Ozark’s DC-3 Replacements

Time to Move On

When Ozark received some new route awards on 9 December 1958, in the decisions in the Seven States Area Case, the time seemed ripe to supplement the old DC-3s with modern feeder airliners. A selection committee chose the Dutch 40- seat Fokker F-27, powered by Rolls-Royce Dart turboprop engines, and put them into service on 4 January 1960. With traffic growing healthily, more ‘DC-3 Replacements’ were required, and the first Convair 240 piston-engined 40-seater went into service on 14 August 1962.

Aircraft Exchange The Convairs did not stay long. In an ingenious solution to equipment problems, Ozark and Mohawk Airlines filed jointly with the C. A.B. for approval of an exchange of air­craft: Ozark took eight of Mohawk’s Martins for four of its Convairs, thus standardizing both fleets. The C. A.B. acted swiftly, and the first Martin 404 entered Ozark service on 1 December 1964. During this time, Laddie Hamilton, Ozark’s founder, resigned on 6 August 1959, and Joseph Fitzgerald took over as president, He too resigned on 30 July 1963, and Thomas L. Grace was appointed president on 18 February 1964. He was to guide Ozark into the Jet Age, was elected chairman of the board on 21 August 1970, but died on 21 July 1971, just before the death of founder Hamilton three months later. OZARK’S MARTIN 404S

Regn. MSN Delivery Date Remarks and Disposal N470M 14109 2 Jun 65 (FH) 7 Jui 67. N471M 14112 1 Oct 65 (FH) 29 Jul 67. N468M 14139 13 Apr 65 (FH) 30 Mar 67. N456A 14147 16 Mar 65 Ex-Charlotte Aircraft Corp. (FH) 4 Aug 67. N469M 14148 29 Dec 64 (FH) 2 Apr 68. N464M 14151 19 Dec 65 (FH) 12 Jun 67. N465M 14152 23 Sep 65 (FH) 17 Aug 67. N462M 14153 11 Mar 65 (FH) 29 Dec 67. N463M 14155 24 Aug 64 (FH) 7 Jul 67. N460M 14162 10 Aug 65 (FH) 14 Sep 67. N466M 14163 20 May 65 (FH) 3 Jun 67. N467M 14164 26 Oct 64 (FH) 11 Mar 67. N473M 14224 23 Aug 65 (FH) 17 Aug 67. N461M 14227 29 Dec 65 (FH) 7 Jul 67. N472M 14234 9 Jul 65 (FH) 12 Jan 67. Notes: (FH) = Sold to Fairchild-Hiller Corp. All except N456A (ex-Charlotte Aircraft Corp.) were ex-Mohawk Airlines.

OZARK’S CONVAIR 240S

Turbine Power

As mentioned on page 94, Ozark Air Lines moved with the times and began to retire its old DC-3s, trustworthy and reli­able though they were, simply because the Jet Age had arrived and the trunk airlines were all rushing to upgrade their fleets with Boeing 707s and Douglas DC-8s on their premier routes, and introducing ВАС One-Elevens and Douglas DC-9s on their secondary routes. The travelling public was beginning to look askance at any airliners that still had pro­pellers. The Local Service airlines, whose networks now reached beyond the boondocks into the big cities, had to ‘keep up with the Joneses.’ The answer was a compromise: turbine power (which the publicists could refer to as jet power) with jet engines that drove propellers, and called turboprops or propjets.

The Fokkers and Fairchilds

Of all the Rolls-Royce Dart-engined turboprop airliners, the Fokker F-27 had a head-start on the competitors, the Avro 748, the Handley Page Herald, and the Nihon YS-11. More than 600 of all types were sold world-wide. Ozark put them into service on 4 January 1960 and six years later, with bur­geoning traffic demand on all fronts, ordered the U. S. license – built development, the Fairchild-Hiller FH-227. Ozark had increased its capital by $12 million to finance this order, as well as one for more Douglas DC-9 jets, which went into service during the same year (see page 96). The first FH-227 schedule was on 19 December 1966.

OZARK’S FOKKER F-27S

Goodbye to Pistons

On 26 October 1968, the veteran Douglas DC-3 fleet was retired, and this included one of the earliest off the production line (as noted on page 93), originally a DST that had logged 65,000 hours in flying time. The last revenue service was from St. Louis to Kansas City, and from then onwards, the Ozark Air Lines fleet was all turbine-powered.

F-27

The stretched FH-227featured three more cabin windows than the standard F-27 from which it was derived.

Ш-227В

One of Ozark’s DC-9-34s over the grid-patterned fields of the Midwest.

Minneapolis-St. Paul

Ji50” Milwaukee

OZARK AIR LINES (Regional)

New York

This series of maps dearly illustrates Ozark’s transition from local service to regional airline status.

Denver^”

Las Vegas, San Diego ‘ms REGD

1960

Son Antonio

Ft. t-aua

Miami

DC-9-30

Douglas 127 seats • 560 mph

OZARK’S DOUGLAS ©C-9S

Regn. MSN Delivery Date Remarks and Disposal Series 15 N970Z 45772 25 May 66 First Ozark DC-9. N971Z 45773 10 Jul 66 Merged with TWA, 26 Oct 86. Returned to lessor, 20 Apr 00. N968E 45786 7 Dec 72 Ex-Swissair, ex-Air Panama, ex-Douglas. Sold TIA, 28 Mar 74. N490SA 45798 3 Nov 66 Ex-Standard Airways, ex-Ozark Air Lines. N49ISA 45799 1 Oct 68 Ex-Standard Airways, ex-Ozark Air Lines. N972Z 45841 24 Aug 66 Sold to Douglas Aircraft, 29 Oct 74. N969Z 47001 3 Jul 72 Ex-Saudia. Leased to and returned LAV, 8 Aug 75 to 15 Oct 76. Leased to and returned Southern Airways, 10 Sep 77 to 1 Jun 78. N973Z 47033 31 Jul 67 Returned to lessor, 20 Apr 00. N974Z 47034 1 Sep 67 Leased to and returned Air West, 12 Mar 68 to 16 Oct 68. Crashed after aborted take-off Sioux City, Iowa, 27 Dec 68. N975Z 47035 10 Oct 67 Returned to lessor, 20 Apr 00. Series 31 N993Z 47082 2 May 75 Ex-Northeast. N992Z 47095 3 Apr 75 Ex-Northeast. N991Z 47096 6 Feb 75 Ex-Northeast. N994Z 47097 6 Jun 75 Crashed after hitting a snowplow during take-off, Sioux Falls, SD. 21 Dec 83. Sold to Aviations Sales Company Inc., Jun 84. N988Z 47134 1 Apr 74 Ex-Northeast. N989Z 47135 1 May 74 Ex-Northeast. N990Z 47136 3 Jun 74 Ex-Northeast. N987Z 47137 1 Mar 74 Ex-Northeast. N976Z 47248 26 Feb 68 Retired 25 May 00. N977Z 47249 19 Apr 68 N978Z 47250 10 May 68 N982PS 47251 14 Jul 69 Ex-Pacific Southwest Airl Lines. N979Z 47343 25 Feb 69 Ex-Ozark Air Lines. N980Z 47344 27 Mar 69 N981Z 47345 21 Apr 69 Leased to Allegheny Airlines, 18 Feb /4 to 14 Feb /6. N983Z 47411 8 Dec 69 N984Z 47412 11 Dec 69 N985Z 47491 25 Jun 70 N986Z 47589 4 Dec 73 Series 32 N995Z 47027 3 Feb 77 Ex-Delta. N996Z 47028 13 Jul 77 Ex-Delta. N997Z 47029 28 Jul 77 Ex-Delta. N998R 47030 15 Jun 77 Ex-Delta. N921L 47107 20 Dec 78 Ex-Delta. N922L 47108 6 Mar 79 Ex-Delta. N923L 47109 5 Jun 79 Ex-Delta. N926L 47172 11 Dec 79 N931L 47173 19 May 81 Ex-Delta.