Ozark’s DC-3 Replacements

Ozark's DC-3 ReplacementsOzark's DC-3 ReplacementsTime 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

 

Ozark's DC-3 Replacements

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

 

Ozark's DC-3 Replacements

Ozark's DC-3 ReplacementsOzark's DC-3 Replacements

Ozark's DC-3 Replacements

Ozark's DC-3 Replacements

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

Engines

Rolls-Royce Dart

Length

77 feet

(1,670 ehp) x 2

Span

95 feet

NIGTOW

405,000 lb.

Height

28 feet

Range

400 miles

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

Ш-227В

Engines

Rolls-Royce Dart

Length

84 feet

(1,990 ehp) x 2

Span

95 feet

MGTOW

45,500 lb.

Height

28 feet

Range

550 miles

Ozark's DC-3 Replacements

Fairchild F-27 (photo: Roger Bentley)

Ozark's DC-3 Replacements

Fairchild-Hiller FH-227B (photo: Roger Bentley)

Ozark's DC-3 Replacements

Ozark's DC-3 Replacements

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.

 

Ozark's DC-3 Replacements

Denver^”

 

Las Vegas,

San Diego

‘ms

REGD

 

1960

 

Son Antonio

 

Ft. t-aua

 

Miami

 

Ozark's DC-3 ReplacementsOzark's DC-3 ReplacementsOzark's DC-3 Replacements

DC-9-30

 

Douglas

127 seats • 560 mph

 

OZARK’S DOUGLAS ©C-9S

 

Ozark's DC-3 Replacements

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.

 

Ozark's DC-3 ReplacementsOzark's DC-3 ReplacementsOzark's DC-3 Replacements