jlemon

Yep, ol' TTa was the target of many jokes back in the day. I flew on them extensively during the late 1960's on board both their DC9 and CV-600 equipment.

I am only aware of one fatal accident involving the airline and I believe that occurred in 1973 after TTa had changed its name to Texas International. A Convair 600 turboprop experienced a CFIT accident in Arkansas when it struck a hillside. All eleven souls on board perished.

The carrier also had at least three accidents involving its DC9 aircraft but in all three cases there were no fatalities. One accident involved a midair collision with a light GA aircraft near Harlingen (HRL); the DC9 landed safely. Two DC9s were heavily damaged in either takeoff or landing accidents, one at Denver (DEN) and the other at Baton Rouge (BTR). I believe both aircraft were written off.

Recognizing that it had a perception problem, TI reportedly ran a print ad campaign in 1969 following the name change from TTa. I seem to recall the copy read: "No More Tinker Toys. No More Tree Tops. We are now Texas International."

jlemon

I'll let these two sit out there a bit longer as we have had responses today....

And a Big Howdy to Seat 2A! Buddy, I know your recuperation effort has been long and quite arduous since your medical procedure but I believe I speak for all of us here on the good ol' OTAQ&D when we wish you the absolute best!

jrl767

3- let's try Air California/AirCal (whichever, the OAG code was OC) with a 737-200 operating via Los Angeles (LAX), San Jose (SJC), Reno (RNO), and Seattle (SEA)

4- perhaps this MSY-LIT hop was Delta, with a 727-200

WHBM

Dan-Air suffered the same in Britain, other airlines had nicknames which generally stayed within the industry and the enthusiasts, but good old DA were quite widely known as "Dan Dare", after a 1950s British comic book and radio character who commanded, for the good of all on earth, a spaceship, with new adventures every week. This tale of interplanetary travel was set - 40 years hence, in the 1990s. Sufficiently old now for its spacecraft "Anastasia" to feature in this account !

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Dare

jlemon

3. & 4. Ah, no and no, sir! OC and DL were respectively not involved.

Plus, on #3, equipment was not a B737-200. But this flight did stop at LAX.

And on #4, the aircraft was a Boeing 727.

See post #10202 above for updates!

So please guess again!

miniliq

Choices are getting limited! Let's try Southwest (WN).

jrl767

3- one more shot here: PSA, MD-80; missing stops Las Vegas (LAS) and San Francisco (SFO)
overall routing PSP-LAX-LAS-RNO-SFO-GEG

jlemon

4. Nope, it was not Southwest.....

jlemon

3. Ah, it was not Pacific Southwest, the equipment was not an MD-80 and the flight did not stop at either LAS or SFO......

WHBM

Hmmm. Well Western were still around then, they had some form at Palm Springs. Between LAX and Reno a possible stop for them would be Sacramento, then somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. Let's go for Portland. On a 727-200.

jlemon

3. Yet another excellent guess! However, the air carrier was not Western, the aircraft was not a B727-200 and the flight did not stop in either SMF or PDX.

Please guess again, sir!

moondog

Eta: After guessing Reno Air, I checked Google, and realized that they didn't exist in 1984.

jrl767

3- well, having exhausted pretty much all other aircraft types, I can only surmise that we are looking for the short-lived airline with the "WHBM special" ... Pacific Express, operating a BAC 1-11; the missing stops perhaps being San Jose (SJC) and Boise (BOI)

I don't recall that they actually served PSP or BOI, but there you are

jlemon

3. Yep, it was Pacific Express which I believe was the only airline ever to operate the BAC One-Eleven in California in scheduled passenger service (although the One-Eleven was also used for gambling charter flights into Lake Tahoe (TVL) as we have previously discussed). And the flight in question did not stop in San Jose (SJC); it stopped in Fresno (FAT).

At this time, PacEx was operating five BAC One-Eleven departures on the weekdays from Boise with nonstops to SFO, PDX and GEG as well as direct, no change of plane service to other destinations with reduced service on the weekends.

Out of Palm Springs, four One-Eleven weekday departures were being operated with nonstops to SFO and SJC plus direct service to other destinations with reduced weekend service. And the airline was also operating weekend nonstops to LAX and LAS from PSP at this time. One of these weekend flights concerns our quiz item. Here's the sched.....

VB 888: Palm Springs (PSP) 11:35a - 12:15p Los Angeles (LAX) 12:30p - 1:25p Fresno (FAT) 1:45p - 2:30p Reno (RNO) 2:50p - 5:00p Boise (BOI) 5:15p - 5:15p Spokane (GEG)
Op: Saturdays and Sundays only
Equip: BAC One-Eleven

I always enjoyed my flights on Pacific Express and the One-Eleven.

WHBM

Pacific Express's One-Elevens were the old pioneer British United (and later British Caledonian) fleet, which they sold off in 1982, and which had come overhead me in Edinburgh several times a day from London Gatwick all through university years, onto the old short runway there. Did I always look up ? What do you think ! Pacific Express didn't last too long, they later moved on through a range of other operators we have discussed here; Air Wisconsin, Cascade, Florida Express and one of the later Braniffs all saw them.

One still exists, she's been in the weeds at Johannesburg's secondary Lanseria airport for years, corroding gently in the sunshine. See here.

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Untit...onX9Ahl2Lj4%3D