Originally Posted by
Seat 2A
jlemon, you're right on with your answers to my questions. And of course Wally Bird as well. Now I have a couple of questions/comments on yours...
4) What airline provided service into Marin County, CA (JMC) and what equipment did they use?
Didn't New York Airways use the S-61 as well? I remember Pan Am also used to operate a helicopter service off the roof of the Pan Am building. I don't think they used S-61s though...
10) What airline operated DC-8 Super 60 series aircraft nonstop between New York and St. Maarten/St. Martin (SXM) in the Caribbean?
Were these flights operated as ALM some days of the week? And if so, were there ever any DC-8s painted up in ALM livery? (Basically KLM livery with ALM titles if it happened)
11) What airline operated B707 service nonstop between San Antonio (SAT) and Mexico City (MEX)?
I was gonna say Braniff. Did Braniff ever operate the SAT-MEX route with 707/720 equipment?
12) What airline operated jet service into Santa Fe, New Mexico (SAF) in the 70's and what was the aircraft type?
Just curious, did TTA ever offer First Class service? In a trip report written in Airliners International magazine back in 1974, David P. Morgan (The editor and also longtime editor of Trains magazine and also the man who inspired me to write trip reports) reported that he flew in First Class aboard a TTA DC-9. I've never seen F offered on TTA or Texas International in any of my old schedules.
I believe that New York Airways did fly the S-61 at one point; however, this helicopter air carrier is perhaps better known for flying another helicopter type, being the twin rotor Boeing Vertol BV-107. Some of these BV-107s are still flying to this day for Columbia Helicopters (with this company being based in Oregon) but they do not normally transport passengers. They are instead used for firefighting, heavy lifting and other utility applications. BTW, the BV-107 is the civil version of the CH-46 "Sea Knight" military helicopter used by the U.S. Marines and the U.S. Navy.
I'm not sure if ALM operated these flights. Referencing the February 1976 OAG, these flights appear to be operated solely by KLM with the airline designation "KL" (for KLM) instead of "LM" (for ALM) appearing before the flight numbers (KL 980 & KL 989). So here's a question: did ALM ever operate the stretched DC-8 Super 60 series?
Braniff operated in direct competition with American on the SAT-MEX route flying two (2) daily nonstops with B727-100 or B727-200 aircraft. And Mexicana competed on this route as well with two (2) daily onestop, direct flights using B727-200 aircraft in an all coach configuration. So back in 1976, there were five (5) flights a day beween San Antonio and Mexico City.
When I flew on TTa, their DC-9s were in an all coach configuration. However, I believe I've read somewhere that when TTa first initiated DC-9 service, these aircraft did indeed have a first class cabin.