioneer bush carriers to combine their operations under his presidency. The amalgamation of Northern Air Services, H. Gillam Airlines, Walatka Air Services, Northern Airways (1), Jim Dodson Air Services, Bristol Bay Air Services, and Ray Peterson Flying Service into Northern Consolidated Airlines receives CAB certification on December 1, 1947.
Maintaining a variety of local service routes in the southwestern part of the Alaskan territory for a decade, Peterson’s company flies a mixed fleet that includes Douglas DC-3s, Stinsons, Noorduyn Norsemen Vs, Cessna, and Consolidated PBY Catalinas.
On October 31, 1958, Northern Consolidated takes delivery of the world’s first Fokker Fairchild F-27B, modified by Fairchild in Maryland through the addition of a larger portside cargo door.
The Dutch-designed turboprop will be sold to Wien Air Alaska in 1959 and is replaced, on April 30, by another unit flown up from the Free State. The carrier participates in a major CAB-ordered feeder route redistribution after October 1, 1960, receiving a network south of the Tanana and Yukon Rivers. A pilot fails to see an obstruction while landing and crashes his Cessna T-50 at Aklak on November 28; he and his passenger are both hurt.
A Cessna T-50, with three aboard, crashes during its takeoff from Alaknuk on June 30, 1961; both passengers are hurt. Another T-50 with two aboard crashes at Nyac on February 15, 1962, while attempting to land in a whiteout. The company, in December, becomes the first U. S. operator of the Swiss-built Pilatus PC-6A Porter.
In 1963, Northern Consolidated receives the Anchorage-Naknek via Iliamna route formerly flown by Pacific Northern Airlines. While making an emergency single-engine landing at Bethel on January 17, a Cessna T-50 with five aboard crashes; no injuries are reported. A fuel injection problem starves the engine of a PC-6A over Qinhagak on August 23 causing it to crash-land; the pilot is slightly hurt.
Enplanements for the year total 31,656.
Airline employment in 1964 stands at 163 and the fleet includes 14 aircraft. When the great Alaska Earthquake hits in March, all of the planes are at distant airfields or in flight, thus none are damaged. Although company offices are slightly damaged, no personnel are hurt and no schedules are missed. A new building is shared at King Salmon with the Post Office. Two Grumman G-73 Mallards are acquired for the Bethel and King Salmon frequencies.
Passenger boardings climb 12.5% to 36,178.
Six new employees are hired in 1965. Because of frost on the wings, a Cessna 180 with two aboard stalls after takeoff from Bethel on December 20. The same day, a Goose, with nine aboard, suffers the same sort of incident when lifting off from the same destination.
Enplanements for the year advance to 39,672.
Customer bookings advance to 42,000 in 1966. For years, the routes of Northern Consolidated—and some of its competitors—are able to generate little traffic increase due to the number of air transport firms seeking the same business. In the late 1960s, several of these begin to seek merger partners, with Peterson among them. In January, Northern Consolidated becomes a public stock company and takes on 2,000 shareholders.
On March 15, 1967, Northern Consolidated announces its intention to join forces with longtime friendly rival Wien Air Alaska. The amalgamation will take place in a year following shareholder and government approval and in May the CAB grants the company a major new An-chorage-Fairbanks route. At year’s end, the workforce totals 190 and the fleet includes 3 F-27Bs, 2 DHC-6s, and 1 Shorts SC-7. A total of 61,969 passengers are originated during the year.
With stockholder and CAB approval received, Northern Consolidated is merged into Wien Air Alaska on April 1, 1968.
NORTHERN EXECUTIVE AVIATION, LTD.: Hangar 522, Manchester Airport, Wilmslow, Cheshire, England, SK9 4LP, United Kingdom; Phone 44 (161) 436-6666; Fax 44 (161) 436-3450; Year Founded 1960. Northern Executive is set up by D. L. Antrobus as an FBO at Manchester Airport in 1960. In addition to the usual “gas station” activities, NEA also begins to offer air taxi, air ambulance, aerial photography, and cargo charters throughout the country. Ground and flight operations continue apace over the next quarter-century from bases at Manchester and at London (CTN). By 1986, the fleet includes 2 Cessna 421 Golden Eagles, 3 Piper PA-23 Aztecs, and 1 each PA-31310 Navajo, PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain, PA-30 Twin Comanche, and Gates Learjet 35A Century 3.
There is no change in service between 1987-1993 and by 2000 Operations Manager Gerry A. O’Neill oversees a workforce that includes eight full-time and two part-time pilots. Executive charters are now offered by two Learjet 35As stationed at Manchester and a third flying from London (CTN).
NORTHERN ILLINOIS COMMUTER AIRLINES: United States (1979-1980). NICA is set up at Plainfield, Illinois, in the summer of 1979 to provide scheduled passenger and cargo services linking its base with Chicago (ORD), plus Peoria, and Springfield. Beech 99 flights commence on August 1, but cannot be maintained beyond 1980.
NORTHERN ILLINOIS FLIGHT CENTER: 8407 Pyott Road, Lake in the Hills, Illinois 60102, United States; Phone (815) 4557707; Fax (815) 455-0392; Year Founded 1979. NIFC is established in 1979 to provide executive and small group passenger charters serving the Chicago area airports, particularly Midway and O’Hare. Flights continue over the next two decades with other U. S. and Canadian destinations added.
By 2000, Chad Seedorf oversees the work of 8 pilots and schedules the company’s two Cessna 550 Citation IIs, and 1 each C-501 Citation I, Beech Super King Air 300, King Air 100, and C-425 Conquest I.
NORTHERN MOUNTAIN AIRLINES, INC. See NORTHERN MOUNTAIN HELICOPTERS, INC.
NORTHERN MOUNTAIN AIRLINES, LTD. See NORTHERN THUNDERBIRD AIR, LTD.
NORTHERN MOUNTAIN HELICOPTERS, INC.: P. O. Box 368, Prince George, British Columbia V2L 4S2, Canada; Phone (250) 963-1200; Fax (250) 963-9015; Http://www. forestindustry. com/nmh; Year Founded 1959. This Prince George-based company is originally established in 1959 as Northern Mountain Airlines. The first helicopter, a Bell 47G, is purchased in 1966.
During the remainder of the decade and into the 1970s, NMA is engaged in passenger and cargo charters, as well as agricultural work and spraying. In 1974, the company adopts the name Northern Mountain Helicopters, Inc.
Services continue apace during the remainder of the 1970s and throughout the 1980s. During these years, the company becomes involved in heli-logging projects throughout the north central region of British Columbia.
In the early 1990s, R. E. Coleman is managing director, with Fred Nelson as general manager. The fleet now includes 9 McDonnell Douglas MD-500s, 26 Bell 206B JetRangers, 6 Bell 205As, 5 Bell 212s, 2 Sikorsky S-58Ts, 4 Eurocopter AS-350Bs, and 1 Bell 206L LongRanger.
Two Sikorsky S-61s are acquired in the fall of 1996 and are employed to augment the lift capability in heli-logging of the two S-58Ts. The company is also able to provide overhaul and repair and maintains a C$5-million stock of spare parts for that process.
Flights continue during the remainder of the decade. In 1997, a homepage is opened on the Internet’s World Wide Web.
NORTHERN PACIFIC AIRLINES: United States (1982-1985). Ball Brothers Aviation, founded by George C. Ball, is renamed in 1982. Based at Anchorage, the company continues to operate a mixed fleet of military surplus Douglas C-47s and C-118s and Fairchild C-82 and C-199 Packets. Also available is a DC-6A first flown in 1953 by The Flying Tiger Line and purchased from Sis-Q Flying Service in 1980. The company hauls general cargo and fish.
Scheduled passenger and cargo flights are inaugurated in 1983 to McGrath, Mikolai, Soldotna, and Tatlina in south central Alaska. These revenue flights are undertaken by Beech B-80 Queen Airs, which also fly nonscheduled charters statewide.
In 1984, NPA, which owns the last surviving example in flying condition, retires its Pilgrim 100, first flown by American Airlines in the early 1930s.
Early in 1985, the carrier is purchased from its owners and plans are made to operate it as an all-cargo airline.
A Beech Queen Air with 9 aboard crashes into a 200-ft. ridge about 1.5 mi. SW of the airport at Soldotna on February 4; there are no survivors.
While taking off from Egegik, Alaska, on July 7, the C-118A with three crew hits a bump on the runway that causes it to go off the pavement, collide with an embankment, and catch fire; although the aircraft will be written off, there are no fatalities.
Before the company’s expansion plans can advance, these accidents cause NPA to shut down in August.
NORTHERN THUNDERBIRD AIR, LTD.: 4245 Hangar Road, Prince George, British Columbia V2N 4M6, Canada; Phone (604) 963-9611; Fax (604) 963-8422; Http://www. netbistro. com/ntair/in-dex. html; Code NTA; Year Founded 1973. In order to both survive and expand, the lightplane operators Northern Mountain Airlines,
Ltd. and Thunderbird Airlines, Ltd. are merged in 1973. Ownership is divided between public (67%) and private (33%) interests. Operations are resumed over an integrated route network linking the company base at Prince George with the British Columbia communities of Prince Rupert, Quesnel, Williams Lake, Kamloops, Penticton, and Kewlowna. Initial scheduled passenger and cargo services are inaugurated with a de Havilland Canada DHC-6-200 Twin Otter purchased by Thunderbird the previous year.
In 1974, bases are established at Fort St. James and Mackenzie. Two more DHC-6-200s are acquired in 1975, allowing initiation of flights to Smithers and Terrace.
One of the new DHC-6-200s with two crew and five passengers en route from Prince George, strikes the side of a ridge and crashes at Klua Tan Tan on September 30; there are no survivors. A Douglas DC-3 joins the fleet in 1976.
On initial approach to Terrace on January 14, 1977, a DHC-6-300 with three crew and nine passengers crashes into a hill; there are no survivors. Later in the year, two more DHC-6 Dash-300s are obtained as replacements for the destroyed machines.
The Douglas is sold to Knight Air, Ltd. in 1978 and a Twin Otter is also deleted.
The fourth DHC-6 is withdrawn in 1982. In 1983, the company agrees to provide services throughout British Columbia on behalf of Pacific Western Airlines, Ltd. These are flown with the remaining Twin Otter. Charter and freight services are maintained with 3 Beech 18s, 2 DHC-2 Beavers, 1 DHC-3 Otter, 2 Cessna 185s, 1 Cessna 206, and 1 Piper PA-23 Aztec.
The PWA flights cease in 1985 when the final DHC-6 is removed. Thereafter, operations become strictly cargo and contract service. Service is maintained over the next 15 years with a fleet that includes, at one point or another, 1 each Beech Super King Air 200, Cessna 206, Piper PA-31-310 Navajo, and Aero Commander 500.
Kurt Gladesdahl is president/CEO in 2000 and operates a fleet that comprises 1 each Beech 1900C, Beech Super King Air 200, and Cessna 208 Caravan I.
NORTHERN WINGS, LTD. See QUEBECAIR, LTD.
NORTHERN WINGS HELICOPTERS, LTD. See QUEBECAIR, LTD.
NORTHLAND AIR MANITOBA, LTD.: Canada (1983-1987).
Founded in 1953 as Ilford Riverton Airways, Ltd., this Winnipeg-based carrier is reformed in 1983 and renamed. Scheduled passenger and cargo flights are maintained to destinations in northern Manitoba and the Northwest Territories, the latter from a base at Churchill.
During this time, the number of employees grows to 100 and President/CEO Ken Bittle’s fleet comes to include 5 British Aerospace BAe (HS) 748-B2s, 4 Curtiss C-46 Commandos, and 5 Douglas DC-3s or unmodified C-47Bs.
A C-47B freighter with two crew suffers the failure of its left wing while on approach to Pickle Lake on May 11, 1987, and crashes out of control into nearby woods; there are no survivors.
Later in the year, the carrier is reformed as Air Manitoba, Ltd. and
P. M. Lazarenko becomes chairman.
NORTHWARD AVIATION, LTD.: Canada (1965-1980). Northward is organized at Edmonton in 1965. After amalgamating a group of charter and scheduled flights previously undertaken by Pacific Western Airlines, Ltd. in the Northwest Territories with the private air services of Bow Valley Industries and Sproule Projects, Norward begins charter operations, primarily with Douglas DC-3s, to the Northwest Territories and the Yukon.
A final Douglas transport and three de Havilland Canada DHC-6-200 Twin Otters are acquired between 1971 and 1973, followed by a Fairchild Hiller FH-227J in 1975 and a Beech 99 in 1977. By the latter year, President E. J. Miller’s 65-employee company owns a fleet of 1 Fairchild Hiller FH-227J, 3 Twin Otters, and 1 Beech 99.
In late 1978 , it is decided to begin the provision of scheduled services. By year’s end, regularly scheduled frequencies are inaugurated to 24 communities. Charters continue to be offered from Yellowknife, Cambridge Bay, and Whitehorse.
In 1979, the Fokker, Beechcraft, and a Twin Otter are withdrawn and replaced by four Saunders ST-27s (de Havilland DH 104 Doves with Pratt & Whitney of Canada PT-6 turboprop engines) leased from Air Atonabee, Ltd.
The expense of expansion in a time of steadily escalating fuel and other costs proves too much for the carrier and it ceases operations in 1980.
NORTHWAY AVIATION, LTD.: P. O. Box 70, Ares, Manitoba R0C 0C0, Canada; Phone (204) 642-5631; Fax (204) 642-8160; http:// Www. northwayav. com; Code NAL; Year Founded 1964. Geiri and Anne Johnson found Northway at Arnes, Manitoba, in 1964, to haul fishermen and trappers to bush locations with a single de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver. During the next 16 years, passenger and cargo air taxi services are continued, along with charter and contract service flights to rural areas. A number of lodges and out-camps are established to facilitate this activity, a prime example being a fly-in lodge at Sasa-ginni-gak Lake.
Late in the period, six-days-a-week scheduled flights are launched to the communities of Bloodvein, Berens River, Poplar River, Little Grand Rapids, Winnipeg via Perimeter, and seasonally to Pauingassi. Ownership of the company passes through two more generations, finally coming to rest with Jim and Veronica Johnson.
In 1990, enplanements total 9,500. These remain level in 1991, but climb to 10,800 in 1992. In 1993-1994, the Johnson’s oversee a workforce of 20 and operate a fleet comprising 1 Cessna 180, 1 Cessna 185, 2 Cessna 206s, 1 Cessna 207A, 1 Cessna 208, 1 de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver, and 1 DHC-3 Otter.
During the early 1990s, plans are made to relocate the carrier’s wheel-and floatplane bases to reduce mileage to the destinations visited. A bay near Pine Dock on Lake Winnipeg is determined to be the only natural harbor left on the lake with potential and consequently, construction on a new base begins at that location in 1995. Floating docks are installed along the shoreline to shelter the carrier’s floatplanes inside a breakwater and by the spring of 1996 Northway is able to relocate its scheduled flights to the new location, named Biscuit Harbour. A restaurant and lounge open in June.
The first of three luxury accommodations open for business in January 1997, followed by two more in September. The Harbourview Rooms and a meeting room in the main lodge building are unveiled in the spring of 1999. Service, both scheduled and charter, continues in 2000 with a fleet that includes 1 each Cessna 180, C-185, C-206, C-207A, C-208 Caravan I, Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain, and DHC-2, plus two DHC-3 Otters.
NORTHWEST AIR LINK COMMUTER NETWORK. See BIG SKY AIRLINES; BUSINESS EXPRESS; EXPRESS AIRLINES I; FISHCER BROTHERS AVIATION; HORIZON AIR; MESABA AIRLINES; NORTHEAST EXPRESS; PRECISION AIRLINES; PACIFIC SOUTHWEST AIRLINES (PSA); REPUBLIC EXPRESS; SIMMONS AIRLINES; TRANS STATES AIRLINES
NORTHWEST AIR SERVICE. See GORST AIR TRANSPORT; HUBBARD AIR TRANSPORT
NORTHWEST AIRLINES: 5101 Northwest Drive, St. Paul, Minnesota 55111, United States; Phone (612) 726-2331; Fax (612) 7266599; Http://www. nwa. com; Code NW; Year Founded 1934. Following the February cancellation of government airmail subsidies in the wake of the “Air Mail Scandal” and Black Committee hearings, routes are reassigned in March 1934. In order to qualify, Northwest Airways is reorganized under Minnesota law on April 16 and is renamed Northwest Airlines, Inc. The only identifiable change in the company’s roundel logo is its name change reflected in the outer rim.
Founder Lewis I. Brittin, who had in fact resigned and been imprisoned earlier in the year as a result of a contempt of Congress charge growing out of the Senate proceedings, has been succeeded as vice president-general manager by Croil Hunter. Most of the previous routes and services are maintained; however, following the reassignment process, the company loses the Chicago-Fargo route. Despite the change in corporate identity, genealogy is maintained and today, following the absorption of Western Airlines into Delta Air Lines, Northwest is the oldest U. S. airline with a continuous name identification.
The carrier receives the prototype of the Lockheed Model 10A Elec-tra on May 24, which is placed into trial service over the Chicago to Minneapolis/St. Paul route. By month’s end, the ship has completed 45 roundtrips at an average speed of 192 mph. On August 1, two production Lockheed Model 10A Electras are received. A second Electra arrives from Lockheed on August 4, but on August 7, less than a week after its arrival, it is destroyed in a nonfatal takeoff crash at Milwaukee. A third Lockheed is received two days later and the two Model 10As on hand are employed on August 11 to initiate twice-daily, regularly scheduled roundtrips over the Minneapolis/St. Paul-Chicago route.
During the month, Ford 5-AT-58 is sold to Northern Air Transport. A fourth Electra joins the fleet on October 12, followed by a fifth on December 1. Also in December, a new Fargo to Seattle mail route is acquired and the original S-38 is sold to H. L. Plummer. At the close of the year, the carrier purchases Hanford Tri-Cities Airlines’ AM-16 mail route from Chicago-Winnipeg via Fargo and Pembina, thus regaining the service lost in April. When, during the year, the company pays its pilots a flat monthly rate, conflict begins with the newly formed ALPA.
Enplanements by December 31 total 12,097.
Chicago-Seattle mail, passenger, and express flights commence in January 1935. Between February 8 and April 29, five more Model 10As are placed into service. Also in April, Ford 5-AT-48 is sold to Charles Babb. Two more Electras arrive on May 15 and 25 and later in the month, C. L. Plummer buys the second Sikorsky amphibian. The Ford 5-AT-42, the last of its type in inventory and in 1932-1933 one of the most injury-plagued, is sold to KNILM (Koninklijke Nederlandsch-Indische Luchtvaart Maatschappij, N. V.) in the Dutch East Indies. At the same time, the carrier also disposes of a WACO, its Stearman C3B, and the first Orion 9D, which is passed to Oil Field Airlines.
During the spring, frequencies on the Chicago to Seattle route are two per day each way. Two are flown each day, each way between Chicago and Minneapolis/St. Paul and one between Fargo and Winnipeg. All services are undertaken by Lockheed Model 10A Electras. A 13th Elec-tra arrives on June 4 and Charles Babb buys a Hamilton Metalplane in July. In August, the last two Orion 9Ds are sent to Wyoming Air Service. Through service to Winnipeg is approved on October 10, eliminating a Canadian-required transfer at Pembina.
Duponti Aviation buys two WACOs, one each in January and April 1936; meanwhile, two Stinson SR Reliants are acquired from Wyoming Air Service in February and the first Electra is sold to Henford Air Lines in July. En route to Spokane from Missoula early on December 18, a Lockheed Model A mailplane becomes lost and crashes near Kellogg, Idaho (two dead).
Charles Babb purchases two more H-47s, one each in January and March 1937. Early in the year, Vice President/General Manager Hunter is named corporation president, the company’s first operating officer to hold the title. The last Model 10A is acquired from North American Aviation in July. A Hamilton is sold to R. V. Clute in August and on September 12 and 25, respectively, the carrier receives the first two of eight ordered Lockheed Model 14H Super Electras, which the company advertises as Sky Zephyrs.
Chicago to Twin Cities Model 14H flights commence on October 18 as two more Sky Zephyrs are delivered the next day and on October 29. In early November, the Sky Zephyrs are placed on the Chicago to Seattle route via Minneapolis/St. Paul. At the same time, another Electra is sold to Hanford Air Lines and on November 9, the fifth Model 14H is delivered. The last two Super Electras arrive on December 2 and 28, respectively.
On January 10, 1938, tail surface flutter causes a new Lockheed 14H to crash into Bridger Canyon near Bozeman, Montana (10 dead). Bureau of Air Commerce inspector A. D. Niemeyer, a surviving passenger of the flight, orders the company’s Sky Zephyr fleet grounded until balanced rudder surfaces are installed. A Model 10A Electra is sold in January to the Charr Brothers, with another passing in February to Boston & Maine Airways. Two Super Electras arrive on May 5 and 7, respectively, and on May 14, Portland, Oregon, to Yakima, Washington, flights commence.
En route for delivery on May 16, a new Model 14H crashes a few miles from the Lockheed plant, killing several officials of both the manufacturer and the airline. A second in-service Model 14H is lost in a failed takeoff from Billings, Montana, on July 8 (one dead).
Another Sky Zephyr arrives on July 10 and the company announces on July 27 that it has pioneered the first practical aviation oxygen mask. National Air Lines purchases a Lockheed Model 10A in September.
A total of 21 million revenue passenger miles are flown this year and revenues exceed $2 million.
A new Super Electra must be written off at Bozeman, Montana, on January 10, 1939. Some 500 feet up just after takeoff from Miles City, Montana, just three days later on January 13, the cockpit of a Lockheed Model 14H bursts into flame, causing the plane to crash (four dead). At this point, President Hunter and his airline colleagues decide to sell the entire Sky Zephyr fleet out of service over the next few months, replacing it with new Douglas DC-3As, all of which will arrive wearing a newly authorized and streamlined roundel logo.
When a blizzard closes down Chicago Municipal Airport for several days in February, the carrier recommissions an old Hamilton H-47 Met-alplane. Equipped with skis, it provides the city’s only link with the outside world for several days, flying airmail and express to Milwaukee. Service is resumed to Madison on March 6, the same day the carrier introduces its first female flight attendants.
Ordered as a result of a loan received from the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC), the first three Douglas DC-3As join the fleet between April 22-28. The first is christened City of Bismarck. Additionally, the first two Sky Zephyrs are sold in April, one each to Continental Air Lines and one to Lowell Yerex’s TACA (Transportes Aereos Centro-Americanos, S. A.). One Model 14H is sold back to Lockheed in May along with another to TACA. Yerex purchases two more in June and one in July, while Continental Air Lines purchases one in June. That same month, three more DC-3As arrive, the last of the three being the second and final Douglas transport to receive a name, City of Rochester. One of the three Stinson SR Reliants is sold to H. D. Smith in August and the year’s last new DC-3A arrives on September 1.
Later in the year, President Hunter approaches the CAB with an ambitious proposal for a “Dream Route” from Chicago to Calcutta via Seattle, Fairbanks, Siberia, and China. He even makes a survey flight to the Orient, after which he amends the original application to seek service only as far as Tokyo via Anchorage and the Aleutian Islands.
Simultaneously, it is suggested to the regulators that the company’s Seattle to Chicago route should be made truly transcontinental by their approval of an extension from the Windy City to New York via Milwaukee and Detroit. The military and diplomatic atmosphere of the time, combined with the state of domestic competition and the CAB’s own birth pangs, it comes as no surprise when none of Hunter’s requests are approved.
Among the most important services to the industry provided by any airline during the year is a little-known series of tests using oxygen masks aboard a DC-3Afor sustained high-altitude flight. Although ugly, the rubber nosebags do allow pilots to operate as high as 35,000 feet.
Flying over sparsely settled countryside, Northwest operates in 1940 what is, essentially, half of a fourth major east-west route—1,850 miles from Chicago to Seattle, in addition to a service from Spokane to Portland. Charles Babb purchases three Lockheed Model 10A Electras in June; that month, a new DC-3 also arrives, followed by two more, one each on September 3 and November 29. Passenger boardings for the year are 136,797.
Northwest’s common stock goes public on February 14, 1941 as equity financing is gained through a public offering. The company’s fares per mile are America’s lowest. A DC-3A is sold to the U. S. government on July 12.
While approaching the airport at Moorhead, Minnesota, on October 30, another Douglas transport goes out of control and crashes (14 dead). Airline employment stands at 881 and the fleet now comprises 4 Lockheed Model 10A Electras and 11 DC-3As.
A total of 149,212 passengers are boarded during the last year of peace and revenues from them exceed mail income for the first time.
Because of Northwest’s experience flying northern routes, the U. S. government calls on the airline shortly after Pearl Harbor to begin building airfields and other facilities in Alaska. The company is also asked to set up and operate a military cargo route to Canada, Alaska, and the Aleutians. In December, the company’s last Hamilton H-47 is sold to the Alaskan operation, Reeve Airways.
At the request of Air Transport Association of America President Edgar Gorrell and the War Department, American Airlines executive M. P. “Rosie” Stallter is sent in January 1942 on a weeklong inspection tour of the U. S. Army Air Forces’ Air Service Command bases in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Alabama, Utah, and California.
From this trip, Stallter and Gorrell devise and present the Army with a domestic, military - cargo service plan to be operated by the airlines under government contract. Under the plan, five geographical segments are created, each assigned to a specific carrier: American Airlines the East Coast, Northeast Airlines the Northeast, Eastern Air Lines the Southeast, Northwest the Pacific Northwest, and Braniff Airways the Southwest.
On February 26, the Army’s Air Transport Command signs a contract with the company for its participation in an airlift to Alaska. The first route-proving flight is made on March 2 and on March 29, Northwest starts regularly scheduled Flying Boxcar Line service from Minneapolis to Fairbanks (with intermediate stops, including Edmonton, Alberta), thus becoming the second domestic airline (after Northeast Airlines) to begin overseas operations. On May 13, a DC-3A crashes at Miles City, Montana (three dead). Also in May, four Model 10A Electras are sold to the U. S. Army Air Forces.
As part of their campaign against Midway Island in the Pacific, Japanese naval forces attack the Aleutian Islands on June 3, capturing Attu and Kiska while grasping at underdefended Dutch Harbor. The mobilization foreseen and promised by ATA President Edgar Gorrell at the beginning of the year is realized, as the U. S. Army orders 11 airlines to halt their normal passenger and contract cargo activities. Aircraft are now dispatched to Edmonton, Alberta, for participation in a massive contract airlift that is quickly organized for the defense of Alaska.
Over 100 aircraft from this airline and 10 other carriers execute daily roundtrips between Edmonton and Dutch Harbor through mid-July, transporting troops and supplies. Over 90% of the pilots involved had never flown to or from Alaska before and few had encountered such tough weather conditions.
Also in June, the military purchases three DC-3As. Two Fairchild F-24s are acquired on October 14 and 21, respectively. On December 19, the Minnesota Supreme Court rules that the company must pay back taxes to the state and to Ramsey County; the carrier appeals. As government commitments increase, service to several smaller cities is suspended. During the year, a bomber modification center is opened at St. Paul; another will follow at Vandalia, Ohio. Six thousand employees are hired for the Minnesota facility alone.
In a footnote on the year, 28-year-old Connie Walker begins flying as a stewardess on the Portland, Oregon, to Billings, Montana, route; she will retire 42 years later in 1990 as the nation’s senior flight attendant.
By early 1943, three supply routes are in operation to Alaska. In addition, company personnel are involved in high-altitude experiments at the Mayo Clinic, in bomber modification and special testing work at St. Paul and Vandalia, and in research on the impact of weather on such operations as deicing and radio communications.
During the year, President Hunter again seeks an ambitious postwar Oriental route package from the CAB. From Nome he would fly to Peking via the Siberian cities of Markova and Yakutsk, plus Manchouli in Manchuria. From the Chinese capital, routes would be stretched to Calcutta via Chongqing and to Manila via Shanghai. The plan is almost immediately opposed by Pan American Airways (PAA), which wants no Pacific competition. At home, the two Fairchild F-24s are sold in September and October after only a year of service. Stockholders, on December 1, approve increased capitalization.
Despite the growth in war operations in 1944, enough C-47s (military DC-3s) become available to allow some to be released to the airlines. The first of these to be available to Northwest are acquired on April 11. On May 16, the U. S. Supreme Court upholds the Minnesota tax on company property. Four more DC-3s are delivered in July and August.
With military C-46s and C-47s, the carrier’s pilots fly more than 21 million miles on the Alaskan ferry, and four of them are awarded Air Medals by President Roosevelt. Meanwhile, on December 16, Northwest becomes America’s fourth fully transcontinental carrier when the CAB awards it the authority from Minneapolis/St. Paul to New York City via Milwaukee and Detroit, first sought in 1939.
Between March and May 1945, five C-47s are leased from the U. S. government. After V-E Day in May, Northwest is asked to help in the redeployment of U. S. servicemen from Europe for the final push against Japan. Employing its own, plus 14 military transports, the carrier operates a separate special air service to fly over 30,000 men from the East Coast to West Coast embarkation points. Service over the new transcontinental route begins on June 1 while three more C-47s arrive between August and November. The first two of many war-surplus Douglas C-54s are received on October 6 and 14, respectively; financed through the RFC, they will be converted to civil DC-4 standard.
A government “E” is received at war’s end for the company’s bomber modification projects. Over 3,000 Consolidated B-24s, Martin B-26 Marauders, and North American B-25 Mitchells have been outfitted at St. Paul alone, many with special equipment, including secret radar. Airline employment is now 10,439. On December 2, Northwest becomes the first certified carrier to link the Pacific Northwest with Hawaii; Brown & Bigelow sell the company a C-47, converted to civil DC-3 standard, on Christmas Eve. Two days later, three more former military C-54s are purchased.
The final C-47 leased from the U. S. government arrives in January 1946, while the last Stinson SR Reliant is sold to Max Conrad in February, just as three more C-54s are acquired from the RFC. One of these is christened City of Spokane and is the only named Northwest DC-4. Another C-54 arrives on March 9 and DC-4 flights from Minneapolis into New York (Newark) commence on March 31. Two more four-engine transports arrive in April and May. Members of the machinist union walk out between July 4 and 6.
The CAB takes the experience Northwest gained in the north during World War II into account when it seeks to open new Pacific routes following V-J Day. On August 1, the company is certified to fly a “Great Circle” route to the Orient and adopts the marketing title “Northwest Orient Airlines.” Such a route is considerably shorter than the mid-ocean approach, because it is far north of the earth’s equatorial bulge.
DC-4 flights begin from New York to the Pacific Northwest on August 2. Having been granted Foreign Air Mail Route 28 (FAM-28), Northwest makes its premier postwar scheduled civilian flight from Seattle to Anchorage (Elmendorf Field) on September 1. Three more C-54s are purchased on September 26, followed by three more on November 13. The first schedule bearing the new airline moniker “Northwest Orient Airlines” is also printed in November and a highly simplified new wings and roundel logo is introduced.
On January 2, 1947, the carrier undertakes a survey flight over an “inside” route to Anchorage and Tokyo from Chicago and Minneapolis/ St. Paul via Edmonton. The DC-4 Trailblazer arrives at Haneda Airport, Tokyo, on January 6. A second proving flight is made over the same route on February 16-17. A survey flight is completed from New York to Manila on February 25.
A Tokyo to Minneapolis route survey mission is finished on March 2. Employees and members of the press are given rides on April 10 in one of the prototype Martin 2-0-2s in Northwest colors. Jamestown and Aberdeen frequencies commence on April 27 and during the spring, President Hunter travels to Washington, D. C. to speak against the “chosen instrument” scheme being promoted before Congress by Pan American Airways (PAA) President Juan Trippe. Also in April, two more DC-4s are acquired.
The first Manila to New York test flight is completed on May 29.
On June 1, a C-54B with 4 crew and 37 passengers is lost while on final approach to Chicago Airport; although the aircraft must be written off, there are no fatalities.
DC-3 flights to Bozeman begin on June 21 and at month’s end, a DC-4 is chartered from Braniff Airways. In preparation for the initiation of scheduled services to Japan, Northwest now becomes the first U. S. airline to hire Japanese workers.
Beginning on July 15, Northwest begins to extend FAM-28 to Manila. Bad weather at Elmendorf Field delays initiation of this Alaskan path to Manila, made with stops at Tokyo, Seoul, and Shanghai, for three days. This 39-hr. inaugural scheduled service is performed by the DC-4 Manila, which transports 24 passengers. Two records are simultaneously established, as Northwest becomes the first airline to operate regularly scheduled flights between the U. S. and Japan and the first to serve Seoul, Shanghai, and Manila from the U. S. via Japan.
The first Martin 2-0-2 is delivered on August 2 and the carrier joins with American Presidential Lines on August 19 to announce joint sea-air travel tour plans to Pacific areas. The second and third Martins arrive on September 4 and 22, respectively, and Okinawa is added to the Oriental market list on September 25. Between September 28 and November 12, six more Martin 2-0-2s arrive.
A permanent certificate for Great Falls service is issued by the CAB on November 12 and on November 15, the carrier becomes the first U. S. airline to operate a postwar twin-engine airliner when it introduces its Martin 2-0-2 six months before American Airlines can launch the Con-vair CV-240. The elation generated will be short-lived as the Martin will prove a disaster. Three more of the aircraft are now delivered, one on November 21 and two on December 23.
Northwest’s aircraft livery begins to feature red-painted tails as of February 1948. During the month, the carrier adopts a new corporate logo consisting of a circular field with an arrow pointing to the northwest heading on a compass.
On March 12, Flight 4422 with 6 crew is en route from Anchorage to New York (LGA); most of the 24 passengers are American President Line sailors returning from the delivery of a ship to Shanghai. The chartered C-54G crashes into the 8,000-ft. level of the remote 16,237-ft.-high Mount Sanford, Alaska; there are no survivors. The first to reach the wreck site will be retired USAF Majors Marc Millican and Kevin McGregor-on July 24, 1999.
An extension of the carrier’s transcontinental grant is made on March 15, when a Milwaukee to Washington, D. C. via Detroit, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh service is approved. Also in March, the third DC-3 since January is sold to Mid Continent Air Lines. A DC-4 is acquired from Matson Air Charter in April.
New York to Minneapolis Martin 2-0-2 flights begin on August 20 and on August 29, M. and J. Freeburg, father and son, fly the same company aircraft as pilot and first officer. A new Martin 2-0-2, en route from Minneapolis to Chicago with 38 aboard, crashes into a bluff near Winona, Minnesota, on the Wisconsin bank of the Mississippi River, on August 30 (37 dead). When federal investigators determine that wing strut cracks have caused the accident, the entire Martin fleet is grounded pending modifications.
While on a ferry flight, a C-54A with five crew is lost 55 km. N of Edmonton, Alberta, on October 27 (two dead).
Acting on a plea from the U. S. Army, Northwest begins two emergency flights per week on November 18 to evacuate American dependents from Seoul to Seattle. Two more DC-4s arrive, also in November.
The company inaugurates the nation’s first transcontinental all-coach flights on March 24, 1949. With the communist victory in China, service to Shanghai is shut down on May 15. The first of 10 Boeing B-377 Stratocruisers join the fleet on June 22 and is christened Minneapolis-St. Paul. Between July 10 and November 18, eight more B-377s arrive and are named Chicago, Manila, New York, Newark, Washington, Honolulu, Tokyo, and Alaska.
New York to Hawaii B-377 flights begin on November 16 and on November 29, a Stratocruiser establishes a Seattle-New York record of 7 hrs. 8 min. On December 2, Northwest inaugurates regularly scheduled Boeing B-377 routes to Honolulu from Seattle, Tacoma and Portland, becoming the first U. S. airline certified to link Hawaii with the Pacific Northwest. The final B-377, Orient Express, is acquired on December 21.
Transpacific Stratocruiser operations are begun in January 1950. These giant aircraft, extremely luxurious but expensive to operate, are introduced with a huge advertising campaign. Advertisements are taken in all the leading magazines and even airborne fashion shows are conducted by coeds from the University of Minnesota. On January 11, a B-377 flies from Minneapolis to New York City in a record 2 hrs. 38 min.
While on final approach to Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport on March 7, following a service from Winnipeg, a Martin 2-0-2 with 3 crew and 10 passengers, crashes into a house 3.8 mi. NW of the field. There are no survivors and two people are killed on the ground, including one man who dies of a heart attack.
Direct New York to Minneapolis Stratocruiser service begins on April 1 and the former fuel stop at Edmonton, Alberta, becomes a passenger destination on April 30. On June 3, the operator extends a route to the Chinese Nationalist island of Taiwan.
On June 23, en route to Minneapolis from New York, a DC-4 with 3 crew and 55 passengers crashes in a storm into Lake Michigan near South Haven, Michigan; there are no survivors in the worst U. S. air tragedy to date.
Also, beginning in June, the carrier leases short-term six DC-4s from Trans World Airlines (TWA), Delta Air Lines, Braniff Airways International, and National Airlines for use on the upcoming Korean airlift.
Service to Seoul is suspended on July 25 as Northwest becomes the prime UN contractor in the Korean Airlift, dedicating nearly all of its DC-4 fleet to the service. Company aircraft ferry American soldiers in and out of South Korea, often from an airfield at Pusan.
On August 30, Seattle to Anchorage B-377 service is initiated and on October 11, a Stratocruiser flies from Honolulu to Seattle in a record 8 hrs. 2 min. A Martin 2-0-2 crashes at Almelund, near Minneapolis, on October 13 (five dead) while another must be written off on November 5 following an accident at Tucumcari, New Mexico. The third plane in a month is lost on November 7 when a Martin, en route from Helena to Butte with 22 aboard, crashes into a mountain peak near Butte, Montana; when the wreckage is found two days later, there are no survivors. All company Martins are now grounded for inspection. A U. S. to Seoul flight is added on November 13 and 10 days later, the Martins return to service.
A Martin 2-0-2 with three crew and seven passengers crashes in a snowstorm near Edwall, Washington, on January 16, 1951; there are no survivors.
After two weeks of Washington discussions with Northwest officials concerning safety issues raised by the Martins, CAB Chairman Donald W. Nyrop and a team of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) technical experts inspect the company’s Minneapolis base in February. Hunter’s operation is ordered to upgrade its pilot training and maintenance procedures. A DC-3 is sold to Mid Continent Air Lines on February 28.
In March, as an immediate investment in the government-required upgrade, the company voluntarily grounds its Martin 2-0-2s, which its pilots have indicated they no longer wish to fly. The decision is taken to sell off the beleaguered aircraft. Via a connecting service with Hong Kong Airways, Ltd., Northwest inaugurates service to Hong Kong on March 19. From Tokyo, Northwest operates a DC-3, “UN-99,” for UN observers taken to Allied positions in Korea and wounded soldiers returned to Japan.
In April, a DC-4 is purchased from Los Angeles Air Service and a second is leased from Transocean Air Lines. The five-millionth (cumulative) passenger is boarded on May 3 and the first DC-3 acquired since early 1946 arrives on May 22. A DC-4 is leased from Pan American World Airways (1) on July 1 and two are purchased from California Central Air Lines (CCAL), one each on July 27 and August 16. Meanwhile, on August 15, four Martin 2-0-2s are sold, including two to California Central Air Lines (CCAL). On August 26, Northwest reports that its average passenger flies 641 miles on a trip. Also during the month, the carrier agrees to acquire six DC-3s from California Central Air Lines (CCAL).
During the year, President Hunter, hoping to improve Northwest’s sagging finances, concludes a tentative merger agreement with James H. Carmichael, CEO of Pennsylvania-based Capital Airlines. When Hunter takes the plan before his board, it is rejected, due largely to the fear of a headquarters transfer to Pennsylvania. So distraught is the board that it makes Hunter its chairman and seeks a new president/CEO, settling in the fall upon Harold R. Harris, the onetime Pan American-Grace Airways (Panagra) manager and American Overseas Airlines president. Although the new man immediately orders four Super Constellations, he will, in fact, serve just over a year before resigning due to irreconcilable differences with the board.
Another DC-4 is chartered from Transocean Air Lines on September 6 and two of the California Central Air Lines (CCAL) aircraft arrive on September 8 and 27, respectively, followed by a third on October 8. On October 10, the company leases five of its Martin 2-0-2s to reborn Japan Air Lines Company, Ltd. (2); as it remains illegal for Japanese pilots to fly aircraft, cabin crews are also hired from the Minnesota airline. At home the same day, Minneapolis to Washington, D. C. B-377 service is opened; Vice President and Mrs. Barkley are the first VIP passengers on the route after Mrs. Barkley christens the Stratocruiser Washington. Another Martin is sold to California Central Air Lines (CCAL) on October 23. Delivery is taken on the year’s final DC-4 on November 11, a unit leased from Transocean Air Lines.
A B-377 with 65 aboard makes an emergency landing in Seattle on January 7, 1952; no injuries are reported. Twelve days later, on January 19, a chartered C-54E with 3 crew and 40 passengers crashes during its landing at Sandspit, British Colombia; there are no survivors.
Between April 14 and May 8, the last three Martin 2-0-2s are delivered to Pioneer Air Lines. Stratocruiser flights begin from the new Idlewild Airport in April and the last California Central Air Lines (CCAL) DC-3 is delivered on May 3.
On July 7, a B-377 flies from Tokyo to Seattle in a record 16 hrs. 11 min. A DC-4 is purchased from Delta Air Lines on August 5. Late in the year, even while President Harris’ board relations deteriorate, certain board members approach the just-retired CAA Administrator/CAB Chairman Donald Nyrop about the company presidency, but he is not interested.
A Stratocruiser flies from Seattle to Chicago on January 29, 1953 in a record 5 hrs. 8 min. This aircraft type’s Tokyo to Seattle mark improves to 15 hrs. 10 min. on February 15. While the airline awaits delivery on a new order for 24 DC-6s, four DC-6Bs are leased from The Flying Tiger Line on April 8 and the next day, a record Chicago-Seattle B-377 time of 6 hrs. 6 min. is recorded.
At the beginning of April, an interchange agreement begins with Eastern Air Lines over a route from Miami to Seattle via Chicago (MDW). An EAL Lockheed L-749A Constellation is employed on the route, with Northwest cockpit and cabin crews operating the service from Chicago to Seattle and back.
An order is placed on April 20 for six (later reduced to four) L-1049G Super Constellations.
A DC-4 is chartered for six months from Los Angeles Air Service in May and three more Douglas DC-6As are leased from The Flying Tiger Line between September 1-13. A Chicago-bound B-377 from Seattle crashes and burns at McChord AFB, Washington, on September 6; 29 aboard are hurt and 3 are safe as the copilot risks his own life to aid base police in rescuing survivors. Seattle-Portland flights begin on September 27, the same day that Northwest announces it will install emergency landing evacuation slides on all of its DC-4s and Stratocruisers.
A DC-4 is sold to Japan Air Lines Company, Ltd. (2) on October 24. The interchange arrangement with Eastern Air Lines is concluded six days later.
Flying C-54s and DC-4s since 1950, Northwest has completed 1,380 roundtrip Military Air Transport Service (MATS)-contracted transpacific crossings with no disruption of either its domestic or “Great Circle” schedule of commercial flights. In 13 million miles, the carrier flies over 40,000 troops and 6 million pounds of priority cargo. Revenues from the airlift, cargo, and passenger operations are $66 million, while passenger boardings for the year are 1.1 million.
Another DC-6A is leased from The Flying Tiger Line on January 26, 1954 and a Stratocruiser turns in a Tokyo-Seattle flying record of 16 hrs. 48 min. on March 7. A DC-4 is chartered from Braniff International Airways on March 15; Tokyo to Seoul DC-4 flights commence on April
21. In June, three Northwest board members visit former CAB Chairman Nyrop at his Washington, D. C. office and ask him to again consider becoming president/CEO.
The first purchased DC-6A arrives on June 23, acquired from Canadian Pacific Air Lines, Ltd. On the last day of the month, the airline’s facilities at Shemya AFB in the Aleutians are deactivated in favor of a new stop at Thornbrough, Cold Bay, Alaska. For three months, August-October, a DC-4 is leased from Eastern Air Lines.
Following a two-month review, Donald Nyrop, the same man who had led the 1951 company review, accepts the post of president/CEO on September 27; he will be America’s youngest major airline chief executive. Croil Hunter, who served as president before Harris, remains board chairman. Nyrop immediately sets to work to upgrade company finances and quickly negotiates an $18-million line of bank credits. Cost-cutting measures are also taken, including one of Nyrop’s long-term favorites, reduction in the number of vice presidents. He also sells two of the six undelivered Lockheed Constellations, replacing them with two DC-6Bs purchased from Mexicana Airlines, S. A. de C. V., which will arrive on October 28 and December 3, respectively.
Meanwhile, the CAB, at President Eisenhower’s direction, now awards the carrier a seven-year temporary permit for Tokyo service. Eisenhower and the regulators both believe Nyrop’s service a duplication of that provided under subsidy by Pan American World Airways
(1) and receipt of temporary, as opposed to permanent certification, brings a lawsuit from Northwest. Beginning on December 10, interchange flights to Miami are operated with Eastern Air Lines; the first L-1049G makes its maiden flight on December 17 and the first of 24 DC-6s join the fleet during the year. On December 22, Nationalist Chinese antiaircraft test firing is apparently responsible for bursts near a DC-4 coming into Taipei from Tokyo. At month’s end, a DC-4 is sold to Great Lakes Air Lines.
On January 1, 1955, the carrier becomes the first airline to operate without government subsidy on transpacific and U. S.-Alaska routes. Former President Harris’s four Lockheed L-1049G Super Constellations are delivered beginning on January 22 and are placed on transpacific routes from Seattle and Tacoma to Manila via Anchorage, Tokyo, and Okinawa. First - and tourist-class flights to Honolulu from Seattle and Tacoma via Portland are also introduced.
In May, the first common stock dividend is issued since 1946. A program of fleet rationalization is begun as orders are placed for 10, later 14, DC-6Bs, the first of which arrives from the manufacturer on June 16, followed by a second on September 20. These are now placed on the
Manila run, leaving the Super Constellations to fly between Tokyo and Seoul.
While retaining the Stratocruisers, many of the smaller aircraft are withdrawn, including the infamous surviving Martins and most DC-3s. Northwest begins direct service between Chicago and New York via Detroit, on October 30.
An interchange service with Eastern Air Lines begins on December 15 between Minneapolis/St. Paul and Miami via Chicago. The service is initially operated by Northwest Stratocruisers during the winter and EAL Constellations during the summer season.
Another $29.5-million line of credit is acquired and paid off and at year’s end, President Nyrop declares Northwest to be “the only airline in the United States that doesn’t owe a dime!” Dividend payments begin and will continue annually for many years.
By leasing Shemya from the government on January 1, 1956, Hunter’s company becomes the first U. S. carrier to operate its own airport. The same day, it is announced that Northwest will centralize its maintenance operations at a new $17.5-million base at Wold-Chamberlain Field. Maintenance facilities at Seattle and New York will be closed. Another DC-6A arrives new from its manufacturer on February 3.
Just after takeoff from Seattle for New York on April 2, Flight 100, the B-377 Tokyo with 6 crew and 32 passengers, develops engine cowl flap problems and ditches in Puget Sound 4.7 nm. offshore. The survivors are rescued by a U. S. Army amphibious vehicle 10 minutes after the landing. Although 5 passengers drown before they arrive, 3 soldiers will later receive medals for their work.
Two DC-4s are chartered from Riddle Airlines in early April and a second DC-6A arrives from Canadian Pacific Air Lines, Ltd. on April 19.
Originally flown by Northwest Airways, the reconditioned Ford AT-5-58 Tri-Motor is leased from Johnson Flying Service of Missoula, Montana, and undertakes a thirtieth anniversary 20-city New York to Seattle flight on October 10-18.
Capacity is increased during 1957 by the addition of eight DC-7Cs, the first of which arrives on February 28. Also in February, a DC-4 is sold to Universal Air Lines. DC-7Cs also join the fleet on April 8 and 27, respectively, and the three new machines are now placed into service on the Great Circle routes to the Orient. During the summer, the CAB finally grants permanent route certification to Tokyo. Four more DC-7Cs arrive between July 3 and August 30.
New York to Seattle via Chicago DC-7C flights commence on August 30; the next day, all four of the Constellations are sold to LAV (Linea Aeropostal Venezuela, S. A.). Also in August, a DC-4 is sold to K. Her-furtner. The year’s final DC-7C is delivered on September 20 and first-class Imperial Service is introduced late in the year. The sixth and seventh new DC-6Bs delivered since January 19 arrive on October 5 and December 5, respectively, while two DC-4s are sold to the South African operator Trek Airways (Pty.), Ltd. on December 19.
In the first quarter of 1958, four more DC-7Cs are placed into service and in the spring, the “Regal Imperial Eagle” is adopted as the corporate logo.
Two more DC-7Cs arrive on April 1 and 18, respectively. On May 1, an order for 10 Lockheed L-188Cs is announced.
A DC-6B with 4 crew and 58 passengers is lost in a landing accident at Minneapolis (MSP) on August 28; there are no fatalities.
The company acquires its last DC-4 on October 1, leasing it from Universal Air Lines for two years. The same day, the last four DC-3s are sold to Ozark Air Lines.
The official L-188C order is signed on November 26; the $2.4-million aircraft will be paid for, along with several DC-8s, with a newly arranged $83-million financing package.
The fifth new DC-6B delivered since January 24 arrives on November 28. Direct service is inaugurated between Chicago and the metropolitan Florida markets of Miami and Tampa on December 6; at this point, the interchange agreement with Eastern Air Lines is terminated. The DC-7C order is completed between December 10 and 17 with the delivery of the final three units.
A DC-7C flies from Tokyo to Seattle on January 6, 1959 in a record 12 hrs. 43 min. and a DC-6B is leased from Canadian Pacific Air Lines, Ltd. for a year on May 14. First advertised on May 23, New York to Tokyo via Anchorage Polar Imperial Service is begun on June 1. The first of 10 Lockheed L-188C Electras to arrive during the year is delivered on July 19.
An unoccupied Capital Airlines DC-3 is wrecked on the ground at Pittsburgh on August 2 when it is hit by a Northwest B-377. The B-377 Honolulu is written off on August 14 following an accident at Minneapolis (MSP).
World History
