Old Timer's Airline Quiz and Discussion.
Jul 23, 2017, 12:47 pm
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5. It’s time to get out of Miami and head up to Atlanta. You feel like a little local flight seeing. Hmm… Here’s a five stop flight departing Miami late morning, arriving Atlanta late afternoon. There are no meals served onboard but the itinerary looks intriguing. Book it, Danno! Identify the airline, the aircraft and the five enroute stops.
Now we're rollin'! You're both correct that the airline was Southern, operating a DC-9-10. As to the routing, let's list what we know - from both of your submitted routings - to be correct so far...
* Miami (MIA)
* Orlando (MCO)
* Tallahassee (TLH)
* Panama City (PFN)
* Eglin Air Force Base (VPS)
* _______________
Now we're rollin'! You're both correct that the airline was Southern, operating a DC-9-10. As to the routing, let's list what we know - from both of your submitted routings - to be correct so far...
* Miami (MIA)
* Orlando (MCO)
* Tallahassee (TLH)
* Panama City (PFN)
* Eglin Air Force Base (VPS)
* _______________
Albany, GA (ABY)
Jul 23, 2017, 1:00 pm
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17. Three airlines offered nonstop flights between New York City and Mexico City. One of them claimed to offer the fasted service between the two cities – a claim backed up by published schedules. Identify the airline that offered the fastest JFK-MEX service as well as the aircraft it operated. Additionally, identify the other two airlines and the aircraft each operated.
Jul 23, 2017, 1:13 pm
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Another Bonus Question: Identify the only route operated by Cayman Airways where the two airports served were not in the Cayman Islands. And here's a hint: the two destinations were not Kingston and Montego Bay. They were in different countries.
Back in the 1990s Cayman Airways used to fly Miami to Providenciales out in the Turks & Caicos. I don't recall the aircraft type but as the 1-11s would've been getting a bit long in the tooth by then and it might've been a bit early for the 737-400s, let's go with the 727-200.
Back in the 1990s Cayman Airways used to fly Miami to Providenciales out in the Turks & Caicos. I don't recall the aircraft type but as the 1-11s would've been getting a bit long in the tooth by then and it might've been a bit early for the 737-400s, let's go with the 727-200.
KX 184: Grand Turk (GDT) 2:30p - 4:10p Miami (MIA)
Op: Fridays only
Equip: 72S
KX 186: Grand Turk (GDT) 3:00p - 4:45p Miami (MIA)
Op: Mondays and Wednesdays only
Equip: 72S
KX 186: Providenciales (PLS) 3:15p - 4:45p Miami (MIA)
Op: Saturdays only
Equip: 72S
It appears Cayman Airways subsequently ceased serving both destinations in the Turks & Caicos but then returned only to Providenciales in 1991 with Boeing 737-200 service. Here's the northbound sched....
KX 1418: Providenciales (PLS) 2:00p - 3:40p Miami (MIA)
Op: Fridays and Sundays only
Equip: 73S
Last edited by jlemon; Jul 23, 2017 at 2:52 pm
Jul 23, 2017, 1:59 pm
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12. Due to flooding, the eastbound Empire Builder is unable to continue beyond Minot. You need to be in Minneapolis by tomorrow morning. No problem – you’ll just call Northwest Airlines and book a flight. Whaaat? Northwest doesn’t fly between Minot and Minneapolis - at least not for another few years. Thankfully, there is an airline that does offer through plane service between Minot and Minneapolis via a single, daily four stop direct flight. Identify the airline, the routing and the aircraft you’ll be flying upon.
21. What was the northernmost airport in North America served by a turbo-prop powered airliner? While you’re at it, identify the airline and aircraft type serving that airport.
21. Wild guess time: Fairbanks, Alaska served by Northern Consolidated Airlines with a Fairchild F-27.
Jul 23, 2017, 3:01 pm
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13. This airline offered direct four-stop flights between Oakland, CA and Okinawa departing Oakland each Tuesday and Friday evening at 8:00pm. Identify the airline, the aircraft utilized and the enroute stops.
Transocean came to the attention of the UK by buying the entire BOAC Stratocruiser fleet when these had been replaced by Bristol Britannias, but bankrupting themselves in the process, so that would be the aircraft type.
25. Identify the only two islands served on Qantas’ “Wallaby Route”
Last edited by WHBM; Jul 23, 2017 at 3:33 pm
Jul 24, 2017, 12:28 am
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That was the longstanding name of the route from Australia to South Africa. In 1959 they would stop at Cocos Island and Mauritius between Perth WA and Johannesburg. The Qantas flight, probably a Super Constellation, was only fortnightly, alternating with an SAA DC7B, until well into the jet era (after the Super Connie, Qantas used an Electra on the route, which must have been the longest ever Electra schedule).
Being an awful pedant, there were three islands served by the 'Wallaby Route', Australia being an island.....
Jul 24, 2017, 7:00 am
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Jul 24, 2017, 8:08 am
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18. The end of the line in 1959 for TWA would have been Manila, where round the world travelers would switch to Northwest Orient for their trip across the Pacific.
32. Lineas Aereas del Cobre ("Copper Airlines") served this route via MIA; the flight continued on to JFK. Ladeco used 757-200s.
33. My guess would be Southwest Airlines.
32. Lineas Aereas del Cobre ("Copper Airlines") served this route via MIA; the flight continued on to JFK. Ladeco used 757-200s.
33. My guess would be Southwest Airlines.
Jul 24, 2017, 8:23 am
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5. It’s time to get out of Miami and head up to Atlanta. You feel like a little local flight seeing. Hmm… Here’s a five stop flight departing Miami late morning, arriving Atlanta late afternoon. There are no meals served onboard but the itinerary looks intriguing. Book it, Danno! Identify the airline, the aircraft and the five enroute stops.
Looks like we need to ascertain stop #5 here and you just may have inadvertently given it away there, Seat 2A!
* Miami (MIA)
* Orlando (MCO)
* Tallahassee (TLH)
* Panama City (PFN)
* Eglin Air Force Base (VPS)
* _______________
Albany, GA (ABY)
Correct! My first flight aboard Southern was not quite such an air tour - Denver to Wichita to Memphis aboard a DC-9-10. The French Toast and Vienna sausage breakfast was pretty good though...
12. Due to flooding, the eastbound Empire Builder is unable to continue beyond Minot. You need to be in Minneapolis by tomorrow morning. No problem – you’ll just call Northwest Airlines and book a flight. Whaaat? Northwest doesn’t fly between Minot and Minneapolis - at least not for another few years. Thankfully, there is an airline that does offer through plane service between Minot and Minneapolis via a single, daily four stop direct flight. Identify the airline, the routing and the aircraft you’ll be flying upon.
This may have been an airline whose mascot was a distinctive blue duck in full flight (I believe his name was Herman): North Central. If so, the equipment was probably a DC-3 and the stops may have been Grand Forks, Thief River Falls, Bemidji and Brainerd.
North Central would certainly seem a likely suspect here but no - the airline we're looking for is a different one flying along a different routing. Please guess again!
21. What was the northernmost airport in North America served by a turbo-prop powered airliner? While you’re at it, identify the airline and aircraft type serving that airport.
Wild guess time: Fairbanks, Alaska served by Northern Consolidated Airlines with a Fairchild F-27.
Correct! Fairbanks, AK (64.81° N) barely beats out Galena, AK (64.74° N)
Looks like we need to ascertain stop #5 here and you just may have inadvertently given it away there, Seat 2A!
* Miami (MIA)
* Orlando (MCO)
* Tallahassee (TLH)
* Panama City (PFN)
* Eglin Air Force Base (VPS)
* _______________
Albany, GA (ABY)
Correct! My first flight aboard Southern was not quite such an air tour - Denver to Wichita to Memphis aboard a DC-9-10. The French Toast and Vienna sausage breakfast was pretty good though...
12. Due to flooding, the eastbound Empire Builder is unable to continue beyond Minot. You need to be in Minneapolis by tomorrow morning. No problem – you’ll just call Northwest Airlines and book a flight. Whaaat? Northwest doesn’t fly between Minot and Minneapolis - at least not for another few years. Thankfully, there is an airline that does offer through plane service between Minot and Minneapolis via a single, daily four stop direct flight. Identify the airline, the routing and the aircraft you’ll be flying upon.
This may have been an airline whose mascot was a distinctive blue duck in full flight (I believe his name was Herman): North Central. If so, the equipment was probably a DC-3 and the stops may have been Grand Forks, Thief River Falls, Bemidji and Brainerd.
North Central would certainly seem a likely suspect here but no - the airline we're looking for is a different one flying along a different routing. Please guess again!
21. What was the northernmost airport in North America served by a turbo-prop powered airliner? While you’re at it, identify the airline and aircraft type serving that airport.
Wild guess time: Fairbanks, Alaska served by Northern Consolidated Airlines with a Fairchild F-27.
Correct! Fairbanks, AK (64.81° N) barely beats out Galena, AK (64.74° N)
Last edited by Seat 2A; Jul 24, 2017 at 8:53 am
Jul 24, 2017, 8:42 am
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14. Eastern Airlines flew to only five destinations located outside the Continental U.S. Identify those five destinations.
Montreal (YUL), Ottawa (YOW), Bermuda (BDA), Mexico City (MEX), and San Juan (SJU)
Correct!
17. Three airlines offered nonstop flights between New York City and Mexico City. One of them claimed to offer the fasted service between the two cities – a claim backed up by published schedules. Identify the airline that offered the fastest JFK-MEX service as well as the aircraft it operated. Additionally, identify the other two airlines and the aircraft each operated.
One of the airlines was Eastern; I'd guess in 1959 this long-haul route saw a DC-7 ... one of the others was doubtless Aeronaves de Mexico, and since they flew the Britannia that would certainly seem to win the designator of "fastest" ... I'm at a loss for the third; possibly a fifth-freedom operation by Iberia with a Super Constellation
You're off to a good start, J. Now if you can just come up with that third airline - one that served NYC to Mexico for many years...
1. AERONAVES DE MEXICO Britannia 6:30pm – 11:59pm (5hrs 29min)
2. __________________________________________________ ______
3. EASTERN DC-7 10:30am – 5:15pm (6hrs 45min)
Montreal (YUL), Ottawa (YOW), Bermuda (BDA), Mexico City (MEX), and San Juan (SJU)
Correct!
17. Three airlines offered nonstop flights between New York City and Mexico City. One of them claimed to offer the fasted service between the two cities – a claim backed up by published schedules. Identify the airline that offered the fastest JFK-MEX service as well as the aircraft it operated. Additionally, identify the other two airlines and the aircraft each operated.
One of the airlines was Eastern; I'd guess in 1959 this long-haul route saw a DC-7 ... one of the others was doubtless Aeronaves de Mexico, and since they flew the Britannia that would certainly seem to win the designator of "fastest" ... I'm at a loss for the third; possibly a fifth-freedom operation by Iberia with a Super Constellation
You're off to a good start, J. Now if you can just come up with that third airline - one that served NYC to Mexico for many years...
1. AERONAVES DE MEXICO Britannia 6:30pm – 11:59pm (5hrs 29min)
2. __________________________________________________ ______
3. EASTERN DC-7 10:30am – 5:15pm (6hrs 45min)
Jul 24, 2017, 8:54 am
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19. As of early 1959, only two airlines were operating pure-jet flights within the United States. Identify each airline and the jet equipment each was operating.
Jul 24, 2017, 9:01 am
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13. This airline offered direct four-stop flights between Oakland, CA and Okinawa departing Oakland each Tuesday and Friday evening at 8:00pm. Identify the airline, the aircraft utilized and the enroute stops.
If they went from Oakland it's going to be a marginal operator, and I think the one across the Pacific in the 1950s would be Transocean, who operated a semi-charter like operation. Four stops ? Well, I would guess they might do Los Angeles, Honolulu, Wake and Guam. I believe Okinawa was a major US military base at the time, and likely these flights took families and such like there at fares less than Pan Am.
Transocean came to the attention of the UK by buying the entire BOAC Stratocruiser fleet when these had been replaced by Bristol Britannias, but bankrupting themselves in the process, so that would be the aircraft type.
You are correct, Sir, with bonus points for much appreciated added detail. ^
25. Identify the only two islands served on Qantas’ “Wallaby Route”
That was the longstanding name of the route from Australia to South Africa. In 1959 they would stop at Cocos Island and Mauritius between Perth WA and Johannesburg. The Qantas flight, probably a Super Constellation, was only fortnightly, alternating with an SAA DC7B, until well into the jet era (after the Super Connie, Qantas used an Electra on the route, which must have been the longest ever Electra schedule).
Spot on, WHBM. The first edition of Airliners International magazine (Spring 1974) has a nice article about a flight on this route aboard Qantas' Electra. Reading it gets me all the more excited about my upcoming flight in First Class aboard Qantas' A380 between Dallas and Sydney.
Per VH-RMD: Being an awful pedant, there were three islands served by the 'Wallaby Route', Australia being an island.....
Per jlemon: Hmmmmm....and I was under the impression that Australia was actually a continent....
Food For Thought
If they went from Oakland it's going to be a marginal operator, and I think the one across the Pacific in the 1950s would be Transocean, who operated a semi-charter like operation. Four stops ? Well, I would guess they might do Los Angeles, Honolulu, Wake and Guam. I believe Okinawa was a major US military base at the time, and likely these flights took families and such like there at fares less than Pan Am.
Transocean came to the attention of the UK by buying the entire BOAC Stratocruiser fleet when these had been replaced by Bristol Britannias, but bankrupting themselves in the process, so that would be the aircraft type.
You are correct, Sir, with bonus points for much appreciated added detail. ^
25. Identify the only two islands served on Qantas’ “Wallaby Route”
That was the longstanding name of the route from Australia to South Africa. In 1959 they would stop at Cocos Island and Mauritius between Perth WA and Johannesburg. The Qantas flight, probably a Super Constellation, was only fortnightly, alternating with an SAA DC7B, until well into the jet era (after the Super Connie, Qantas used an Electra on the route, which must have been the longest ever Electra schedule).
Spot on, WHBM. The first edition of Airliners International magazine (Spring 1974) has a nice article about a flight on this route aboard Qantas' Electra. Reading it gets me all the more excited about my upcoming flight in First Class aboard Qantas' A380 between Dallas and Sydney.
Per VH-RMD: Being an awful pedant, there were three islands served by the 'Wallaby Route', Australia being an island.....
Per jlemon: Hmmmmm....and I was under the impression that Australia was actually a continent....
Food For Thought
Last edited by Seat 2A; Jul 24, 2017 at 9:17 am
Jul 24, 2017, 9:23 am
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18. What was TWA’s most far-flung destination? The “end of the line” as it were.
The end of the line in 1959 for TWA would have been Manila, where round the world travelers would switch to Northwest Orient for their trip across the Pacific.
Correct!
32. It’s been a long winter here in Washington, DC and now –suddenly – you’ve got a chance to take spring break in Chile. An excellent fare is offered by this airline offering a one-stop, direct flight from Dulles down to Santiago. Identify the airline, the aircraft and the single stop to be made enroute.
Lineas Aereas del Cobre ("Copper Airlines") served this route via MIA; the flight continued on to JFK. Ladeco used 757-200s.
Correct!
[b]33. You’re enjoying a beautiful afternoon on the pier in Santa Monica when you receive a call from the office directing you to fly out to El Paso to help address a sticky engineering issue with a new product. It’s been a while since you’ve flown out to ELP from LAX and you’re surprised to find that where once the route enjoyed nonstop competition between multiple airlines, now only one airline flies nonstop. Identify the single airline offering nonstop service on this route.
My guess would be Southwest Airlines.
Correct!
Three for three, Joe!
The end of the line in 1959 for TWA would have been Manila, where round the world travelers would switch to Northwest Orient for their trip across the Pacific.
Correct!
32. It’s been a long winter here in Washington, DC and now –suddenly – you’ve got a chance to take spring break in Chile. An excellent fare is offered by this airline offering a one-stop, direct flight from Dulles down to Santiago. Identify the airline, the aircraft and the single stop to be made enroute.
Lineas Aereas del Cobre ("Copper Airlines") served this route via MIA; the flight continued on to JFK. Ladeco used 757-200s.
Correct!
[b]33. You’re enjoying a beautiful afternoon on the pier in Santa Monica when you receive a call from the office directing you to fly out to El Paso to help address a sticky engineering issue with a new product. It’s been a while since you’ve flown out to ELP from LAX and you’re surprised to find that where once the route enjoyed nonstop competition between multiple airlines, now only one airline flies nonstop. Identify the single airline offering nonstop service on this route.
My guess would be Southwest Airlines.
Correct!
Three for three, Joe!
Jul 24, 2017, 9:31 am
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19. As of early 1959, only two airlines were operating pure-jet flights within the United States. Identify each airline and the jet equipment each was operating.
I think these would be American, who started on JFK-LAX, and National, who leased a Pan Am aircraft to do twice daily JFK-Miami. Both with 707-120 aircraft. If I recall correctly, National just beat American to it.
You do recall correctly, WHBM. Here's an old National ad from those days...
I think these would be American, who started on JFK-LAX, and National, who leased a Pan Am aircraft to do twice daily JFK-Miami. Both with 707-120 aircraft. If I recall correctly, National just beat American to it.
You do recall correctly, WHBM. Here's an old National ad from those days...
Jul 24, 2017, 9:34 am
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The Qantas Electras, only a handful, were used on various quite long runs, to Fiji, New Zealand, the fortnightly South Africa, and I believe at the beginning even to Hong Kong. Qantas had originally been attracted by the Convair 880 for their shorter (comparatively speaking) runs, but there was a spectacular sales effort by Lockheed, who sold, at government level to the airlines' dismay, to four airlines in one hit, Qantas, TEAL (later to become Air New Zealand), Trans Australian, and Ansett, and scooped up the market.
The demand for such flights was anyway amazingly thin compared to nowadays; the Australia to New Zealand flights for many years needed a specific page in the Qantas timetable which listed every day individually, as even no two consecutive weeks appeared to have the same operation. The every two weeks South Africa operation needed crew changes along the way, and the crews would have been sat in hotels unproductive for many weeks covering the round trip. If you go to Perth nowadays half the population seem to have emigrated from South Africa in recent times.
The demand for such flights was anyway amazingly thin compared to nowadays; the Australia to New Zealand flights for many years needed a specific page in the Qantas timetable which listed every day individually, as even no two consecutive weeks appeared to have the same operation. The every two weeks South Africa operation needed crew changes along the way, and the crews would have been sat in hotels unproductive for many weeks covering the round trip. If you go to Perth nowadays half the population seem to have emigrated from South Africa in recent times.