The original Eastern Airlines (EAL/EA) operated for 65 years from 1926 to 1991 and flew 23 different types of planes. Throughout these years Eastern grew to fly 830+ planes which all started with a single engine Pitcairn Mailwing with service from New York to Atlanta.
Over the years the airline grew and became more of a household name. The airline focused mainly on North and South American but also ventured into Europe. The Eastern name remained true since the majority of their routes were in the eastern-half of the United States. During these years of growth Eastern built hubs in Miami, Atlanta and New York. But unfortunately due to mis-managment and labor issues the airline shut its doors on January 19th, 1991.
Since 1991 there have been two spinoffs of Eastern, including: Eastern Air Lines (2015-2017) and Eastern Airlines, LLC (rebranded from Dynamic Airways) after Eastern obtained intellectual rights to the brand. Like many large airlines of the past there are still a handful of the original Eastern planes still flying or preserved so you can see them.
Through extensive research we were able to find 11 of the original Eastern Airlines planes that are still flying. Starting back in the late 1930’s we found three DC-3s that are still in service.
Douglas DC-3
- N18121 1937 Douglas DC-3A (#1997) Blue Skies Air (was NC18121)
- C-GDAK 1939 Douglas DC-3-201B (#2141) Canadian Warplane Heritage (was NC21729)
- N4089T 1941 Douglas DC-3-201F (#4089) WWII Airborne Demo Team (was NC28381)
Lockheed L-188A Electra
- C-GZVM 1959 Lockheed L-188A Electra (#1036) Air Spray (was N5524)
- C-GOIZ 1959 Lockheed L-188AF Electra (#1053) Air Spray (was N5530)
- C-FZCS 1959 Lockheed L-188A Electra (#1060) Air Spray (was N5532)
Other Eastern Airlines Planes
- N411PT 1962 Aero Commander 500B (#500B-1207-99) Central Airlines (was N6291X)
- N724CK 1970 Boeing 727-225 (#20383) Kalitta Charters II (was N8840E)
- N757HW 1982 Boeing 757-225 (#22194) Honeywell International (engine testing) (was N504EA)
- YV560T 1983 Airbus A300B4-203 (#261) Transcarga International Airways (was N233EA)
- N942FD 1986 Boeing 757-225 (#22612) FedEx Express (was N523EA)
Preserved Eastern Airlines Planes
These planes are no longer flying by you can see them around the world preserved in various ways.
- NC18124 1937 Douglas DC-3-201 (#2000) National Air and Space Museum
- N21728 1939 Douglas DC-3-201B (#2144) stored at the Henry Ford Museum
- NC21798 1940 Douglas DC-3-227B (#2202) “Flagship Knoxville” (was N21798) C R Smith Aviation Museum Foundation Fort Worth TX
- N836D 1957 Douglas DC-7B (#45345) Carolinas Aviation Museum (KCLT)
- VR-HOI 1973 Lockheed L1011-1 TriStar (#1039) Cathay Pacific coffee shop in Daegu, South Korea
- N675MC 1975 Douglas DC-9-51 (#47651) Delta Airlines Museum (ATL)
- TC-ACE 1981 Airbus A300B4-203 (#154) AUcak Park Restaurant (was N223EA)
Realtime view of the planes mentioned: https://globe.adsbexchange.com/…
My Dad, Captain Harold Lamb flew with Eastern for 31 years until the FAA revoked his medical license due to a heart condition. 52 is too young to retire. A WWII fighter pilot, his first landing in an Eastern plane, as a co-pilot, was brought in too fast and too abrupt. He was kidded about that for years. As a kid in the 50s and 60s, I remember the old Atlanta airport employee parking lot, gravel with a 4′ chain link fence around it. Now look at the Atlanta terminal!