WHBM

International Air Bahama, a long-running low fare carrier from the Bahamas to Europe. Associated with similar Icelandic carrier Loftleidir, and like Loftleidir leased all its aircraft from Seaboard in the US, hence the DC8s. It later became associated with Laker and used their aircraft.

jlemon

Absolutely correct! I believe Loftleider actually purchased International Air Bahama, which also operated B707s during its existence.....

tonywestsider

I'll try to answer these two:

2) Pacific Western Airlines flew Convair 640 Javelin Jet Props.

6) Hughes Airwest and/or its predecessors (guessing here).

WHBM

I'll say six actually; Boeing 707, 720, 727, BAC One-Eleven, Convair 990, and Lockheed Electra. American didn't distinguish in their schedules between 707s and 720s, although the FAA regarded them as different types.

Couldn't do the number of nonstops without looking it up in the schedule I have here (which is cheating, so I won't say). But it's a surprisingly high figure.

6) United operated B727 aircraft into Santa Barbara (SBA) for many years on such routes as SBA-LAX, SBA-SFO, SBA-DEN and even SBA-ORD nonstop. What other airline served SBA with B727 equipment?

Others can talk about the 727, but I did once meet a 707 at Santa Barbara, operating to Beirut in the Lebanon. I had met by chance the 707 crew the previous day on board a BA flight London to LAX, who were positioning out to fly it back, and as they were in uniform got various imbecile questions from other passengers about BA, which they answered very politely ! Anyone guess the airline and the reason for the flight ?

jlemon

Correct on both counts, sir!

With regard to the other 727 operator, Pacific Airlines flew the type into SBA. Pacific was then merged into Air West (along with Bonanza and West Coast) which continued the B727 service into SBA. I believe the only route that Pacific/Air West operated the B727 on from SBA was to/from SFO. Hughes Air West subsequently operated the DC-9 and F-27 into SBA but not the B727.

jlemon

Correct on question #9! The AA timetable lists the BAC One-Eleven series 400, B707, B727, Convair 990 and the Lockheed L-188 "Electra". First class one way fares on the jet equipment were $22.05 and $18.90 in coach. First class one way fare on the "Electra" was $19.95 and $15.25 in coach. And the number of nonstop flights per day from DTW to ORD on AA? Twenty (20). Some years later, I flew on an AA B747-100 from Detroit to Chicago.....

I'm intrigued by your B707 question concerning SBA. I do know that a B707 was based at SBA some years ago but it was a privately operated aircraft. I believe the tail of this particular Boeing was emblazoned with a sword in an Arabic style. Rumor had it this aircraft was in the service of a Saudi crown prince who was attending the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB) at the time.....

WHBM

It was an airline. I doubt a prince would have made his crew travel from Beirut to London Heathrow, then immediate connection to LAX, all at the back in economy class ! After some lengthy chats at the back of the cabin I caught up with them the next afternoon at their hotel in Santa Barbara, having driven up from LA, for a fascinating chat over an early dinner (aided by a Good Friend of the time being a UCSB alumni) and a tour of the 707 on the ramp (it was pre-9/11). As a hint, we paid special attention to the engines.

Wally Bird

The levee was dry and good ol' boys was drinkin' whisky and rye.

WHBM

I think it was Pacific, predecessor of Air West, which had several film industry investors (old joke - How do you get a small fortune from the airline business ? Answer - Start with a large fortune). I don't know if Howard Hughes was in on Pacific from the beginning (given his TWA connections) or if he came to Hughes Air West later.

Jimmy Stewart was a longstanding pilot, and flew Liberators (B24s) from an airfield near Norwich, UK, across to Germany in WW2. There's a little memorial to his fellow flyers who didn't return, which is, if I have got my location right, just here :

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Tibe...d+Kingdom&z=18

jlemon

Well, although I do believe that SAHSA served Houston at one point, I also think they began service to New Orleans (MSY) first. Aircraft was a Lockheed L-188 "Electra".

And speaking of New Orleans, you are correct with regard to TACA. Flight 110 was inbound to MSY from Belize on May 24, 1988 and encountered heavy rain and hail in a severe thunderstorm. Both engines flamed out at an altitude of 16,500 feet east of the airfield. The pilots brought the APU on line at an altitude of 10,500 feet which restored power to the aircraft. However, their attempts to "windmill start" the engines were unsuccessful. But they did get the engines to start via the APU; however, neither engine would accelerate to normal idle speed so there was no thrust to speak of. At this point the airplane was getting rather close to the ground. So the flight crew elected to make a "dead stick" landing on top of a grass covered levee in eastern New Orleans near the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility (the large external fuel tanks for the space shuttle were manufactured at this facility). There were some minor injuries sustained by some of the passengers and the aircraft suffered moderate hail damage. One of the engines also had evidence of overheating. An engine change was performed on site and the Boeing 737-3T0 (N75356) was then able to take off from a nearby paved access road. The aircraft was subsequently returned to service. This 733 went on to serve with Aviateca, America West and Morris Air. And I believe it may still be in current operation with Southwest as N697SW.

jlemon

Mr. Stewart actually served on the board of directors for Central Airlines which was subsequently merged into Frontier. Central never operated jet equipment; however, they were the first operator of the Convair 600 turboprop. The actor served on the board for a number of years.

jlemon

SBA was the former location of an independent aircraft maintenance and refurbishment center. Work was performed for several airlines such as Pan Am (B747s) and American (ex-National DC-10s which AA acquired from Pan Am). In fact, the first time a B747 departed from SBA after the maintenance activities were completed on the aircraft, it nearly blew a car off the perimeter road located adjacent to the primary runway on the east side of the airfield. After that incident, airport police would close the road just long enough to allow 747s to depart. And this facility also provided services for B707s. I believe they installed hush kits on 707 engines among other maintenance and refurb services. Perhaps the aircraft you are referring to was operated by Middle East Airlines (MEA)?

WHBM

Spot on. MEA was one of the last significant 707 operators and they needed to install hush kits on them all for operation into western Europe. The contractor for this was at Santa Barbara.

jlemon

I was living in Santa Barbara at the time and believe I saw at least one of the MEA B707s with the distinctive tree (a cedar?) painted on the tail. I also seem to recall that the aviation maintenance facility located at SBA back then was operated by Tracor.

WHBM

Quite so. The Cedars of Lebanon are the national symbol and have appeared on MEA tailplanes through all their variations of livery.

They operated one of the last substantial 707 (and 720) fleets in the world, in part because they were unable to get hull insurance on their aircraft during all the difficulties there, when a significant proportion (like more than half over time) were destroyed on the ground at Beirut over time. The 707 fleet came from various US airlines as they retired them - American (in particular) and Western were the main contributors. Fortunately better times have come to Lebanon, and they now have a new Airbus fleet, still with the cedar tree on the tail.

So to a question then. Which four (yes) British airliner types did MEA operate over time ? Two prop and two jet.