Category AN AIRIINE AN0 ITS AIRCRAFT

Hughes Plays His Cards

The Boeing 307 Stratoliners had acquitted themselves well across the Atlantic during the War (page 46). But when they returned from the USAAF early in 1945, they were not suitable for long-range operations when fully equipped for commercial passenger use; and they were deployed on selected domestic routes until the Martin 202s replaced them in 1950. Before this, on 10 June 1944, T. W.A.—still at that time Transcontinental & Western Air—applied to the Civil Aeronautics Board for an ambitious, round-the-world network. Such ambition was typi­cal of Howard Hughes. In 1938, he had already flown around the world (page 42) and he had flown the Constellation into Washington in 1944 (page 52). How much the authorities were influenced by this coincidence is unrecorded. Coincidence or not, on 5 July 1945, T. W.A. was awarded a handsome package of trans-Atlantic routes, and the Pan American overseas monopoly was broken.

Competition

In addition to the predictable ‘no-holds-barred’ opposition he could expect from Pan American’s Juan Trippe, another airline had entered the North Atlantic fray. American Airlines had bought American Export Airlines, formed during the War and operating flying boats under contract to the U. S. Navy. American Export became American Overseas Airlines (A. O.A.) which began the first post-war commercial scheduled trans-Atlantic flight by landplane, from New York to Bournemouth, England (London’s Heathrow Airport was not yet ready) on 24 October 1945.

Under a plan directed by the C. A.B., A. O.A. was author­ized to serve northern Europe. Pan Am and T. W.A. were granted rights to several points in Europe, and onwards to India. Of the major destinations, Pan Am had the route to London, T. W.A. to Paris, and both could fly to Frankfurt.

In spite of Hughes’s and T. W.A.’s vigorous promotion of the Constellation, and with whose names it will always be most prominently associated, Juan Trippe and Pan American actu­ally beat them into service. A T. W.A. Constellation made a proving flight to Paris on 25 November 1945, and took a party of specially-invited guests to the French capital on 3 December of that year. But when T. W.A. opened scheduled Constellation (Model 049) service on 5 February’ 1946, Pan American Air­ways had already stolen the thunder three weeks earlier, on 14 January, with its inaugural service to London.

DOUGLAS DC-4 FLEET

The subsequent rivalry ebbed to and fro, with Hughes and T. W.A. maintaining close cooperation with Ixickheed to pro­duce a succession of improved versions of the Constellation. T. W.A. battled with Pan Ant’s Douglases and Boeing Stra- tocruisers for supremacy for many years, as is narrated in the following pages of this book. Hughes was against a formidable airline establishment, both at home and abroad.

The Second Line

T. W.A. still had a back-up fleet, which, fortunately, it did not need, at least not much. When the War was over, it took up its allocation of Douglas DC-4s which had been delivered to the USAAF as C-54 cargo planes. The fleet of 18 aircraft came to T. W.A. from February 1946 onwards (see fleet list on this page) and acted as a back-up for the Constellations. Three of them were the first, second, and fourth C-54s to be converted by Dou­glas back to civilian use.

Trans World

The Taj Mahal (named, perhaps, to symbolize T. W.A.’s extended route network in India) was the first to wear the mark­ing “Trans World Airline.” The term soon came into general use, but was not officially registered as the name of the airline until 1950. A T. W.A. DC-4 was also the first to operate an all-cargo trans-Atlantic service, on 15 January 1947. Unpressurized, and outclassed by the Constellation, the four-engined Douglas DC – 4s continued as a second line to the Connies until 1964.

LOCKHEED 18-08 LODESTAR

T. W.A. had been one of the five pre-war sponsors of the DC-4, had conducted a test program for the first C-54s off the line for the USAAF, and after the War took up its allocation of pre­war orders (page 46). Often remembered is the DC-4’s lack of pressurization and its slower speed, compared with the Constellation. But production of commercial Connies was only just beginning in 1946, and C-54s were being converted into DC-4s at a faster rate. Also, the Lock­heed airliner was not without its problems. Often forgotten is that, with the exception of T. W.A, B. O.A. C., Pan American, and Air France, seven airlines, mainly from Europe, introduced trans­Atlantic service before 1950 with DC-4s. Also, the C-54/DC-4s were the backbone of the Berlin Airlift in 1948/49, with more than 200 aircraft performing the greatest humanitarian air­lift in history. One sturdy survivor is still making the rounds as a flying exhibition today.

TWA s ex-military DC-4s still had the C-54 s larger two-piece clamshell cargo doors. “Machat’s Law of Color Scheme Variation" is nicely shown here with a rearward-slanting cheatline leading edge. (Compare to photo).

Engines Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp (1,450 hp) x 4 Length MGTOW 73,000 lb. Span

Max. Range 2,500 miles Height

THE WARTIME AIRLINERS COMPARED

MCDONNELL MD-82

Fleet No. Regn. MSN Delivery Date Remarks 9062 N941 AS 49925 12 Nov 98 Ex-Alaska Airlines. 9409 N9409F 53121 31 Mar 94 Ex-Compass Airlines. 9406 N9406W 53126 29 Jul 93 9401 N9401W 53137 19 Jul 93 9402 N9402W 53138 28Jun 93 9403 N9403W 53139 28 Jun 93 9404 N9404V 53140 24 Jul 93 9405 N9405T 53141 12 Jul 93 9412 N9412W 53187 31 Aug 95 9413 N9413T 53488 29 Sep 95 9414 N9414W 53489 27 0(195 9511 N951TW 53570 28 Jun 96 Ex-Alaska Airlines. 9630 N9630A 53561 13 May 97 9615 N9615W 53562 29 Jul 97 9616 N9616G 53563 26 Aug 97 9617 N9617R 53564 26 Sep 97 9618 N9618A 53565 24 Oct 97 9619 N9619V 53566 2 Dec 97 9620 N9620D 53591 18 Nov 97 9621 N9621A 53592 30 Jun 98 9622 N9622A 53593 11 Aug 98 9624 N9624T 53594 9625 N9625W 53595 21 Oct 98 9626 N9626F 53596 30 Nov 98 9627 N9627R 53597 15 Dec 98 9628 N9628W 53598 26 Jan 99	Fleet No. Regn. MSN Delivery Date Remarks 9629 N9629H 53599 16 Feb 99 9661 N961TW 53611 12 May 99 9662 N962TW 53612 20 May 99 9663 N963TW 53613 25 May 99 9664 N964TW 53614 8 Jun 99 9665 N965TW 53615 18Jun 99 9666 N966TW 53616 29 Jun 99 9667 N967TW 53617 7 Jul 99 9668 N968TW 53618 19 Jul 99 9669 N969TW 53619 27 Jul 99 9670 N9701W 53620 9 Aug 99 9671 N971TW 53621 18 Aug 99 9672 N972TW 53622 27 Aug 99 9673 N973TW 53623 10 Sep 99 9674 N974TW 53624 17 Sep 99 9675 N975TW 53625 27 Sep 99 9676 N976TW 53626 8 Oct 99 9677 N9677W 53627 29 Oct 99 9678 N978TW 53628 20 Oct 99 9679 N979TW 53629 10 Nov 99 9680 N9801W 53630 18 Nov 99 9681 N9681В 53631 30 Nov 99 9682 N982TW 53632 10 Dec 99 9683 N983TW 53633 17 Dec 99 9684 N984TW 53634 28 Dec 99 N984TW was the last Douglos (McDonnell Douglas) MD-80 built, and named, appropriately, Spirit of Long Beach.
MD-83 (N9402W) in flight.

Delivery scheme for the first DC-9-80s sported a bare-metal upper vertical fin. This was later painted all white to conform to other TWA aircraft.

An Old Tradition

Back in the 1930s, the Douglas company had shown considerable enterprise in developing its original twin piston-engined world-beater, the legendary DC-3. Later, in the 1940s and 1950s, it did the same with the four-engined DC-4/6/7 series; and continued the tradition of “stretch­ing” the fuselage with the DC-8 jets. It did even better with the short-haul twin-jet, the DC-9, which went into service with Delta in 1965 (see page 77). This started off as an airliner with as few as 65 seats (or up to 109 in all-economy layout); but with progressive improvements, especially in more engine power, its fuselage was stretched as never before. The Series 10’s 104-foot length was increased by 15 feet for the Series 30, and further extensions, permitting extra rows of seats, were made with the Series 40 and 50.

The Dash 80

The ultimate challenge to the Douglas engineers came when their project office proposed a fur­ther 15-foot stretch of the Series 50. This became the Series 80, or the Super 80, and follow­ing the inevitable change of nomenclature resulting from the McDonnell Douglas merger in the late 1960s, this highly successful airliner was known as the MD-80. Remarkably, its additional length, devoted entirely to the passenger cabin, permitted a seating capacity of 172, twice as many as in the first DC-9-10. The first airline to put this version, a DC-9-81, into service was Swissair, on 5 October 1980. T. W.A. took delivery of its first MD-82 in April 1983, and liked it so much that it kept buying more of both the 82 and the 83 variants. It even bought some of Swissair’s 81s and converted them to 82s.

Last of the Line

Deliveries of this fine airliner, with its unmistakable silhouette in the sky, continued until the end of 1999. The last one went to St. Louis on 28 December of that year. It had taken off from the factory where the airplane was first conceived and developed, at Long Beach, California; and although T. W.A. had abandoned its practice of naming its aircraft at the end of the piston-engined propeller era, this was a special case. T. W.A. fleet number 9654, manufacturer’s serial number (msn) 53634, registration number N984TW, was proudly named the Spirit of Long Beach.

Engines Pratt & Whitney JT8D-217C (20,000 lb) x 2 Length 148 feet

MGT0W 140,0001b Span 108 feet

Range 1,500 miles Height 30 feet

The Embryo Years

In 1929 — the same year in which T. W.A.’s ancestor, T. A.T., was bom, Clement Keys, the head of the powerful North American Aviation group, delivered a speech in which he raised some eye­brows by stating that “90% of aviation is on the ground.” He was emphasizing that efficient and safe operations could only be achieved by good training, good aircraft and engine construction, and above all, good maintenance. In the 1920s, too many pilots were poor navigators and took too many risks; aircraft seldom lasted more than a few years; “the engine quit” was a familiar reason for a lucky escape in a meadow; and maintenance was a relatively casual affair.

Lindbergh’s Influence on T. W.A.

After Charles Lindbergh made his sensational New York-Paris non-stop flight in 1927, he fol­lowed this with a 48-State tour of the U. S.A., during which he vigorously promoted air travel. He became the technical consultant of T. A.T., subsequently T. W.A., and much of his advice concentrated on the vital need for ground support (see map on pages 28-29). At first, the air­craft were maintained mainly at Columbus, Ohio, and at Waynoka, Oklahoma, the transfer points during the brief period of the air-rail service (see pages 24-25). But after the need for the trains was eliminated in 1930, the airline established a single base at Kansas City, which became the heart of T. W.A.’s engineering organization.

Ray Dunn presides over a morning hour-long briefing in 1962 at the Mid Continent International Airport, where trouble-shooting was refined by long distance telephonic communica­tion throughout the TWA system.

Refining the System

During the 1960s, as the entire world of air transport transformed itself from knee-jerk reaction to systematic control of all facets of operation, T. W.A. was among the leaders in introducing pro­gressive maintenance to take full advantage of the vast improvements in instant telephonic com­munication. Under the direction of Ray Dunn, vice-president of engineering, morning briefings were held every morning. These included up to 80 individuals, linked by telephone from coast to coast, exchanging reports of delays and problems, and discussing how to fix them. A fine example of the advances made during this time was the identification of engine snags. John Morelli, the manager of power plant engineering, was meticulous in checking the records of every engine, and identified a repetitive pattern of snags so that T. W.A. was able to put the principle of prevention being better than cure into practice. In 1969, T. W.A. instituted on-line inspections of some engine components, thus saving many engine changes and shipment of engines. Such initiative resulted in T. W.A. being the first airline to be approved by the F. A. A for on-condition maintenance of power plants.

Richards Road, Fairfax, and International

The first site at Kansas City was the Municipal Airport, in the heart of the city, in the horse-shoe bend of the Missouri River, often referred to as the downtown airport, but the employees usually called it “Number Ten, Richards Road”. T. W.A. had served the nation during the Second World War with its Intercontinental Division’s Boeing 307s (see page 46) and these were overhauled at Wilmington, Delaware. Also, just across the river from Richards Road, another base had been built in Kansas City, Kansas. This Fairfax base had been a modification center for B-25 bombers during the war. In 1946, T. W.A. moved in, and Richards Road was relegated for on-line mainte­nance only. In turn, when the new Mid-Continent International Airport was built, T. W.A. made another move, first, in 1956, with the Power Plant shop, then, in 1958, with the Airframe Shop as well.

An Historic Site

The city of Columbus no longer possesses a railroad station. Yet it was once the key transfer point in T. A.T. ’s transconti­nental air-rail service. The west-bound passengers travelled overnight in the comfort of a Pennsylvania Railroad sleeper coach, to wake up at the new station, Port Columbus, where they enjoyed breakfast in the new terminal building before

This was all part of the T. A.T. service for the rail-air transfer at Clovis, New Mexico. Passengers on T. A.T. were provided with a comfortable Aero-Car to lessen the inconvenience of having to make the transfer between the railroad station and the airport.

boarding the Ford Tri-Motor to continue their journey (see map opposite).

The building is still there. As one of the very few—and undoubtedly one of the most historically significant— 70-year-old architectural survivals of the formative years of air transport in the United States, it should be listed as an Historic Monument.

Performance Goals

When the United States entered the Second World War in December 1941, the venerable twin-engined Douglas DC-3 was standard equipment. On the domestic front, only T. W.A. had a better airliner, the four-engined Boeing 307. It was faster than the DC-3 (220 v. 160 mph) and far more comfortable, flying as it did ‘above the weather’ (20,000 v. 8,000 feet). But its range was not outstanding.

Dramatic Debut

In 1927, Charles Lindbergh’s solo trans-Atlantic flight changed the air-mindedness of an entire nation: the press, the public, the politicians, and the industrialists. In 1944, the air­line world was unexpectedly confronted with another record flight, with almost comparable consequences. With one dra­matic gesture, Howard Hughes electrified the political scene in Washington, and changed the course of progress in com­mercial aviation technology.

The Lockheed Constellation had been built at Burbank under the direction of designer Hal Hibbard to the precise specifications of Hughes, whose experience as an aviator and industrialist, with instinctive intuition, combined with his extensive financial resources, were injected into the design and construction of an historic prototype.

Moment of Triumph

On 17 April 1944, Howard Hughes and Jack Frye flew the prototype Model 49, soon to be called the Constellation, from Burbank to Washington’s National Airport in the transcon­tinental record time of 6 hours, 57 minutes. The effect on a skeptical administration and military hierarchy was startling. After flying some congressmen and top military brass on sight­seeing flights, Hughes turned the new airplane over to Air Transport Command. T. W.A.’s owner and Lockheed’s design team had ushered in a new era in air transport.

America’s Secret Weapon

The Constellation reinforced the supremacy of United States aeronautics. Peter W. Brooks, distinguished British airline historian, described the aircraft as “the secret weapon of American air transport.” He pointed out that in 1939, at the outbreak of the Second World War, the British aircraft indus­try, whose technical talent was possibly on a par with the American, in quality if not in quantity of production, had regarded the DC-4 as the competitive standard. But when the War was over, the Constellation swept all before it.

The 049 Constellation was similar in appearance to the later 749 model, differing only in window configuration and engine cowling detail.

Initial Snags

T. W.A. acquired 88 of the standard Constellations. Six were ex-military C-69s; 41 were Model 49s (later amended to 049s); and the remaining 41, with more powerful engines, Model 749s. The inauguration of Atlantic services, on 5 February 1946, is described on page 50. Domestic services with the Connie began ten days later, and after preliminary trial services on shorter routes, coast-to-coast service from New York to Los Angeles began on 1 March. But the satisfaction was short-lived. During the early life of the airplane, several problems had had to be overcome. The substantially increased performance carried with it increased complexity, and the Constellation was not immune from the technical ‘teething troubles.’ Then, from 12 July to 20 September 1946, the fleet was grounded because of a leaking fuel system. No sooner was this fixed when the pilots went on strike, from 21 October to 15 November.

Ambition Fulfilled

By this time, however, T. W.A. was staking its claim to be a fully-fledged international airline. The European routes were extended to Cairo on 1 April 1946, to Lisbon and Madrid on 1 May, and to Bombay on 5 January 1947. All these were inaugurated with the Constellations. This fine airliner, in spite of an initial reputation of unreliability, soon got into its stride. It was 70 mph faster than the DC-4, had 60 seats against 44 at the same seat pitch, and could fly across the Atlantic with only one stop instead of two. It sent the Douglas designers and engineers back to their drawing boards in a hurry, to produce pressurized variants of the old Skymaster.

Many airlines purchased the Constellation, and although the DC-4 filled the bill for a post­war year or two, most of the trans-Atlantic airlines had the Lockheed airliner in service by the late 1940s. The British airline, B. O.A. C., had to have them too, as the home industry’s com­mercial airliner projects had been cancelled at the outbreak of the War in 1939.

But until the advent of the Jet Age in 1958, the world of airlines watched T. W.A. as it suc­cessively introduced newer and faster versions of the classic Constellation series.

Engines Wright R-3350 (2,200 hp) x 4 Length

MGT0W 86,250 lb. Span

Max. Range 3,000 miles Height

‘This aircraft made T. WA.’s inaugural trans-Atlantic flight, New York-Gander-Shannon-Paris (Le Bourget) on 5 Feb 46, in a block-to-block time of 19 hr 46m. NA: Sold to Nevada Airmotive, 31 March 1962

*This aircraft made TWA’s last scheduled commercial Constellation flight, Flight 249, on 6 April 1967. AT: These aircraft sold to Aero-Tech Inc. in May, June, and August 1968.

This is a listing of all the 87 Constellations in T. W.A.’s fleet. From the first famous delivery flight to Washington on 17 April 1944 to the last one by T. W.A. on 6 April 1967, 23 years had elapsed. This was, in the period of the piston- engined airliners, an impressive record. The list does not include the Super Constellations and Starliners, reviewed in the following pages.

53-88 seats • 335 mph

Although the 600-gallon tip tanks gave the ‘Super G’a distinctive appearance, not all ofTWA’s 1049Gs were so equipped. Tip tanks were used primarily for international routes.

Fleet No. Regn. MSN Date into Service Name Disposal and Remarks Series 1 901 902 903 904 905 906 907 908 909 910 049 (Mode N6901C N6902C N6903C N6904C N6905C N6906C N6907C N6908C N6909C N6910C 1049-54-£ 4015 4016 4017 4018 4019 4020 4021 4022 4023 4024 0) 9 Oct. 52 16 Aug. 52 16 Aug. 52 27 Aug. 52 2 Oct. 52 27 Sep. 52 18 Oct. 52 27 Sep. 52 26 Oct. 52 3 Nov. 52 Star of the Thames Star of the Seine Star of the Tiber Star of the Ganges Star of the Rhone Star of the Rhine Star of Sicily Star of Britain Star of Tipperary Star of Frankfurt Sold to California Hawaiian, 28 Oct. 60 Crashed in the Grand Canyon, 30 Jun. 56 Sold to South Pacific Airlines, 1 Jun. 62 | Sold to Florida State Tours, 7 Aug. 64 Sold to California Airmotive, 15 Feb. 60 Crashed, New York City, 16 Dec. 60 | Sold to Florida State Tours, 7 Aug. 64 Series 1 049G (Mot el 1049G-82-110) 101 N7101C 4582 21 Sep. 55 Star of Balmoral Crashed at Chicago (Midway), 29 Feb. 60 102 N7102C 4583 17 Mar. 55 Star of Windsor Temporarily named The United States. Flew inaugural Super G service, 30 March 1955. Scrapped, 4 Feb. 64 103 N7103C 4584 14 Mar. 55 Star of Buckingham Sold to Aaron Ferer & Sons, 3 May 65 104 N7104C 4585 17 Mar. 55 Star of Blarney Castle Sold to Aaron Ferer & Sons, 1 Sep. 65 105 N7105C 4586 14 Mar. 55 Star of Chambord Sold to California Airmotive, 12 Dec. 66 106 N7106C 4587 23 Apr. 55 Star of Ceylon Sold to California Airmotive, 4 Jan. 67 107 N7107C 4588 1 Apr. 55 Star of Carcassome Scrapped 7 Nov. 63 108 N7108C 4589 31 Mar. 55 Star of Segovia Sold to Aaron Ferer & Sons, 25 Jun. 65 109 N7109C 4590 21 Apr. 55 Star of Granada Sold to California Airmotive, 10 Nov. 61 110 N7110C 4591 8 May 55 Star of Escorial Scrapped 14 Apr. 64 ж N7111C 4592 10 May 55 Star of Toledo Sold to California Airmotive, 4 Jan. 67 112 N7112C 4593 11 May 55 Star of Versailles Sold to California Airmotive, 5 Dec. 66 113 N7113C 4594 11 May 55 Star of Fontainebleau Sold to California Airmotive, 15 Feb. 67 114 N7114C 4595 2 Jun. 55 Star of Mont St. Michael Sold to Aaron Ferer & Sons, 13 Jul. 65 115 N7115C 4596 29 May 55 Star of Chilton Crashed at New York (JFK) 26 Jan. 66 116 N7116C 4597 4 Jun; 55 Star of Heidelberg Scrapped 8 Apr. 64 117 N7117C 4598 5 Jun. 55 Star of Kenilworth Sold to Aaron Ferer & Sons, 1 Oct. 65 118 N7118C 4599 9 Jun. 55 Star of Capri Scrapped, 11 Jan. 64 119 N7119C 4600 1 Jul 55 Star of Rialto Scrapped 10 Jun. 64 The aircraft said to Aaron Ferer & Sons were resold and scrapped at Tucson. The aircraft sold ta California Airmotive were scrapped at Fox Field, Lancaster.

Engines Wright 972TC Turbo-compounds (3,250 hp) x 4 Length 114 feet MGTOW 137,5001b. Span 123 feet Max. Range 3,500 miles Height 25 feet

Engine Problems

Elegant though the Constellation was, and impressive though its performance, this fine airliner did have its problems, not least because its designers were always trying to advance the levels of technology. One of the main problems was the Wright R-3350 turbo-compound engines, which consistently gave trouble, to the extent that Claude Girard, the senior pilot of the relief truck, described on this page, claimed that the crews “logged more flying time on three engines than four.” At first, a C-47 was based in Paris to ship the piston engines to distant points, as T. W.A. had spread its wings to the far comers of Europe and southern Asia. But with the Jet Age approaching, with much larger engines, the decision was made to base a specialized engine-carrier in Paris.

The C-82

Larry Trimble, T. W.A.’s operational chief in Paris, found the answer in a twin-boomed Fairchild C-82 Packet which he discovered in Tel Aviv in 1956. It took eight months of work, with much overtime, totalling 10,000 man-hours, to ‘civilianize’ the C-82. To increase the load­carrying capability and airfield performance, a Westinghouse 3,250-lb- thrust J-34 jet engine was installed on top of the fuselage for auxiliary power, and to raise the take-off weight to 54,000 lb. A Volkswagen engine APU (auxiliary power unit) was also installed to power an electric windlass to haul aboard the disabled engines.

The Thing

The C-82’s performance was sluggish and the airplane was not easy to handle. Compared to the elegant Constellations, it was distinctly unhandsome. The crews named it Ontos, which is the Greek word for “Thing.” Ugly duckling it may have been; but it did its job well, entering service with T. W.A. In 1957, it was registered, as a matter of local convenience, ET-T-12, which had been the Ethiopian number for the displaced C-47. Ethiopian was one of the airlines that T. W.A. was closely associated with, either as part-owner or as technical and operational adviser. Eventually, Ontos was certificated by the F. A.A. on 1 March 1960, and registered as N9701F. It carried engines everywhere throughout the eastern hemisphere, flying regularly to Manila, Bombay, and Nairobi, with Constellation replacement engines. In 1968 alone, now hauling Boeing 707 engines too, there were 68 unscheduled overseas engine replacements

Artist’s Note

T. W.A. ’s C-82 was substantially modified fi-om its original post-World War Two configuration. Note the modern avionics antennae and J-34 jet engine pod mounted above the fiiselage.

After twelve years of faithful service, un-noticed by the media as the Jet Age was augmented by the 747s and other more publicity-worthy wide-bodied giants, the “Thing” was retired on 13 Jan­uary 1972, and sold the following year to an American airborne delivery firm, Briles Rotor & Wings.

Workhorse Jet Posted by admin in AN AIRIINE AN0 ITS AIRCRAFT on November 2, 2015 BOEING 727-231 TWA Miscellany Posted by admin in AN AIRIINE AN0 ITS AIRCRAFT on November 2, 2015 (picture courtesy Richard and Bernice DeGarmo, Al’s son, and daughter-in-law) Air Mail Special One of the more unusual of T. W.A.’s “firsts”is that, of all the air­lines established in 1925 as the result of the Kelly Air Mail Act, it carried the first passenger. He was not even the official recip­ient of Western Air Express’s ticket No. 1 (see page 6) but he did precede Mr. Ben Redman, who had that privilege. Not only was Will Rogers the first passenger in T. W.A.’s 75-year history, he was the first famous personality of the dozens of celebrities who were later to make Howard Hughes’s company the Airline of the Stars. The civil air mail regulations required that, before an air­line could carry passengers, it had to carry the mail for 90 days, or at least for a trial period (see page 9). A1 DeGarmo, one of the Western’s legendary Four Horsemen (see page 10), was a friend of Will Rogers, then a vaudeville entertainer, noted for his prowess with rope tricks, later to become famous for his droll commentaries on the human condition. In a conspiracy that evaded the law — the lawyers would have had a lovely time in the courts — Will stuck a quantity of stamps on the back of his jacket and mailed himself to Salt Lake City and back. In 1926, the pilots were not noted for their sartorial ele­gance, as they are today. But their attire was practical, and included a side-arm. This was to guard the mail, and in this case, presumably, to guard Will Rogers as well. Los Conquistadores del Cielo Another of T. W.A.’s lesser-known “firsts’ is that it inspired the foundation of that exclusive aviation club. The idea originated when in 1937 the airline obtained widespread support among political and business circles for its cut-off route to San Fran­cisco, branching off northwestwards from Winslow, thus avoid­ing the circuitous route via Los Angeles and a connection on to Western Air Lines, via Las Vegas (see page 38). President Jack Frye wanted to make a token reward to all the influential supporters who had enabled him to win approval for this important access to San Francisco. John Walker, Frye’s vice-president, suggested a weekend celebration in September 1937 for 60 guests at the Forked Lightning Ranch in Albu­querque. A great time was had by all, including horseback riding, fishing, and a dude rodeo — at which Jack Frye showed that he was no mean hand at roping steers, at least small steers. The general consensus was “let’s do it again.” and John Walker once again came up with the idea of linking an annual event with the Spanish tradition of the south-western states, the locale of the cut-off route. And so was bom Los Conquista­dores del Cielo, named after Francisco de Coronado, the Span­ish conquistador who had annexed the whole area for Spain. Jack Frye was elected president and 91 senior aviation aficionados were inducted on 16-18 September 1938 in a col­orful initiation ceremony. This has been enhanced by a dress code, introduced by Walker in 1951: replicas of the raiment worn by Hernan Cortes and the original conquistadores. The Conquerors of the Skies meet every year, at different venues, in an elite association that owes its origins to a T. W.A. route extension. (courtesy: Constance Walker) (courtesy: Ona Gieschen) Flooded Out In July 1951, there was a great flood in the Missouri River valley, covering an extensive area of low-lying land around Kansas City, where the confluence with the Kansas River exacerbated the disaster. T. W.A.’s engineering base was then at the Fairfax airport (see page 107) which was vulnerable to flooding. In this picture a lone DC-3 can be seen stranded in the waters, but T. W.A. flew the other resident aircraft to higher ground. (courtesy: Ona Gieschen) Historic Greeting As narrated on page 52, one of the pivotal events in air transport history was the dramatic flight in 1944 of the first Lockheed Constellation, when Howard Hughes and Jack Frye delivered the prototype from Burbank to Washington in a transcontinental record time, (see page 52) They are pictured here on arrival at Washington’s National Airport with (left) William A. M.Burden, Assistant Secretary of Commerce; and Jesse Jones, Secretary of Commerce. Maddux Air Lines Posted by admin in AN AIRIINE AN0 ITS AIRCRAFT on November 2, 2015 Jack Maddux Harris Hanshue’s Western Air Express and Jack Frye’s Stan­dard Airlines were not the only airlines of substance among the many which recognized the possible potential for airline operations in the booming California of the late 1920s. Jack L. Maddux, a Los Angeles Lincoln car dealer, took delivery of a Ford 4-AT Tri-Motor and incorporated Maddux Air Lines on 9 September 1927. His activities were overshad­owed by other events, not least by Charles Lindbergh’s his­toric trans-Atlantic flight in May of that year and the Goodwill Tour of the 48 States that followed. Maddux’s con­tribution to the development of the airline business in the West has long been under-recognized, except by historians such as Ed Betts and Bill Larkins, whose research has pre­served the memory of the Maddux operation. Service Begins Maddux began airline service on 1 November 1929 from Rogers Field, Los Angeles, to San Diego. He did it in style. For the occasion, Lindbergh was the honorary chief pilot. But like most of the aspirant airlines in California, he had no mail contract to supplement the passenger revenues. Nevertheless, he was very successful and popular. On 15 November, he added service to Agua Caliente, just across the Mexican MADDUX AIR ONES FORD TRI-MOTORS One of Maddux Air-Line’s Ford 4-ATs flying near the Tejon Pass, north of Los Angeles.   Maddux was one of the earliest airlines to cooperate with United Parcel Sendee (UPS) in carrying goods by air.   Artwork size does not allow accurate scale representation of the Tri-Motor’s corrugated aluminum skin.   Jack Maddux is seen here with Charles Lindbergh, who flew the inaugural flight, (photo courtesy Bill Larkins)   Engines Wright R-975 Whirlwind (220 hp) x 3 Length 50 feet MGT0W 10,130 lb Span 74 feet Range 500 miles Height 12 feet   border, for thirsty Prohibition sufferers and for clients of the race-track and casinos there. On 14 April 1928, he started a twice-daily service from Los Angeles to San Francisco (Oakland), with optional stops at Bakersfield, Visalia, and Fresno. By the end of the year, his fleet com­prised eight Fords, two Lockheed Vegas, and two Travel Airs. Ford Promotion Maddux began 1929 in style, adding a daily service to Phoenix (paralleling Standard), together with some local routes in California. Early in the year, the San Francisco terminus was trans­ferred to Alameda, and the Los Angeles terminus to Glendale. Jack Maddux had assembled the largest fleet of Ford Tri-Motors, eight 4-ATs and eight 5-ATs plus two Lockheed Vegas. The only loss was when an Army pilot, doing some stunt flying, hit a 5-AT in mid-air. Maddux had not apparently sought an air mail contract, but his 16 pilots carried 40,000 passengers in 1929. Historic Merger In the summer, he started to negotiate with the new well-capitalized T. A.T., which began its highly-publicized coast-to-coast air-rail service on 7 July. Charles Lindbergh flew the inaugu­ral flights for both airlines. Another important Maddux employee was Vice-president of Oper­ations Lt. D. W. ‘Tommy’ Tomlinson, an ex-Navy pilot, and who was to play a key role in subsequent developments, when on 16 November 1929, Jack Maddux merged with T. A.T. and became president of the combined airline. T. A.T.-Maddux. Through this merger, T. A.T. was able to serve the two big Californian cities. Los Angeles and San Francisco, both growing quickly in population, wealth, and consequent travel potential. The Ford Tri-Motors Compared Consolidation of a Great Airline Postmaster General Brown’s analytical planning had pro­duced a fine transcontinental route. The Maddux merger had given T. A.T. direct service to all three of the large urban con­centrations in California. But the formation of T. W.A. had been a complicated affair, because Pittsburgh Aviation Industries Corporation (P. A.I. C.) had started service from Pittsburgh to New York, via Philadelphia, with two Travel Airs, in December 1929, and had staked its claim. The threat to Brown’s master plan was neatly solved by dividing the stock of the merged company in the ratio 47.5% T. A.T., 47.5% W. A.E., and 5% P. A.I. C. After a legal delicacy, with the formation of the Eton Corporation on 19 July 1930, Transcontinental & Western Air (T. W.A.) was formed five days later. The coveted mail contract was awarded on 25 August. Although Harris Hanshue was made president of the new company, he quickly became disillusioned. R. W. Rob­bins, of P. A.I. C., took over the presidency in September 1931. Another contender, a group called United Avigation, was disposed of by the offer of a lucrative mail contract on a route sub-leased from American Airways. End of the Air-Rail With the completion of the Lighted Airway, and the improve­ment of aircraft reliability, the pioneering air-rail service came to an end. On 25 October 1930, the train connections were dropped and the Fords flew the whole route, coast-to-coast, in 36 hours, with an overnight stop at Kansas City. On 5 Novem­ber 1932, even the overnight stop was dropped and the Fords flew by day and by night. Nevertheless the journey must have been arduous. The Ford’s engines were noisy, and passengers were issued ear plugs and chewing gum. Another development had been the shipment of livestock on 6 August 1931, one of the first examples of air freighting in the United States. Superb Planning All this was achieved only by some masterly planning. This is well illustrated by the map on this double-page spread, based on an original blueprint, signed by Jack Frye, but undoubtedly the work of T. W.A.’s technical consultant, Charles Lind­bergh, who carried out the detailed surveys. He had a per­sonal aircraft for the arduous travelling involved, and was paid $10,000 per year (a tidy sum in those days) plus 25,000 shares of T. W.A. stock, sold at well below market value. Transcontinental & Western Air, inc. America’s First 36-Hour Transcontinental Passenger Service   Ad   THE NATIONAL SKYWAY   ‘ ГІЄІ4 .   і? ^ г – Аі-лнс   jf^ ,v0 x x wWoynoka (WT) * * Fargo (WT) x* . uA „ьТ Gia*ier(wT) J? ,*r,   ^юкином wj, A, isxas   REGD   Lockheed 1649A Starliner Posted by admin in AN AIRIINE AN0 ITS AIRCRAFT on November 2, 2015 64-88 seats • 340 mph   The final development of the famous Constellation series of airliners was the Model 1649A, introduced by T. W.A. on 1 OJune 1952. At first it was called the Super Star Constellation (by Lockheed). T. W.A. called it the “Jetstream Starliner”, possibly to try to persuade passengers that this aircraft was as good as any of the jets that were about to enter service in 1958, or the long-range turboprop Bristol Britannia that was outpacing the piston-engined airliners in speed, comfort, and low noise level. But this name gave way to the Starliner, which fitted neatly with the names of the individual aircraft in T. W.A.’s fleet. It was a fine performer, able to cross the Atlantic from New York to Paris or London nonstop in both directions. It was the Lockheed 1649Д Starliner (Model 1649A-98-20 except as noted)_____________________   Engines Wright 998TC (3,400 hp) x 4 Length 116 feet MGTOW 156,000-160,000 lb. Span 150 feet Range 4,000 miles Height 25 feet ultimate piston-engined airline flagship, and, as shown in the following pages, was roomy enough to offer several classes of service, and able to compete with Pan American’s first-class – only Stratocruisers.   Fleet No. Regn. MSN Date into Service Name Disposal and Remarsk 316 N7316C 1018 28 Jun 58 Star of the Tigris Converted to freighter, Nov. 60. Sold to Alaska Airlines, 31 Dec 62 317 N7317C 1019 1 Jul 57 Star of the Clyde Converted to freighter, Oct 60. Sold to California Airmotive, 11 Aug 67 318 N7318C 1021 30Jul57 Star of the Arno Sold to Bush Aviation, 27 Dec 65 319 N7319C 1022 26 Jul57 Star of the Loire Converted to freighter, Nov 60. Sold to Bush Aviation, 10 May 66. 320 N7320C 1023 27 Jul 57 Star of the Avon Sold to Transatlantica (Argentina), 11 Aug 61. Reclaimed and sold to Bush Aviation, 15 Dec 65 321 N7321C 1024 2 Aug 57 Star of the Euphrates Sold to Bush Aviation, 8 Oct 65 322 N7322C 1025 30 Jul 57 Star of the Po Converted to freighter, Dec 60. Sold to California Airmotive, 29 Aug 67 323 N7323C 1029 16 Aug 57 Star of the Aegean Converted to freighter, Apr 61. Sold to Bush Aviation, 9 Dec 65 324 N7324C 1030 24 Aug 57 Star of the Danube Converted to freighter, Apr 61. Sold to Aero-Tech, 24 May 68 325 N7325C 1035 17 Sep 57 Star of the Meuse Sold to Arizona Aircraft & Parts, 30 Sep 66 326 N8083H 1038 18 May 58 Model-98-16. Built for , Sold to Alaska Airlines, 31 Dec 62 327 N8082H 1037 1 May 58 Linee Aeree Italiane 1 Sold to Bush Aviation, 26 Oct 65 328 N8084H 1039 4 May 58 (L. AI.) but not deliv- | Sold to Aero-Tech, 13 Jun 68 329 N8081H 1026 30Jun 58 ered. Converted to freighters, Mar 61. 1 Used as engine carrier Jun 62-Dec 66. Sold to California Airmotive, 6 Sep 67 The names allocated to Fleet Nos. 310 onwards were not displayed on the aircraft.   Fleet No. Regn. MSN Date into Service Name Disposal and Remarks 301 N7301C 1002 8 Sep 57 Star of Wyoming Model-98-11. Sold to Bush Aviation, 14 Oct 63 302 N7302C 1003 2 Jun 57 Star of Utah Model-98-09. Sold to Bush Aviation, 21 Oct 65 303 N7303C 1004 1 Jun 57 Star of Vermont Model-98-23. Scrapped 24 Sep 62 304 N7304C 1005 14Jun 57 Star of Rhode Island Model-98-03. Sold to Bush Aviation, 28 Oct 65 305 N7305C 1006 1 Jun 57 Star of Idaho Model-98-09. Sold to Transatlantica (Argentina) 12 Sep 60 306 N7306C 1007 1 Jun 57 Star of Maryland Model-98-09. Temporarily named Spirit of St. Louis. Scrapped 26 Ap. 62 307 N7307C 1008 3 Jun 57 Star of Montana Model-98-09. Sold to Transatlantica (Argentina) 3 Oct 60. Reclaimed by T. W.A. Nov 61. Sold to F. A.A.12 Feb 64 308 N7308C 1009 2 Jun 57 Star of Oklahoma Model-98-22. Sold to Transatlantica. 30 Aug 61. Reclaimed Nov 61. Sold for scrap to Arizona Parts & Spares 30 Sep 66 309 N7309C 1010 3 Jun 57 Star of Maine Model-98-22. Sold to Arizona Parts & Spars, 30 Sep 66 310 N7310C 1012 21 Dec 57 Star of Kansas Model-98-22. Sold to Delta Aircraft & Equipment 29 Apr 64 311 N7311C 1013 4 Jun 57 Star of the Ebro Converted to freighter, Oct 60. Sold to California Airmotive, 20 Sep 67 312 N7312C 1014 17 Jun 57 Star of the Elbe Sold to Arizona Aircraft 8, Parts, 30 Sep 66 313 N7313C 1015 1 Jun 57 Star of the Severn Crashed at Milan, Italy, 26 Jun 59 314 N7314C 1016 1 Jul 57 Star of the Shannon Sold to Moral Rearmament Corp. 10 Dec 65 315 N7315C 1017 27 Jun 57 Star of the Tagus Converted to freighter, Dec 60. Sold to California Airmotive, 22 Aug 67   This early Model 049 in 1945, carried the words Trans World Airline. The Model 1049’s fuselage was lengthened, to become the Super Constellation. This Model 1049G "Super G" at Kansas City in lwa. It Has been restorea by the Save A Connie group of devotees, (courtesy Pete Barrett) Ultimate development was the Model 1649, Starliner called the “Jetstream Startiner” by T. W.A. This Model 749A (N6019C Star of Minnesota,) at Taif, Saudi Arabia (where T. W.A. was advising the national airline) on the high desert sand, (courtesy Stephen Geronimo) Boeing 727-231 Posted by admin in AN AIRIINE AN0 ITS AIRCRAFT on November 2, 2015 123 seats • 605 mph   Engines Pratt & Whitney JT8D-9 (14,000 lb) x 3 Length 153 feet MGT0W 165,000-185,000 lb Span 108 feet Range 1,700 miles Height 34 feet Tri-Jet Development Continuing its competitive efforts over the more densely travelled domestic air routes, T. W.A. augmented its fleet of Boeing 727 tri-jets, as well as increasing its fleet of DC-9 twins. Its first 727s had started service in 1964 (see page 75) and in March 1968 the fleet was augmented by a further consignment of “stretched” versions, the Boeing 727-200 series. The inaugural -200 service had been made over the 1,100-mile New York-Miami route by a Northeast Airlines “Yellowbird.” While lacking the range of the 707, it was about the same size, and, short of non­stop coast-to-coast routes, could operate between almost any city pair in the United States. For many years, the Boeing 727 was the most successful commercial jet airliner on the market. A total of 1,832 Boeing 727s of all types was built, a record that stood until the Boeing 737 twin-jet series overhauled it. T. W.A. had 92 of both 727 series, but showed a preference for the Douglas twins, augmenting its fleet especially when it absorbed Ozark Air Lines (page 91). « Previous 1 2 3 4 5 … 7 Next » Tweet Copyright © 2025 Aviation – airports, aircraft, helicopters … - Everything about aviation. Aviation News from around the world. Commercial and General Aviation, airports, airplanes, helicopters and other aircraft.