American Airlines will debut its last three heritage jets this “autumn”, says chief integration officer Beverly Goulet.
Three Boeing 737-800s will sport liveries reminiscent of AirCal (merged with American in 1987), Reno Air (merged with American in 1999) and Trans World Airlines (TWA, merged with American in 2001), her presentation at the Boyd International Aviation Forecast Summit in Las Vegas today shows.
[:-,] How can you ever see it, except from the terminal windows ? Any attempt to see it from any other place at or near the airport runs the risk of substandard Federal housing for a few years . . .
You obviously do not live in close proximity to Chicago Municipal Airport. I’ve seen a number of Southwest Airlines special paint jobs (Shamu, various states, etc.) and the Simpsons Jet (Western Pacific Airlines, now defunct) from my back yard.
Larry, I agree about the Model A–mechanical brakes, no safety glass, gasoline tank right in front of front seat passengers (at least, this car, unlike the Model T, could be driven straight up Signal Mountain (at Chattanooga) on the W Road without having to be backed up the W.
I rode in a 1929 Model A many times, but never when the driver had a 40 foot extension ladder lashed to the passenger side–he used it in his work as a painter as well as the family car for 21 years.
The mention of " Heritage" and I immediately thought of (now) Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines. Many do not know that Delta got its start as an agricultural crop dusting operation down in Alabama,in the 1920’s. Later moved its HQ to Monroe, La. as Delta Air Service.
As many may know ag flying is pretty seasonal, so the aircraft do experience long periods of inactivity. Delta at one point flew its aircraft to do crop dusting in Peru. They used their planes to be some of the first transporters of International Air Mail and pasengers using their Huff-Daland 18’s. The passengers rode in the areas normally used for the products they flew onto the crops. Transportation being the sole reason for a passenger flying from one place to another. The aircraft was a bi-plane type and was composed of a metal body, when many were made using mostly fabric in their construction. see link @ http://www.deltamuseum.org/exhibits/delta-history/aircraft-by-type/crop-duster/Huff-Daland-Duster
Excerpt from Traffic World (1933)
RAILROAD AIRWAY SUBSIDIARY
Organization of an airway subsidiary of the Central Vermont Railway, to be known as the Central Vermont Airways, Inc., has been announced by Edmund Deschenes, manager of the railway.The central offices of the new air line will be located in St. Albans, Vt. The new company will join with Boston-Maine Airways, Inc., a subsidiary of the Boston and Maine Railroad, in the operation of an airplane passenger line between Montpelier-Barre, White River Junction, Concord, N.H. and Boston. Tri-motored, 10-passenger cabin planes will be used. Actual flying operations will be conducted by National Airways, Inc. It is planned to extend the service eventually to Montreal and other points.
From the post by “wanswheel” [in part] "… RAILROAD AIRWAY SUBSIDIARY
Organization of an airway subsidiary of the Central Vermont Railway, to be known as the Central Vermont Airways, Inc., has been announced by Edmund Deschenes, manager of the railway.The central offices of the new air line will be located in St. Albans, Vt. The new company will join with Boston-Maine Airways, Inc., a subsidiary of the Boston and Maine Railroad, in the operation of an airplane passenger line between Montpelier-Barre, White River Junction, Concord, N.H. and Boston. Tri-motored, 10-passenger cabin planes will be used. Actual flying operations will be conducted by National Airways, Inc. It is planned to extend the service eventually to Montreal and other points…"
Article from The Trainmaster, Official Publication of the Pacific Northwest Chapter, National Railway Historical Society, April 1992. Reprinted from Air Classics, Fall 1975. Submitted by Peter Rodabaugh
Santa Fe - If You’re Going to Be a Railroad, You Can’t Be an Airline
Any progressive company, in any field of endeavor, is always on the lookout for p
Excerpt from Traffic World (1933)
RAILROAD AIRWAY SUBSIDIARY
Organization of an airway subsidiary of the Central Vermont Railway, to be known as the Central Vermont Airways, Inc., has been announced by Edmund Deschenes, manager of the railway.The central offices of the new air line will be located in St. Albans, Vt. The new company will join with Boston-Maine Airways, Inc., a subsidiary of the Boston and Maine Railroad, in the operation of an airplane passenger line between Montpelier-Barre, White River Junction, Concord, N.H. and Boston. Tri-motored, 10-passenger cabin planes will be used. Actual flying operations will be conducted by Nation
I’m of two minds on all this heritage stuff. On the one hand I do appreciate that its more than just about the money for some people. Clearly Wick Moorman is a railfan, and no doubt his interest and abilities got him to where he’s at. Thanks largely to his efforts, NS has a nice steam locomotive to show off as well as those lovely heritage diesels. But the bean counter side of me always wants to know what if anything flows to the bottom line. It could be argued that having heritage units is effective marketing, and who knows, maybe it is. Based on my own experience in trucking however, nice paint jobs, chrome, and such often have an adverse effect… sort of like showing up at the unemployment office in Cadillac. It’s harder to negotiate a rate increase or a fuel surcharge increase when you’re driving around looking fancy. This logic most likely applies to other modes as well. There’s much to be said for presenting a more austere image.
The facilities aren’t that bad (if you don’t mind the aesthetics of razor wire), but your fellow “residents” leave a lot to be desired. A liking for institutional food would be a distinct advantage
