Yearly Archives: 2013

Prop It Up: Trans-Texas Airways Route Proving Run

Guest Editor Dave Nichols

Trans – Texas Airways Route Proving Run

By Dave Nichols

Trans-Texas Airways was one of the original Local Service Airlines, like Allegheny, Ozark, and Southern. On October 10, 1947, TTA was the proud owner of five ex-American Airlines DC-3s, 16 pilots and some five stewards. This was one day away from starting revenue passenger services and it dawned on the executives that they hadn’t done a proving run. The airline had only two routes in the beginning. The southern run was Houston-Hobby, Victoria, San Antonio ending at San Angelo. The northern schedule went from Houston to Palestine, Dallas-Love, Fort Worth-Meachem, Brownwood and terminating in San Angelo. All stops were in Texas. So, Manager of Flight Operations, Hank Erdmann, rounded up all the pilots and a young woman from the executive office to act as a surrogate stewardess and they prepared to tackle the northern route for a day. No federal inspectors were on board, which would prove to be fortuitous.

The captains and co-pilots had developed camaraderie of sorts but had little experience flying together as a crew. No cockpit management system existed; they used the checklists together and the first officer tried to learn the captain’s ways of doing things. The left seater did most of the flying. The first crew selected to jump in the frying pan was Captain Bob Quin and co-pilot Bob Barrett. The cockpit door was to remain open. DC-3 N33654 (msn 4117) was selected. She was a good airplane with the name La Gansa (The Goose) written on the nose. N33654 departed from Hobby and headed north under Visual Flight Rules, 150 miles to Palestine. The pilots had never been there and couldn’t even pronounce the name correctly: “Pal-es-teen’.” There were no nav aids near the airport. Captain Quin came up on the town too high and too fast. Unable to get in the groove, he called for gear and flaps up and made a go-around. The catcalls and heckling began in earnest from the cabin, and it continued around the traffic pattern.

Once parked at the tiny wooden terminal, the pilots were changed out. Bill Moore and Bob Saner took over for the 100-mile leg to Dallas. They had not flown together before. The flight was routine until touchdown at Love Field. Captain Moore had his own technique of raising the flaps as soon as the main tires struck the concrete. His call of “flaps up” startled the co-pilot, diverting Moore’s attention from the landing. The DC-3 took a good bounce. Co-pilot Bob then reacted to the command and raised the flaps, just as the airplane was at the apex of the bounce. Up came the flaps and down came The Goose. The flight ops chief roared: “Enough of this crap, only Hassler and Richards (the #1 and #2 seniority captains) will fly the right seat to keep you idiot captains in check.” This tactic would not be enough.

Bud Downes flew to Fort Worth. He was the resident DC-3 wizard and everything went soothingly well. It was to be the only perfect leg of the day. Pappy Jensen commanded The Goose southwestward to Brownwood. He had plenty of flying time – in C-46s. Those airplanes weren’t content to stay in trim so Pappy had become accustomed to let the airplane wander a bit. The Goose’s left wing would droop for a few minutes, then Pappy would respond and pick it back up. After 30 minutes of this, crewmembers moaned from the cabin: “For God’s sake, Pappy, raise the left wing!” Then Jenson would jerk it level but the wing was predestined to slowly drop down again, unheeded.

After the central Texas stop at Brownwood, came the 80-mile hop to San Angelo, which was at the end of the TTA system. Bobby Carle, who drew the honors, had only minimum time in a DC-3, being a B-24 pilot. On landing, he was a tad hot over the fence and the aircraft floated teasingly above the runway. Then the inevitable bounce, followed by Carle’s nudging of the throttles, which resulted in more bouncing. This was repeated liberally. The gallery sitting behind yelled in unison for him to pull the power off, put the yoke in his belly and let the darn thing die. It was kismet that San Angelo had a long runway.

After a lunch break and a scolding from the boss for everyone to stop pestering the stewardess, T.K. Lee flew the group back to Brownwood. Like several of his B-24 brethren, he found himself too high on the approach to runway 13, which was only 4,600 feet long. Not wanting to endure the jeers that would surely come like darts, he elected to land. He pushed the nose down until she trembled. The landing was long. When the mains were planted, T.K. mashed the brakes and put the yoke in his lap to keep the nose from going over the top. Smoking brake pads wafted into the cabin. With tires screeching and brakes squealing like hogs at feeding time, the sweet old Goose stopped right at the very end of the runway. However, the tail was still in the air. Suddenly, having reached zero inertia, the tail came plummeting down like a broken elevator cab. There was a tremendous jolt. All that was heard in the cabin were 18 people exhaling in unison. A lone voice carried forward: “I am surrounded by idiots.”

Bob Barrett summarized that day with this sage sentence: “The contrast between the brash young men who elbowed their way into the Goose that morning, grabbing at that poor little girl and hurling nasty remarks up to the cockpit, and the somber and humbled men who filed slowly off the DC-3 that evening back in Houston was amazing.” Their thought process and maturity had taken a quantum leap.

They had an airline to start the next morning.

Addendum: Of the 16 original Trans-Texas pilots, 12 made it a full career with TTA and later the renamed Texas International. From DC-3s, Convair 240s and 600s, and the DC-9-10, these TTA “gray beards” retired off the DC-9-32.

Route Map of Trans-Texas Airways on November 1, 1949 (courtesy of Airline Timetable Images):

Top Copyright Photo: Christian Volpati Collection/AirlinersGallery.com. Sister ship Douglas DC-3A N18121 (msn 1997) rests at San Antonio between flights.

Trans-Texas Airways/Texas International:

Dave always likes to hear from his readers. Write Dave Nichols at propitupblog@gmail.com

Read Dave’s previous articles:

Ball Peen Hammers and Earth Worms (North Central Airlines): CLICK HERE

A Day With Aspen Airways: CLICK HERE

Nostalgic Tickets: CLICK HERE

Spring Break with Lake Central: CLICK HERE

What Allegheny Meant To Me: CLICK HERE

A Day with Southern Airways: CLICK HERE

Mohawk’s Incredible Weekends Unlimited: CLICK HERE

Cathay Pacific introduces its third edition “Spirit of Hong Kong” logo jet

Cathay Pacific Airways (Hong Kong) on December 9 unveiled the third edition of the airline’s “Spirit of Hong Kong” livery at a special ceremony held at Hong Kong International Airport. The new livery marks the climax of the recent “The Spirit of Hong Kong” campaign run by the airline.

Cathay Pacific Chief Executive John Slosar officiated at the livery unveiling ceremony, held in the hangars of the Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company Ltd (HAECO). Guest of Honour at the event was Mrs Carrie Lam, Chief Secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government. More than 200 other guests, including government officials, aviation partners, campaign winners and their friends and relatives, were in attendance.

The livery design, painted onto one of the pictured Boeing 777-367 ER B-KPB (msn 35299), carries the silhouettes of the 110 “The Spirit of Hong Kong” winners. The campaign was launched by the airline in July in support of the Hong Kong SAR Government’s own “Hong Kong: Our Home” campaign, and called on Hong Kong people to submit creative entries that illustrated the true spirit of the city.

The contest attracted an overwhelming response from the public, with more than 5,000 high-quality entries received, all of which demonstrated the true spirit of Hong Kong and what the city means to the contestants.

Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, John Slosar said: “We launched ‘The Spirit of Hong Kong’ campaign to encourage people to share what makes them proud of their home city and to promote this city’s extraordinary spirit. Having had such a great response to the campaign, we are now excited to be able to highlight that spirit through this unique livery. Our third ‘Spirit of Hong Kong’ aircraft will fly around our global network, helping to highlight the qualities that make this city so special.

“Cathay Pacific has been the home carrier of Hong Kong since 1946. For six decades we have been growing together with Hong Kong, supporting the city and its people every step of the way. We will continue to uphold the Hong Kong spirit, support our home, and infuse the city with positive energy as we move forward together,” Mr Slosar added.

At the ceremony, Mrs Carrie Lam said, “Cathay Pacific’s ‘The Spirit of Hong Kong’ campaign echoes the theme of the Government’s ‘Hong Kong: Our Home’ initiative launched earlier this year. I look forward to seeing the ‘Spirit of Hong Kong’ livery spreading the Hong Kong spirit, which values people from different cultures, backgrounds and generations and encourages creativity, to the whole world.”

“The Spirit of Hong Kong” campaign called for entries that best represented the spirit of Hong Kong in terms of the relevance of the message, the ability to inspire, creativity and presentation quality. Two-hundred weekly winners were selected by public voting, while a judging panel separately selected 100 Top Winners and 10 Champions. A total of 620 round-trip tickets were given to the winners to enjoy trips to destinations around the networks of Cathay Pacific and sister airline Dragonair.

Cathay Pacific began highlighting the spirit of its home city in 1997, when the airline created a special livery for one of its aircraft that showcased the Hong Kong skyline in celebration of the transfer of sovereignty. In 2000, the airline unveiled its second “Spirit of Hong Kong” aircraft, created through a livery design competition, that highlighted the resilience of Hong Kong and urged people to come together to overcome the challenges the city faced.

The latest “Spirit of Hong Kong” aircraft was set to begin its mission soon after the unveiling ceremony, carrying silhouettes of 110 of the city’s people to destinations around the world.

Cathay Pacific (see the previous logo jets):

Video (how the design was selected):

Finnair and its pilots agree on a new collective labor agreement

Finnair (Helsinki) has issued this statement:

The Association of Support Service Industries (PALTA) and the Finnish Air Line Pilots’ Association (SLL) have reached a new collective labor agreement for Finnair’s pilots. The new collective labor agreement comes into effect on February 1, 2014 and it is in line with the central Pact for Employment and Growth. The three-year contract includes a crisis clause similar to the ones in the collective labor agreements which were reached with other employee unions this fall. According to the crisis clause, in the coming months Finnair will negotiate with SLL on cost savings. If an agreement on the savings is reached by June 13, 2014, Finnair will offer pilots job security for two years.

“The collective agreement period with the pilots was coming to an end in January, and it was natural to agree to terms similar to those reached with other employee unions during the fall”, says Finnair’s Chief Operations Officer Ville Iho. “During previous negotiation rounds the pilots have shown understanding for Finnair’s situation and have been ready for solutions that increase cost effectiveness. Discussions about savings are never easy, but I’m confident that together we will find required savings.”

The savings negotiations will begin on January 9, 2014.

Copyright Photo: Rolf Wallner/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A319-112 OH-LVD (msn 1352) in the Oneworld scheme taxies at Zurich.

Finnair:

Volaris is coming to Ontario, California

Volaris (Mexico City) has announced the launching of a new international route that will connect the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco with Ontario, California. Operations will begin on April 12, 2014. Ontario will become the 13th destine in the United States.

Ontario is also Volaris’ seventh destination in California, in addition to: Los Angeles, Oakland, San Jose, San Diego, Fresno and Sacramento.

Schedules and frequencies:

Guadalajara, Jalisco – Ontario, California.
(Starting April 12th. Wednesday and Saturday)
Departing from Guadalajara at 22:40 hours., arriving to Ontario at 00:05 hours

(Starting April 13th. Thursday and Sunday)
Departing from Ontario at 01:20 hours., arriving to Guadalajara at 06:45 hours

Volaris:

Southwest to aggressively bid for AA-US slots at the Washington Reagan National Airport

Southwest Airlines (Dallas) will bid aggressively for landing and takeoff slots at Washington’s Reagan National Airport (DCA) that are being divested by American Airlines-US Airways according to this report by Reuters. American Airlines-US Airways are giving up 52 slot pairs at DCA. Southwest currently has 32 slots at DCA.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. Southwest’s Boeing 737-7H4 WL N443WN (msn 29838) with the special “The Spirit of Hope” markings banks on the river approach into DCA.

Southwest Airlines:

Air Georgian to have an expanded role with Air Canada with CRJs

Air Georgian (Air Canada Express) (Toronto-Pearson) will soon have an expanded role with Air Canada with a transferred fleet of Canadair Regional Jets (CRJs).

Air Canada issued this statement:

Following a previously announced Request for Proposals (RFP), Air Canada has announced that it has signed an MOU to expand its relationship and amend its capacity purchase agreement (CPA) with Air Georgian. Air Georgian has been selected to operate a number of additional regional routes including trans-border routes in mid-2014 using Canadair Regional Jet aircraft.

“We are pleased to expand our longstanding commercial relationship with Air Georgian that will allow Air Canada to introduce more cost-competitive operations in a number of our key regional markets,” said Kevin Howlett , Air Canada’s Senior Vice President, Regional Markets. “The competitive bid process generated a significant level of response from a number of Canadian and U.S. regional operators. Following a thorough evaluation of proposals received, Air Georgian was selected on the basis of a broad range of criteria including operational safety, efficiency, cost and service. The award of additional flying to Air Georgian is an important step in our regional airline diversification strategy and ongoing cost transformation program.”

“We are excited with this opportunity to expand Air Georgian’s presence as an Air Canada Express regional operator beginning in 2014,” said Eric Edmondson , President of Air Georgian. “The selection of Air Georgian for this expanded role is based on our proven ability to offer seamless connections and service for Air Canada customers that is of mutual benefit for both airlines. We look forward to continuing to expand our relationship, building on our solid partnership with Air Canada that has developed over the past 13 years.”

The implementation of the amendment to the CPA remains subject to the parties making any necessary filings, obtaining regulatory approvals and finalizing documentation.

Air Canada currently has capacity purchase agreements with four regional airline partners that operate under the banner Air Canada Express: Jazz, Sky Regional, Air Georgian and EVAS.

Air Georgian became a Tier III partner of Air Canada in 2000, operating as Air Alliance under a CPA. Today Air Georgian operates under the brand Air Canada Express, focusing on transborder and domestic airline operations carrying over 350,000 passengers per year for Air Canada from Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, Montreal’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, Halifax’s Robert L. Stanfield International Airport and Calgary’s International Airport to 19 Canadian and U.S. destinations.

Air Georgian has been providing aviation services and charter flight solutions for more than 25 years. Air Georgian also operates and/or maintains a fleet of corporate jets from its base in Toronto. Air Georgian is an IATA registered airline and recently achieved the coveted ARGUS Platinum Audit Rating along with IS-BAO Stage 1 registration.

Copyright Photo: Keith Burton/AirlinersGallery.com. Air Georgian currently operates 16 Beechcraft (Raytheon) 1900D turboprops. 1900D C-GORC (msn UE-320) arrives back at the Toronto (Pearson) hub.

Air Canada Express-Air Georgian:

Current Air Canada Express routes operated for Air Canada:

US Airways will leave the Star Alliance on March 30 and join oneworld the following day

US Airways (Phoenix) will join oneworld® on March 31, 2014, following completion of its merger with alliance founding member American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth). All its regional affiliates, operating under the US Airways Express brand, will also transition to oneworld at the same time.

The entry into oneworld on March 31, 2014 will follow immediately upon their exit from the Star Alliance with the final flights on March 30, 2014.

Copyright Photo: Nick Dean/AirlinersGallery.com. The Boeing 757-200s and Airbus A319s currently in the Star Alliance color scheme are expected to receive the oneworld version shortly. Boeing 757-2B7 N936UW (msn 27244) arrives at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA).

US Airways:

Logojets Slide Show:

British Airways announces new Airbus A380 and Boeing 787-8 routes

British Airways (London) has also announced its summer schedule for 2014 confirming the new routes for its new Airbus A380s and Boeing 787-8s:

British Airways confirms the next routes for its new A380s and Boeing 787 Dreamliners and increases frequencies to select cities as part of the airline’s 2014 summer schedule (March 30, 2014).

The new Airbus A380 will begin flying from Washington Dulles International Airport to London Heathrow on September 1, 2014. The aircraft is already flying from Los Angeles and Hong Kong direct to London and will start services between London and Johannesburg in February 2014.

In North America the new Boeing 787s will fly nonstop to London Heathrow from Austin beginning on March 3, Philadelphia (US Airways is joining the Oneworld alliance on March 31, 2014) beginning on June 5 and Calgary from July 5, 2014.

Across the British Airways network, the 787s will also launch new services to Hyderabad, India from March 30 and Chengdu, China from May 5, 2014.

Network Service Increases:

— Mexico City will benefit from an increase from five to six services a week from April 27.
— British Airways will increase the number of flights to Chengdu from three to five a week (from May 5, 2014).
— From May 6, Tokyo Haneda will move from five a week to daily flights and will be re-timed to a more convenient 8.50 am departure from Haneda.
— Cape Town will gain an extra three Boeing 777-200 ER flights a week through South Africa’s cooler winter season (the Northern Hemisphere’s summer) taking it from a daily service to 10 flights a week and accommodating an additional 219 customers in four cabins.

Notes :

— All summer 2014 increases are versus winter 2013/14.
— The A380 to Washington D.C. will be available on the BA217 and BA216 o Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
— The 787 from Austin will operate five days a week, increasing to daily later in the year.
— The 787 from Philadelphia and Calgary will be a daily service.
— All aircraft are subject to change depending on operational requirements.
— The airline is also refreshing its short-haul fleet, so is taking delivery of one new aircraft every two weeks on average up until October 2014.

British Airways:

ANA to fly to Vancouver from Haneda Airport starting on March 30

ANA (All Nippon Airways) (Tokyo) has announced its schedule plans for the summer season of 2014. The airline will add new service to Vancouver and Hanoi starting on March 30, 2014. Here are the full details:

ANA is announcing a new international flight schedule for summer 2014, introducing services to Vancouver (Canada) and Hanoi (Vietnam) for the first time. Additional services will be introduced at that time, with further route and schedule details to be announced.This expansion, effective from March 30, 2014, will make ANA the biggest airline carrier at Haneda, offering the most international flights to and from this airport. Haneda Airport is easily accessible from Tokyo and the new flight schedule, combined with ANA’s existing domestic network, will make it easier and more convenient for passengers to connect within Japan and to travel to overseas destinations. While new destinations such as Vancouver and Hanoi will be serviced from Haneda airport, flights toLondon, Paris, Jakarta and Manila will also start flying from Haneda airport in addition to existing services from Narita airport.ANA is also increasing the number of North American destinations it services from Asian cities via Narita, to improve convenience for transit passengers.

ANA operates a dual-airport strategy in the Tokyo area, capitalizing on the respective strengths of Haneda and Narita Airport. Routes and schedules for destinations served from both airports are carefully planned to complement one another, offering passengers the greatest choice and convenience, and to meet the growing demand for international travel.

Full details of the new flights, routes and aircraft are as shown below: *1

*1 Flight schedules are dependent on approval by the relevant authorities. Please be reminded that these are only scheduled plans and are subject to change.

*2 Some flight numbers are subject to change due to the reorganization of international services. Please check ANA SKY WEB for more details.

(1)New Services

*1 Schedule for NH857 is 10 minutes earlier than shown during March 30-Apr 30. Boeing 787-8 will be introduced from June.
*2 Boeing 787-8 will be introduced from May.(2)Added flights

*1 Boeing 787-8 will be introduced from July.(3)Changes in flight schedules

*1 Due to changes in operating schedules, flights originating in Jakarta will be suspended on March 30.
*2 Flight schedule for NH1163 and NH1164 will be changed and operated as NH1167 and NH1160. Due to changes in schedules, NH1160 on March 30 will be suspended.

(4)Suspended and reduced flights

ANA will offer alternative flights to passengers who have made reservations on flights that will be suspended after March 30.

*1 ANA will suspend flights between Narita and London but code-sharing flights with Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd will remain.
*2 Flights NH111 and NH902 will be suspended.
*3 Flights NH953 and NH916 will be suspended.

(5)Service resumed

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. The new Vancouver route from Tokyo (Haneda) will be operated with Boeing 767-300 ERs. Boeing 767-381 ER JA611A (msn 32980) with “Forward together as one Japan” special markings arrives at Tokyo (Narita).

ANA:

Czech Airlines to get another new airline partner: Travel Service Airlines

Czech Airlines-CSA (Prague) and partner Korean Air (Seoul) have announced Korean Air has exercised its option and brought in another equity partner. Travel Service Airlines (Prague) is acquiring a 34 percent share in Czech Airlines. Korean Air retains its 44 percent share.

The airlines issued this statement:

Czech Aeroholding has been informed by Korean Air about its requirement to use option to exercise its right to purchase further 34% of Czech Airline stock from Czech Aeroholding. This step is in accordance with the purchase contract on the sale of 44% of Czech Airline stock signed by Korean Air and Czech Aeroholding in April this year. Korean Air will subsequently sell 34% stake to Travel Service, an air carrier, which will thus become a co-shareholder of Czech Airlines thus joining Korean Air which holds 44% of shares, Czech Aeroholding with the final share of 19.74% and Ceska Pojistovna which will continue to hold its 2.26% share in Czech Airlines.

Korean Air explains the decision to exercise its option on further 34% of the Czech Airlines shares which is to be subsequently sold to Travel Service by its plan to reinforce its operations in Europe. Working together with Travel Service, the company wishes to make Vaclav Havel Airport Prague its European hub. The entry of Travel Service into Czech Airlines will provide Korean Air with connections to approximately 40 new destinations in Europe to which their passengers will be able to fly after their transfer at Vaclav Havel Airport Prague.

As early as in spring of this year, Korean Air purchased 44% of Czech Airlines shares from Czech Aeroholding which it will continue to hold. Now it wishes to use the Czech Airlines platform to collaborate with Travel Service. With regard to the fact that Travel Service, the new shareholder, is a Czech air carrier, Czech Airlines will not lose the status of the so called national carrier.

“We regard the development of Vaclav Havel Airport Prague aiming to make it a Central-European hub as absolutely crucial. The fact that Korean Air is bringing another key partner into Czech Airlines represents a step toward fulfilling this aim. I am convinced this partnership will be advantageous particularly for passengers who, in future, will be able to choose from a more quality product – a wide network of destinations – provided by the three carriers,” said Miroslav Dvorak, chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of Czech Aeroholding.

In spite of the fact that the contractual documentation might be signed as promptly as possible, it will surely include suspensory conditions. This is because the entire transaction is first subject to approval by the competent antitrust authorities, which may take several months before it can take effect.

In the context of changes of the Czech Airlines shareholder structure, Philippe Moreels, the current President and Chairman of the Board, announced its intention to resign from both positions. “I welcome the entry of Travel Service into Czech Airlines and also perceive it as the culmination of the company’s intensive four year restructuring period. In this new phase, Czech Airlines is going to need some new blood and a change in its management style. Therefore, it is logical that all the shareholders will agree on a new company president after the transaction has been completed. Until then, I will continue to be available and will be working on all the steps necessary allowing the transaction to bring a synergy effect to allthe partners as soon as possible,” said Philippe Moreels about his intention to resign from both his positions after the transaction has been approved by antitrust authorities.

After the transaction has been approved by antitrust authorities, the Czech Airlines statutory bodies will continue to consist of three members and their composition will reflect the new shareholder structure of the company.

Top Copyright Photo: Karl Cornil/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A319-112 OK-NEM (msn 3406) of Czech Airlines arrives in Amsterdam with the special 90 Years (1923-2013) logo.

Czech Airlines-CSA:

Travel Service Airlines:

Korean Air:

Bottom Copyright Photo: Paul Bannwarth/AirlinersGallery.com. Travel Service Airlines’ (Czech Republic) Boeing 737-8CX OK-TVB (msn 32362) prepares to land in Nantes, France.