1.)Pratt & Whitney's JT8D engine was the best selling powerplant of its day, perhaps of all time. Originally a military engine, it was introduced on Boeing's 727 in 1963. Over the years there were many increasingly powerful variants produced for the 727 and other aircraft. Here's the question:

What other commercial aircraft types did the JT8D power?

2.) What was the first commercial aircraft to break the sound barrier?

Canadian Pacific DC-8 pre-delivery flight.

Those shallow dives'll get you every time if you don't watch your speedometer... ^

Indeed! This event occurred at Edwards AFB in the high desert north of Los Angeles. And the USAF chase aircraft operating with the DC-8, being a Lockheed F-104 "Starfighter", was flown by none other than Chuck Yeager.

As to the US operators, I remember both Air California and PSA flying their Electras into Lake Tahoe during the 70s, primarily due to a ban on jet traffic at that airport. However, in the March 15, 1974 edition of the OAG, neither airline shows up in the schedules to Lake Tahoe. The other airline to operate an Electra does however, and that was Holiday Airlines.

I have fond memories of my only flight aboard a Reeve Electra, N1968R, the ex-Air New Zealand aircraft. Roomy, comfortable, huge windows and the daughter of our old Ester postmaster providing the great service!

I can remember the disappointment at having to fly on my first Electra back in 1966. We had been screwing around in Phoenix riding horses or something and as a result missed our scheduled flight up to Denver on a Western 720B. I was 8 years old and I was all about jets. Props were boring. Now I often wish I were born 10 or 20 years earlier just for all the great trains and planes that I missed out on. Still, I reckon I did pretty well anyway...

My first airline flight ever was on board a PSA L-188 Electra from LAX to SFO. This trip was a birthday present from my Mom and Dad that enabled me to visit my Aunt and Uncle in the Bay Area. I was 10 years old at the time.

The years flew by (no pun intended) and I found myself on board an ex-Air Cal B737-300 operated by American on a flight from SFO to South Lake Tahoe (TVL) in order to join Mom, Dad and other family members for a family reunion at Fallen Leaf Lake (just over the ridge from TVL). The AA 733 service into South Lake Tahoe, which was inherited from Air Cal (which also operated MD-80s into TVL), did not last. And attempts by other operators to serve TVL using DC-9s and B737-200s were not successful as well. TVL has not had scheduled airline service for many years now.

Electra Service
 

Out of curiosity, does anyone know when Northwest and Western ceased operating their respective Electra aircraft?

I know that by and large WA replaced their Electra service to small cities in the west with B737-200s but I'm not sure when the last turboprop left their fleet....

NW May 1972
WA August 1972

Maybe some day United can bring back Royal Hawiian Service, especially EWR-HNL where in Y you do not even get a cracker.

I'll go ahead and answer the last three questions from my Jan. 8 post....

10) LIAT (Leeward Island Air Transport) operated the stretched BAC One-Eleven 500 series twinjet in the Caribbean. And this choice of aircraft nearly put them out of business as the BAC 1-11 was too big and too costly for most of their interisland routes. LIAT currently operates Dash 8 series 300 turboprops. And depending on who you talk to, their name really stands for either "Leave Island at Any Time" or "Luggage In Another Terminal". Actually, I've flown with them several times and they weren't that bad (unless one had to make a tight connection to another airline at SJU)....

11) Braniff International operated a BAC One-Eleven which they named "Little Precious". Besides flying in scheduled service, BN also used this aircraft as a business jet for their management employees from time to time.

15) And the city is......Houston.

The first "cross town" airline was Houston Metro operating the DHC-6 "Twin Otter" turboprop. The airline constructed their own STOL landing strip and terminal (which even had a bar) in a cow pasture adjacent to Clear Lake City (CLC) near the NASA space center in order to shuttle passengers to and from Houston Intercontinental (IAH) which had replaced Houston Hobby (HOU) at the time as the primary airline airport.

The second "cross town" operation was flown by Emerald Air between IAH and HOU with a DC-9 operated under contract to Continental as the "Houston Proud Express" (the airplane was painted in Continental colors). Later on, CO flew their mainline B737-300s between IAH and HOU (I was on one of these flights that only had 12 passengers on board so they moved all of us up to first class). In addition, Continental Connection (or was it CO Express?) flew the Beechcraft 1900D between IAH and HOU. I enjoyed leaning out into the aisle of this twin turboprop and watching the landing through the flight deck windows as there was no door separating the cockpit from the pax cabin.

The third and final "cross town" operation was flown by Continental Express between IAH and Ellington Field (EFD, which is a former Air Force base located near the Johnson Space Center). Initially, I believe ATR-42s were used which were subsequently replaced with Continental Express Embraer ERJ-135 regional jets operated by ExpressJet. I flew between EFD and IAH many times on board the ERJ-135 while making connections at IAH to and from CO mainline flights.

Point of trivia:

I have flown out on North Central paint and made the return on Republic paint, flown out in Republic paint and returned on NW paint, and flown out on NW paint and returned on DL paint.

And according to the Wall Street Journal, DL is now looking at possibly acquiring AA......

My favorite nickname from the Caribbean was BWIA, otherwise known as

Britain's Worst Investment Abroad
or
Better Walk Instead Airlines

:D

Also up in Canada, being Pacific Western Airlines....

a.k.a. PWA: "Probably Won't Arrive"....

Note: I never have flown on either BWIA (which is now Caribbean Airlines but was also known as Bee-Wee back when it was BWIA) or Pacific Western so I really cannot comment concerning these carriers.....but I was tickled by the nickname for PWA!

What other crosstown flights were there?

I know United had San Francisco-Oakland service, sometimes continuing to Denver.

Orange County-Los Angeles service also existed.

How about JFK-Laguardia? Or Dulles-Washington National?

727
737
DC-9
MD-80

707 (only experimental)

some non-commercial aircraft, like the Saab Viggen fighter jet

I believe the UA SFO-OAK service was operated with a DC-8 and possibly later by a B727-200.

Both Alaska Airlines and Continental operated B727-200s between Burbank and Ontario. I believe the actual AS routing was SEA-ONT-BUR-SEA. And I think CO had a flight that operated SEA-PDX-SJC-BUR-ONT-ORD (I'll have to check an old OAG to verify this CO routing).

I also believe that Hughes Air West operated SFO-SJC with a DC-9.

In addition, I seem to recall that DL operated SAN-ONT with a 767. I believe the actual routing was SAN-ONT-ATL. Not quite "cross town" but close!

Another short range jet route in SoCal was SBA-LAX. UA operated 737s and 727s on the route. And later on, Pacific Express operated the BAC One-Eleven SBA-LAX. These days, American Eagle flies Embraer RJs SBA-LAX.

Not sure about the east coast airports you mention but I'm sure someone will chime in!

UA (well, one of its regional subsidiaries) flew BWI-IAD not too long ago.

There are two more commercial jetliners that used the JT8D...

PWA was also dubbed "Please Wait Awhile" but I always found them reliable enough. In that part of the world there are always going to be occasional IRROPS.

I know one, the Dassault Mercure, the most successful airliner in the world. :D They sold 10 copies then converted the prototype to be the 11th. Air Inter was the only customer. Air France absorbed IT later.

I thought of the other one, a less obscure airplane.

Some Sud Caravelles had JT8D engines.

NEW QUESTION: I don't know too many route info but know this from memory.
What airline used Caravelles for men only flights (no women or children) between Chicago and Newark in the 1960's?

To quote the late, great Ed McMahon... "You are correct, sir!"

Now, just one more...

By the way, I always knew PWA as Pray While Aloft

And let's not forget Err Canada

Here's a couple more from Central America...

SAHSA Stay At Home, Stay Alive[/b]

TACA Take A Chance Airlines ~ Take A Coffin Along

NEW QUESTION: I don't know too many route info but know this from memory.
What airline used Caravelles for men only flights (no women or children) between Chicago and Newark in the 1960's?[/QUOTE]

That would be United which, of course, was the only major U.S. airline to operate the Caravelle in scheduled passenger service in North America.

And I believe that cigar smoking was permitted on these "men only" flights.

While not a "men only" flight, I actually saw a Caravelle operated by UA many years ago at HSV. But, alas, I never had the opportunity to fly on one....

And let's not forget Err Canada.......

Which was also known back in the day as "Mapleflot" when AC was owned by the Canadian government......

Here's several new questions.....

1) What is the most northerly destination in North America to have received scheduled passenger jet service? (Hint: some if not most of these flights were actually combi flights carrying both cargo and passengers)

2) What airline in North America never operated mainline passenger service with turboprop aircraft but did operate mainline all cargo flights with turboprop equipment?

3) What airlines operated jet equipment into Key West (EYW) in the past and what were the aircraft types? (Note: special extra bonus points will be awarded for correct answers containing information concerning current scheduled passenger jet operations into Key West)

Barrow (BRW)

EA, DL, Airtran (ValuJet), US

I'm not sure about a/c types, but I'm thinking DC9, CRJ, and maybe 727.

Well, Barrow, Alaska (BRW) is the most northern point in the U.S. to receive passenger jet service. BRW is currently served by Alaska Airlines with B737-400 Combi aircraft which carry freight pallets in addition to passengers. In the past, BRW was also served by Wien Air Alaska and then by MarkAir which both operated B737-200 Combi aircraft. I've actually flown into Barrow on a MarkAir 73M. The freight pallets on this Boeing combi were located where the F seats would normally be with this section accessible via a large cargo door located aft of the flight deck. BTW, Barrow is located approx. 1122 miles from the North Pole.

However.....

The most northern point to have received passenger jet service in North America is actually Resolute (YRB) in far northern Canada, which is located approx. 375 miles from the North Pole. I do not believe that Resolute currently has scheduled jet service; however, in the past First Air flew B727 Combi as well as B737 Combi aircraft into YRB on a scheduled basis. I also believe there was at least one other scheduled passenger jet operator. First Air still serves Resolute with ATR-42 turboprop equipment and also operates B737 charters into YRB on occasion.

As for Key West (EYW), past jet operators included National with B727 service and Piedmont with F-28 service. I flew into EYW on board a Piedmont F-28 many years ago. There may have been other jet operators as well. Current jet operators include Delta and AirTran with B737-700 flights and US Airways Express with Embraer 175 service. BTW, Key West only has one runway which is rather short: 4801 feet.

Anyone care to attempt to answer question #2 above?

Here's a hint: this U.S. based airline is a currently major passenger air carrier that operated a fleet of dedicated, large turboprop aircraft for cargo operations. What is the airline and what was the aircraft type used for cargo?

BTW, the other aircraft utilizing Pratt & Whitney's JT8D engines was the French built Caravelle. Not all Caravelles were powered by P&W, but many of the later versions were.

I'd be tempted to say Delta (Lockheed C-130s) were it not for the fact I have seen FH-227s in Delta colors, way before codesharing.

You lot are amazing - encyclopedic knowledge.

Your original answer is correct: Delta.

DL operated the civil version of the C-130 "Hercules", being the Lockheed L-100, in scheduled cargo operations. I seem to recall the cargo services timetable appeared toward the end of the printed passenger timetable.

And please forgive me with regard to Delta's short lived Fairchild Hiller FH-227 turboprop passenger operations. I had forgotten about them! Although DL never ordered a new turboprop for passenger service, back in 1972 they did acquire Northeast Airlines which was an FH-227 operator at the time (in addition to B727-200 and DC-9-30 aircraft, I believe). The FH-227s were repainted in Delta's colors before being retired.

I've also discovered a bit more info with regard to passenger jet service into Resolute in far northern Canada. In 1978, three (3) airlines served Resolute:
Pacific Western with direct B727 service twice a week to Edmonton and Calgary, Transair with direct B737 service once a week to Winnipeg and Nordair with direct B737 service twice a week to Montreal. By 1994, two airlines served Resolute: CP Air with B737 service and First Air with B727 Combi service. At the time, this was probably not too bad for a little town less than four hundred miles from the North Pole. One can also reportedly buy a t-shirt in Resolute that has the following message: "Resolute! It may not be the end of the world but you can see it from here!"

US never flew DC-9s to EYW. This was a PI destination originally, but I don't recall when mainline service was pulled. I'm think it was just F-28s based in CLT after the US merger.

BTW, the routing for the PI operated F-28 flight I took many years ago was MIA-EYW.....

Also, at one point back in 1978, there was only one airline serving Key West and they only operated DC-3s. That situation has obviously changed....

I'm also curious about your handle there, N965VJ: did this "N" number appear on a US Air DC-9-30?

Thanks Wally Bird!

Yes, thanks! It's been a few years since I've looked, but I didn't know there was a picture of my namesake on the net somewhere. That made my day. :) When US started parking them, I saved the door that went over the ACARS panel in the fwd galley from 965.


I was a FA for 15 years at US, so both the aircraft and me were born in the 60s and flew around the northeast for US. :D

PI had a small crew base in MIA I think, this is jogging my memory. I was hired by US before the PI merger, so my PI knowledge isn't the best. They also had small bases in SYR and DAY. When US finally parked the F-28s in CLT, a number of pilots sat around collecting flight at home for a few months since the company didn't transition them to another aircraft right away. Lucky dogs. :D

Great to know about your time on board the venerable DC-9.....

I like that old bird and although I never had the opportunity to fly on a DC-9-30 operated by US, I did travel quite a bit back in the day on the D9S as well as on the smaller DC-9 and larger DC-9-50 via such carriers as Continental, Delta, Eastern, Hawaiian, Hughes Air West, Muse Air, Northwest, Trans Texas Airways (TTa) and TWA.......

I even remember a country music song entitled, "Have you ever seen Dallas from a DC-9 at night?"......

P.S. - Here's some more info concerning the song I referred to above...

The song is actually entitled "Dallas" and appears on several albums released by Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Joe Ely.

The live version recorded at Antone's in Austin by Joe Ely is my favorite.

In 1986 you could fly from EWR to MSY on a MD80 and get Becks Beer in a bottle in Y. Name the airline.

Also, you could fly from JFK to ALB (with a stop in BDL) on what airline?

And here's several more questions as well, just to keep the ball rolling....

1) What airline operated scheduled Boeing 747 passenger service between Seattle and Fairbanks, Alaska?

2) Following the deregulation of the airline industry back in 1978 (thank you, Alfred Kahn), PSA expanded their route system out of California with international service as well as service to Colorado. What were these new destinations and what type of aircraft did PSA use to fly these routes?

3) Name two airlines that provided scheduled passenger jet service between Las Vegas and the south rim of the Grand Canyon and the respective aircraft types used for these services.

4) Which model of the Embraer 145 has winglets and what airline is the only U.S. based air carrier to operate this specific RJ model?

5) Name the airlines that participated in the various "interchange" flight agreements between Alaska and the lower 48 states.