jlemon

15. Horizon Air operating a Fokker F28 Fellowship is correct! Here's the sched....

QX 62/63: San Francisco (SFO) 2:15p - 4:40p Sun Valley (SUN) 5:25p - 5:55p Boise (BOI) 6:30p - 6:50p Seattle (SEA)
Freq: Saturdays & Sundays only
Equip: F28
Meal services: Snacks SFO-SUN & BOI-SEA
Note: Flight number change at SUN from QX 62 to QX 63

Horizon Air was operating this service during the ski season and was the only air carrier serving Sun Valley early in 1985. These were the only two jet flights every week operated by QX from SFO at the time (QX was also operating Fairchild F-27 service between SFO and Klamath Falls at this same time). The airline pioneered jet service into Sun Valley with the F28 and was also serving SUN with Fairchild F-27 and Swearingen Metro III propjets. The airport in Hailey which serves Sun Valley did not have a Microwave Landing System (MLS) at the time and winter weather could pose a real challenge to operations during ski season. Horizon Air first began serving Sun Valley with the Fairchild F-27 with flights from Seattle.

28. Nope, I do not believe American Trans Air ever offered first class on their scheduled flights. However, there is a bit of good news here as you have correctly guessed the aircraft type: the Boeing 757-200.

Seat 2A

28. You've just wrapped up an early afternoon meeting in Oak Forest, Illinois in the fall of 1999 and are now ready to head to Los Angeles. Now you could drive over to Chicago O'Hare and catch a nonstop.....but Chicago Midway is just right up the road via state route 50 and you've discovered a one stop flight offering first class departing MDW for LAX in the late afternoon. Perfect! Identify the air carrier, the stop and the aircraft type.

Hmm... if it's a 757 with First Class, via Las Vegas, the only airline that comes to mind is National (N7). I logged a few flights with them back in 2001, including the first day of travel after 9-11 on a flight from LAS to SFO. What a crazy day!

jrl767

a couple years ago I flew LAX-SUN on an Alaska (Horizon) Q400, with a same-plane connection to SEA ... the second flight was booked full, but it was a very breezy afternoon and the crosswind component limited takeoff weight due to the departure profile toward the mountains ... after waiting about an hour, the crew announced that they were at risk of timing out, so the choice was to either offload four passengers and baggage or cancel entirely

jlemon

28. Correct! Here's the sched....

N7 104: Chicago Midway (MDW) 3:55p - 5:40p Las Vegas (LAS) 6:30p - 7:45p Los Angeles (LAX)
Freq: Daily
Equip: 757
Service classes: F/Y (seat pitch was reported to be 40" in F and 33" in Y)
Meal services: Dinner in F/Y MDW-LAS, snack in F only LAS-LAX

National was one of several airlines to use the same name as the original NA, of course. I believe the N7 version operated a small fleet of around 19 B757-200 aircraft. I also remember seeing their equipment at LAX and thinking the 757 was rather big for what they were attempting to do as a new start-up air carrier with a hub at Las Vegas (LAS). N7 only operated for several years. A good friend of mine flew for them as a first officer (co-pilot) but managed to get on with Aloha in the same position flying B737-200 and B737-700 aircraft before N7 ceased all operations and went out of business due to financial difficulties.

jlemon

I remember flying into Sun Valley on board an Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia operated by SkyWest as the Delta Connection from Salt Lake City. It was summertime and there were thunderstorms over the nearby mountains. It was quite the rock n' roll ride on approach and landing into SUN......

And how about a BONUS quiz item....

What year did Horizon Air enter into its initial code sharing agreement and what airline was QX code sharing with at that time?

jrl767

5- I haven't a clue about the airline(s), as I think Pacific Western had spun off their small coastal community services to one or more local B.C. operators by the mid-1960s (if not earlier) ... that said, I'll guess the northbound flight was on a Grumman Goose amphibian that stopped at Tofino, and the return was on a Fokker F.27

jlemon

5. Well, since you've mentioned Pacific Western and the Grumman Goose as well as correctly identifying the stop on the northbound flight, I'll go ahead and provide the answer....

Pacific Western was operating both of these flights. The northbound service was flown from Vancouver with a Grumman Goose amphibian aircraft departing at 10:00 am on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays and arriving in Tahsis at 11:45 am after a stop at Tofino. The southbound flight departed Bella Coola every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 11:30 am and flew nonstop to Vancouver arriving at 1:00 pm. However, this flight was not operated with a Fokker F.27. It was instead operated with a Nord 262.

The above coastal destinations in British Columbia had been served from Vancouver by B.C. Air Lines which was acquired by Pacific Western in 1970. Pacific Western then began operating Nord 262 aircraft previously operated by B.C. Air Lines and I believe that's where the Grumman Goose aircraft came from as well.

jlemon

6. If you wanted to fly out of Fort Nelson, B.C. on board a Lockheed L-188 Electra in 1973 what air carrier would you call? ANSWERED

13. It's 1985. Your presentation in Omaha concerning a major potential contract could not have been more well received. And then you hear the following statement while you are having lunch with your new prospective client: "There's just one more thing you have to do to seal the deal. Our CEO who is also the owner of the company will be in Spokane tomorrow morning and would like to meet with you. Think you can arrange to get up there this evening?" Well, where there is a will, there is certainly a way! You quickly ascertain there is a direct two stop flight departing OMA at 5:25 pm which will get you into GEG at 10:00 pm. Name the airline you'll be flying on, the two stops and the equipment. ANSWERED

21. Now it's 1986 and you are in Van Nuys where your breakfast meeting with a new client has just successfully concluded. You are now off to Milwaukee for a business dinner that same evening. You were planning to drive down Interstate 405 to LAX and catch a flight.....but wait! There's a flight departing Burbank (BUR) just before 11:00 am that will you get you into MKE just after 5:00 pm. One stop will be made en route and better yet a first class window seat is available! Identify the air carrier, the stop and the aircraft type. ANSWERED

BONUS: What year did Horizon Air enter into it's initial code sharing agreement and what airline was QX code sharing with at that time? Still looking for the answers.....

Last call for the above! And should there be no takers, I shall provide the answers tomorrow. I'll then post a group of exciting new quiz items from the 1990's along with a few from the early 2000's.......

Seat 2A

21. Now it's 1986 and you are in Van Nuys where your breakfast meeting with a new client has just successfully concluded. You are now off to Milwaukee for a business dinner that same evening. You were planning to drive down Interstate 405 to LAX and catch a flight.....but wait! There's a flight departing Burbank (BUR) just before 11:00 am that will you get you into MKE just after 5:00 pm. One stop will be made en route and better yet a first class window seat is available! Identify the air carrier, the stop and the aircraft type. Equipment was a twin engine jet. It wasn't Continental. The air carrier in question was subsequently acquired by and merged into another airline. The stop was not made in Denver.

I was going to try America West via Phoenix with a 737-200 but it seems they did the acquiring rather than being acquired by other airlines, so let's go with TWA operating an MD80 via St. Louis

jrl767

21- the timing doesn't work: BUR-STL is ~1700 miles; block time was probably 3+45, so a 1045 departure wouldn't land until ~1630, never mind being able to get to MKE shortly after 1700

the stop has to be along a more direct route -- say LAS or DEN or MCI; I'll guess Republic via LAS, M80s were of course in their fleet but it was probably more realistic to see a DC-9-30 on this run

YVR Cockroach

I'd say you may be right (it would have been one of my two guesses though my other guess didn't seem to operate to MKE). All depends on how jlemon wants to define who is the acquirer - surviving name or management behind the acquisition? In the former case, you'd be right. For the latter, there are some people who also think UA acquired CO.

jlemon

21. I agree with you concerning your observation with regard to America West - I think it was a case of the tail wagging the dog! And given the fact that TWA was acquired by American, this is a great guess on your part.

However, the airline in question wasn't TWA and the stop was not made at STL. On the plus side of the column, you have correctly guessed the equipment: the McDonnell Douglas MD-80.

jlemon

21. Yet another great guess....but it wasn't Republic. Plus we have already established that the aircraft was an MD-80 and thus not a DC-9-30. And there's more good news as you have correctly guessed the stop: Las Vegas (LAS).

jlemon

21. Point taken, sir! And we can safely say the airline which acquired the air carrier in question in the above quiz item is still currently in operation.

jrl767