Breeze Airways has plans to more than double its footprint by the end of the decade.
On 3 April, at the CAPA (Centre for Aviation) Airline Leader Summit in Dublin, Ireland, Breeze Airways CEO David Neeleman took the stage as a keynote speaker for a candid conversation with APEX (Airline Passenger Experience Association) Global CEO Dr. Joe Leader. Their conversation explored innovation, strategic shifts, and reorienting the airline industry toward traveler priorities. Neeleman’s insights offered a deep look into Breeze’s founding philosophy and its path forward as a nearly seven-year-old, Utah-based carrier. Here’s how Neeleman is steering Breeze to connect underserved communities with a modern, passenger-focused approach.
A Mission to Serve the Underserved
A Breeze Airways Airbus A220-300 receives a water cannon salute at CMH | IMAGE: Breeze Airways
Neeleman, the serial airline founder behind JetBlue, Azul, WestJet, and Morris Air, has built Breeze on lessons learned from his past ventures. He has shaped Breeze Airways to serve travelers in markets others bypass.
“I’ve spent my whole career trying to make flying better for people who don’t live in the biggest cities,” Neeleman said. “Breeze finally lets us connect those dots with nonstop service, great aircraft, and a simple, affordable experience.”
Breeze sets itself apart from legacy and most low-cost carriers (Avelo Airlines’ model is very similar) by targeting unserved and underserved routes.
“From day one, we knew we didn’t want to be just another airline trying to squeeze into the same crowded markets,” Neeleman stressed. “We wanted to go where the need existed, where people had been ignored—cities where the only options involved long drives to bigger airports or hours of connecting flights through hubs.”
Routes like Erie, PA (ERI) to Tampa (TPA), Ogdensburg, NY (OGS) to Washington Dulles (IAD), or Charleston, SC (CHS) to Los Angeles (LAX) exemplify this approach. By focusing on point-to-point flights, Breeze spares passengers the hassle of layovers and packed terminals, bringing convenience to communities long underserved.
The Airbus A220: The Heart of the Breeze Airways Fleet
A Breeze Airways A220-300 taxies to the gate at Orlando International Airport (MCO) | IMAGE: Orlando International Airport via Facebook
Central to Breeze’s strategy is its fleet, led by the Airbus A220-300. The airline currently operates 36 A220s alongside nine Embraer ERJ-190s and three ERJ-195s. The A220s, carrying 137 passengers in a 2-3 configuration, feature 12 premium “Ascent” seats in a 2-2 layout at the front. The Embraers, used mainly for charters but occasionally on scheduled flights, seat 108 (ERJ-190) or 124 (ERJ-195) in a single-class 2-2 setup. While the Embraers lack Ascent seats, they offer “Nicer” seats with extra legroom alongside standard “Nice” seats. Breeze’s top-tier “Nicest” category aligns with the Ascent class on the A220s.
Neeleman is unequivocal about the A220’s role. “The A220 allows us to fly coast-to-coast efficiently with a better onboard experience than any other aircraft in its class,” he said. “It’s quiet, fuel-efficient, and passengers love the cabin layout.”
The Ascent seats reduce capacity by just one seat per row, enabling Breeze to offer a first-class-like product on an ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC) budget. With 16 new A220s slated for delivery in 2025, Neeleman sees endless possibilities.
“Every time we put one into service, we expand the map of where we can fly nonstop,” he noted.
The Embraers, meanwhile, will phase out as the A220 fleet grows, streamlining operations for long-haul routes like transcontinental flights while keeping costs low and comfort high.
Digital Innovation: A Mobile-First Airline
IMAGE: Breeze Airways
Breeze strikes a balance between low fares and a superior experience through its from-scratch design and “mobile-first infrastructure.” As Neeleman put it, “We built the airline around the idea that your phone is your boarding pass, your check-in agent, and your help desk. We didn’t want long lines, printed itineraries, or call center wait times.” The Breeze app is the hub for booking, checking in, managing flights, and accessing support, streamlining every step for passengers. By eliminating call centers and paper-based processes, Breeze empowers its team to prioritize meaningful interactions with travelers.
Smart automation further enhances efficiency. “We use automation to solve what machines can handle, so our people can focus on what matters,” Neeleman explained.
Breeze’s systems proactively spot and resolve issues before they disrupt passengers. Coupled with gate-to-gate Viasat Wi-Fi on its A220s, this digital foundation keeps travelers connected and comfortable. It’s how Breeze delivers a high-end feel at ULCC prices—a defining feature of its approach.
Thoughtful Growth and Employee Ownership
A Breeze Airways Airbus A220-300 | IMAGE: Breeze Airways
Neeleman stressed that Breeze has scaled deliberately to “protect reliability and employee morale.” He described the airline’s growth as “thoughtful,” fostering a culture where employees feel like owners. “That sense of ownership makes a huge difference,” he said. By keeping operations lean and proactive, Breeze aims to resolve issues before they escalate, maintaining both passenger satisfaction and staff morale.
Looking ahead, Neeleman envisions Breeze serving 150 cities by 2030, sticking to its steady, measured approach. “There are still so many places in the U.S. that don’t have nonstop service—and that’s just the beginning,” he said.
While international expansion isn’t the immediate focus, a new partnership with Azul, Neeleman’s Brazilian airline, will launch this summer. The collaboration will connect Breeze’s domestic routes with Azul’s Brazilian network, making travel to secondary cities in both countries easier. “It’s a natural fit,” Neeleman said. “We’re connecting the dots between two airlines that share the same DNA—great service, great people, and nonstop routes where others don’t fly.”
More of the Same, Done Better
David Neeleman, founder of Breeze Airways | IMAGE: Breeze Airways
When Leader asked what Breeze would look like by 2030, Neeleman’s answer was simple: more of the same, done better. Breeze will expand its U.S. network, using the Airbus A220 to serve more underserved markets with unmet demand. International growth may come later, but for now, Breeze is laser-focused on removing travel hassles for U.S. passengers.
“We’ve built Breeze to remove the hassles, reduce the connections, and let people fly the way they’ve always wanted to,” Neeleman concluded. “That mission won’t change—it will only grow.”
Breeze’s journey showcases strategic innovation at its best. It is a reminder that innovation doesn’t always mean flashy new tech or crowded hubs.
Sometimes, it’s about connecting the dots where others haven’t looked.
There Were Several Good Medium Bombers But North American’s B-25 Was the Best
On 11 April 1939, the North American NA-40B, NX14221, took off from Wright Field in Ohio to undertake a series of engine-out tests. During one of those tests, the pilot lost control of the aircraft, which crashed.
The subsequent fire consumed the aircraft, but the crew escaped serious injury. As a result, Douglas won the 1937 competition with its design, which would become the A-20 Boston/Havoc. North American Aviation (NAA) went back to the drawing board.
The lessons learned with the NA-40B were incorporated into a new twin-engine bomber design, which NAA designated the NA-62. Today, we know that aircraft as the B-25 Mitchell medium bomber.
US Navy PBJ-1D in flight
Competition With the Marauder
The NA-62 design was entered into the 1939 United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) medium bomber competition. Competing against the NA-62 was the Martin B-26 Marauder. Although there was no B-25 prototype aircraft yet, the USAAC ordered the NA-62 design into production as the B-25. The Marauder was also ordered into production without a single flyable example available for inspection, meaning both designs were essentially ordered right off the drawing board. The 9,816 B-25s produced by NAA would go on to serve with nearly every allied nation and in every theatre of World War II, train thousands of Air Force multi-engine pilots and crew members, and even star in a few movies.
Late production B-25J Mitchell in flight. Note tail guns have been removed
Keeping The Best Out in Front
Distinctive design features of the B-25 were the twin vertical stabilizers mounted at the ends of the horizontal stabilizer in the tail of the aircraft and the pronounced “gull” wing, which resulted from the outer wing panels being designed with anhedral, or downward angle, from the engine nacelles out to the wingtips.
B-25s were continuously improved, modified, and upgraded throughout the design’s history, resulting in 28 distinct variants with differing primary mission capabilities, armor and armament configurations, inclusion of self-sealing fuel tanks, nose and tail gun installations, and dorsal (upper fuselage) gun turret locations. When used by the United States Navy (USN) or Marine Corps (USMC), the B-25 was designated PBJ.
Very early production B-25A Mitchell in flight
The B-25 Mitchell Packed a Wallop
Early production variants of the B-25 Mitchell were used for the famous raid on Tokyo by Doolittle and his raiders. B-25Cs were employed against Japanese targets in the Pacific beginning early in 1942 and continuing for the rest of the war. It was found that bombing from the medium altitudes at which the B-25 was designed and intended to bomb was less effective than low-level tactics.
When 5th Air Force weaponeer Paul “Pappy” Gunn field-installed six forward-firing .50 caliber machine guns in their noses at the Townsville Modification Depot in Australia, and then loaded them full of parachute-retarded fragmentary bombs (parafrags), the modified 5th Air Force B-25Cs and B-25Ds became highly effective low-level strafing skip-bombers.
The coming out party for these “commerce raiders” was the Battle of the Bismarck Sea. Gunn and his team removed the Bendix remote-controlled ventral turret from many of these bombers. The crews considered it useless to begin with, and after all, who needs a belly turret when you do all your flying down in the weeds anyway?
Official US Air Force photograph
The Flying Cannon
NAA incorporated some of the field mods that Gunn and his weaponeers made into the B-25G and B-25H models. The G had a shorter nose, two 50-caliber machine guns, and a 75-millimeter M4 cannon.
The M4 was the largest cannon used on production aircraft during the war. The G model also eliminated the ventral turret, added two defensive gunnery positions in the fuselage aft of the wings (the “waist” positions), and improved the tail gunner position. On the H model B-25, the M4 cannon was replaced by a lighter-weight built-for-purpose cannon, and more .50 caliber machine guns were added up front.
Due to its slow rate of fire and substantial recoil, the 75-millimeter cannon was removed from many of the G and H models and replaced with additional .50-caliber machine guns. The B-25H also did not have a copilot or bombardier. The pilot shared space under the greenhouse with the combination navigator/cannoneer who loaded the 75-millimeter cannon.
The dorsal turret was moved forward to offset the extra crew and weapon weight now carried aft in the waist and tail of the bomber. The ability to carry up to eight 5″ high velocity aerial rockets (HVARs) on rails under the outer wing panels was also incorporated.
USMC PBJ-1D in flight. Note radar fairing mounted to the nose.
Just a couple of weeks after Spirit Airlines’ exit from bankruptcy, the airline is saying goodbye to two key figures, including its CEO, as it seeks a new identity.
The Dania Beach, Fla.-based airline will shift from a low-cost carrier to a more premium one, hoping there’s a demand for customers looking to pay more to escape the burdens that come with commercial flights one would expect from Delta or American Airlines today.
A ‘Rekindled’ Spirit
Spirit Airlines announced on 7 April that CEO Ted Christie had stepped down. This decision took home weeks after the airline’s bankruptcy process, which began in November 2024, ended.
Taking Christie’s place in the company will be an interim committee consisting of COO John Bendoraitis, CFO Fred Cromer, and General Counsel Thomas Canfield. Spirit will name a new, permanent CEO at a later date.
CCO Matthew Klein is also stepping down from his position at Spirit. CTO Rana Ghosh has been appointed in his place permanently.
Christie joined Spirit Airlines in 2012 as the company’s financial chief and became CEO in 2019.
Spirit Airlines Airbus A319 exterior | IMAGE: Spirit Airlines
Spirit Changing Classes
The Florida-based airline will also abandon its identity as a no-frills airline and focus on premium markets. The carrier’s management feels this change is necessary to avoid financial woes like before, stating that moving to a premium product could generate 13% more revenue from each passenger.
Spirit will also update its loyalty program and pursue partnerships with other airlines.
The restructuring process led to Spirit freeing up more than $795 million in debt by converting that debt into equity. During this period, the airline also reduced a percentage of its workforce, retired, and sold many of its Airbuses.
Before filing for bankruptcy, Spirit had attempted to merge with JetBlue in 2022, but a federal judge nixed the idea due to antitrust concerns. The airline has also declined multiple proposals from Frontier Airlines regarding a possible merger.
In the past several years, space programs in the United States and other nations have experienced several problems during launches of new spacecraft. It may be too early to determine the impact of these problems, which people often call “anomalies.” Future missions and developments will show if these anomalies indicate significant issues or if they are just something engineers and scientists can figure out.
Solid Rocket Booster Anomaly on United Launch Alliance Vulcan Rocket
On 2 October 2024, observers of the launch of a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan rocket saw some material coming off of solid rocket booster (SRB) #1 and noticed the exhaust plume had changed in appearance. ULA is a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing. The launch continued as planned, although the vehicle timing was 20 seconds behind the scheduled time for booster separation and shutdown of the upper-stage engines.
A ULA Vulcan rocket lifts off. On a recent launch, a Vulcan suffered an anomaly in one of its solid rocket boosters. | Image: ULA
ULA did not mention the event during the launch. Later, however, Tory Bruno, chief executive of ULA, said, “We did have an observation on SRB number one, and so we will be off looking into that after the mission is complete. Other than that, the flight was nominal.” The rest of the Vulcan mission continued with no more incidents.
Manufacturing Defect Cause of Vulcan SRB Anomaly
On 12 March 2025, Bruno announced that the cause of the rocket anomaly was a “manufacturing defect.” He explained further, stating that they found a defect in one of the internal parts of an insulator, causing the nozzle to come off. Bruno also referred to the incident as an “outlier.”
Solid Rocket Boosters in storage prior to deployment on a ULA Vulcan rocket. | Image: ULA
ULA has reported that since the Vulcan mission, the company has corrected its manufacturing processes and conducted a successful static-fire test in February 2025.
Conflicting Report on United Launch Alliance Reliability
Image showing pieces of solid rocket booster nozzle falling from Vulcan. | Image: NASASpaceflight
Capaccio went on to write that ULA had delayed three scheduled launches in 2024 and that the Air Force had assigned the company financial penalties.
Bruno was the only person to respond to the Bloomberg report, calling it “inaccurate” and repeating that ULA had resolved the issue.
Air Force Certifies Vulcan Despite Anomaly
Bruno may have been correct, as the Air Force announced on 26 March that it had certified ULA’s Vulcan for national security missions. The service stated it had analyzed data from Vulcan’s two launches in 2024.
After the Air Force announcement, Bruno stated that ULA is planning a dozen launches this year between Vulcan and its Atlas rockets. He said the missions will be a combination of military and commercial.
Russian Rocket Experiences Catastrophic Failure
Launch pad of Russian Sarmat ballistic missile following an explosion during a recent launch. | Image: Maxar Technologies
Anomalies have seemingly become a regular part of operating space programs, as there have been several other recent incidents. In September 2024, a Russian Sarmat ballistic missile appeared to have had a “catastrophic failure” during launch. Although the Russians did not report the incident, satellite images of the launch site show a new 200-foot-wide crater. Experts stated that the condition of the crater indicates there was probably an explosion shortly after ignition.
A Russian Sarmat launches from a base in Russia. During a recent launch, an anomaly caused one of the missiles to explode just as it lifted off | Image: Russian Defense Ministry
Anomaly Causes APU to Shut Down on European Rocket
On 9 July 2024, a European Ariane 6 rocket had an APU anomaly during its launch when it had a high-temperature indication. The launch continued into orbit, but the rocket’s upper stage did not separate and remains connected to its two reentry capsules.
Ariane 6 Rocket prior to launch | Image: Arianespace
A task force investigated the incident and found that a high-temperature indication exceeded an allowable limit and triggered the APU to shut down. The group investigating the Ariane 6 stated that they have changed an APU shutdown setting and are testing changes to the flight software. They expect the spacecraft to be ready before another launch before the end of 2025.
Fire on SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket
Yet another recent anomaly occurred, this time on 2 March 2025, with a SpaceX rocket. A Falcon 9 launched and deployed 21 Starlink satellites into low-earth orbit. Approximately 45 seconds after its first stage landed on the SpaceX drone ship about 250 nautical miles from Port Canaveral, Florida, a fire began in the engine compartment. The fire damaged one of the rocket’s legs, and it tipped over and exploded. SpaceX later reported that a fuel leak led to the fire.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 lifting off from Florida. An anomaly during a recent flight of a Falcon 9 resulted in a fuel leak and fire as the first stage landed on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. | Image: SpaceX
Avelo Airlines will become one of two airlines handling deportation flights starting next month. The new charter program is said to be a long-term endeavor, with employees working full-time.
Avelo’s founder and CEO also commented on the decision, saying it would expand passenger service and guarantee steady employment for airline workers.
Avelo Becomes an ‘Exit Airline’
Avelo Airlines signed a deal with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to operate the flights. The carrier will use three Boeing 737-800s for the operation. The deportation charter program is said to be ‘long-term’ with no definitive end as of this writing.
These deportation flights will originate at Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA) in Mesa, Arizona. Avelo will join GlobalX to become the second carrier operating deportation flights from AZA.
Avelo Airlines is hiring flight attendants for these charter flights. The base pay is $28 per hour, and there is a guarantee of at least 75 hours monthly.
Avelo officials say that during this program, Avelo can use the 737-800s for passenger flights when not used for deportation flights. However, there will not be a mix of passengers and deportees on the same flight.
Avelo Brass Defends Blowback
Avelo Airlines to Manage Deportation Flights Starting in May 20
Avelo Airlines CEO and Founder Andrew Levy anticipated the deal would face criticism but argued that it would help the company’s bottom line and workforce:
‘We realize this is a sensitive and complicated topic…After significant deliberations, we determined this charter flying will provide us with the stability to continue expanding our core scheduled passenger service and keep our more than 1,100 crewmembers employed for years to come.’
The Trump Administration’s border enforcement policies have greatly limited border crossings, though close to 10,000 immigrants still attempted to enter the country illegally in both February and March.
A remote section of the Florida Everglades almost became the world’s largest airport. As Florida’s population rapidly expanded in the 1960s and 1970s, state planners began looking for a site for a new international airport. They began their search in the vast expanse of the Everglades west of Miami.
Plans for Everglades Jetport to Support Rapid Development in Florida
Planners settled on a site in the Big Cypress Swamp for the new airport. It was 38 miles from Miami and 48 miles from Marco Island on the state’s west coast. The Dade County Port Authority Aviation purchased the 39-square mile, 24,960-acre property, and engineers began drafting plans for its development.
Image showing location of new Everglades Jetport west of Miami. | Image: Google Earth
In the 1960s, many believed that commercial air travel using supersonic jets would soon become common. With supersonic flight comes sonic booms, and aeronautical engineers realized it would not be wise to have frequent booms over heavily populated areas. This realization led to the search for a new airport site in the almost unpopulated Everglades.
To Airport to Support Supersonic Jets Carrying 1000 Passengers
The site needed to be large. At the time, some thought supersonic airliners capable of carrying 1000 people would soon become a common sight. These large aircraft would require long runways, and increasing air traffic to and from Florida would require more places for takeoffs and landings. The initial plans were for the airport to have six runways.
Another image showing remote location for new airport in the middle of the Florida Everglades. | Image: Google Earth
The idea was for the Everglades Jetport to become the largest airport in the world. For comparison, it was to be five times larger than JFK International Airport in New York. Work on the airport began in 1968, and crews completed the first east-west runway in 1969. There were high hopes in Florida for the project.
Optimism Across Florida for Everglades Jetport’s Success
Alan C Stewart, director of Dade County’s Port Authority, went as far as stating the Everglades Jetport was “designed to accommodate even the most optimistic projections of the future needs of aviation, even to the era of space travel, for there will be room for gantries if required.”
Early advertisement for the Everglades jetport. | Image: National Park Service
The project also attracted attention from other Florida communities. In the early 1960s, brothers Elliott, Robert, and Frank Mackle were key developers on Marco Island. Just south of Naples on Florida’s southwest coast, Marco was wild and remote until the Mackles and other groups began planning to build several new communities there. The Mackles were optimistic that the Everglades Jetport would bring more people to Marco Island.
In 1969, Robert Mackle stated, “Already under construction, the Jetport could well make this community the nucleus of one of the most thriving areas in the country.”
Plans for More Than Just an Airport
When the World's Largest Airport Almost Came to the Everglades 29
Plans for the airport went beyond adding more runways and larger aircraft. Engineers determined that the world’s largest airport would require a 1,000-foot-wide corridor linking it to both coasts, including a new highway and a monorail transit system.
A Boeing 727 lands at what was originally the Miami-Dade Jetport in July 1972 | IMAGE: By Fred Ward – U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Public Domain
At first, the new airport project seemed to be progressing well. The first problem came when the National Park Service collaborated with several authors and environmentalists on an Environmental Impact Report of the Big Cypress Swamp Jetport.
Cover of Environmental Impact Report that contributed to the cancellation of the project to build the world’s largest airport. | Image: National Park Service
Environmental Concerns for Airport Location
One of the report’s conclusions was, “Development of the proposed jetport and its attendant facilities will lead to land drainage and development for agriculture, transportation, and services in the Big Cypress Swamp which will inexorably destroy the south Florida ecosystem and thus the Everglades National Park.”
Other groups of hunters, conservationists, and citizen activists soon joined the fight against the airport, saying it would significantly damage the Everglades environment.
Economic Feasibility of Supersonic Jets Was Another Concern
At the same time, aviation executives began to doubt the optimistic plans for the airport. Several large American carriers worried that the massive supersonic airliners of the future would not be cost-effective.
In 1970, faced with these growing environmental and economic pressures, planners decided to halt construction on the airport and search for another location.
Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport Today
Gate at entrance to Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport. | Image: Public Domain
Today, the jetport is known as “Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport” (TNT). It still has the original 10,499-foot-long, 150-foot-wide runway. The airport is now a precision-instrument landing and training facility for commercial pilots, private training, and occasional military use.
The facility also has a 75-foot-wide parallel taxiway and high intensity runway lights but no hangars or fuel tanks.
The site, which almost became the world’s largest airport, now has just 900 acres of developed land. The remainder of the property is under the management of the Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission.
Since its original construction, the airport has undergone several improvements, such as a runway resurfacing and a lighting upgrade.
Unlike Smokers Express, which didn’t manage to start one flight, another private start-up promised three flights but called it quits when there wasn’t as much interest as initially perceived.
Like a cloud of smoke, the hype for this airline masked any actual interest. Here’s the story of Freedom Air.
Puff Pieces Aplenty for this Smokers’ Flight
After the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) banned public airlines from permitting smoking on commercial flights in 1989, this upset many smokers in the country.
One of them was 60-year-old former United Airlines captain Ted Hall from Ramona, California. A passionate smoker and tobacco user who started at age 14, Hall called the new anti-smoking laws ‘murder’ and ‘un-American.’
Hall founded Freedom Air in January 1992, a year after retiring from United. Like Smokers Express, Freedom Air would function as a private airline, allowing it to legally ignore all FAA flight regulations.
Freedom Air charged $20 for memberships, which would allow passengers exclusive deals for charter flights and the freedom to smoke. Not all members had to be smokers, but members would have to sign a waiver that states the person would not sue Freedom Air over second-hand smoke problems.
While smoking is banned at most airports in the US, there are still a few that have smoking lounges. Image: Kjetil Ree, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
The airline acquired a used Boeing 727, which could seat 165 passengers. The Boeing came from American Trans Air from Indianapolis, Indiana. A Freedom Air spokesperson added that the aircraft had ‘great ventilation.’
This new venture made nationwide headlines in publications such as Newsweek, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Tampa Bay Times, and the Chicago Tribune. Hall was hoping to drum up interest in Freedom Air with the help of these media outlets.
‘Ted’s Not-So Excellent Adventure’
Freedom Air scheduled three round trips between Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on 28 September, 5 October, and 12 October 1993. These flights cost $396 round-trip.
The inaugural flight was certainly newsworthy. Seven crew members joined Hall and his wife Jinni onboard the flight. According to the Los Angeles Times, a whole pack of reporters eagerly awaited to interview passengers. On the flight were personnel from NBC, CNN, BBC, a syndicated TV news show, A Current Affair, and a German news outlet—though some of these figures were smokers.
Altogether, there were nine Freedom Air personnel, 17 reporters and film crew members, and ten travel agents from Chicago. As for actual paying passengers? Just two.
The first was Ruthie Fairchild, a Clinton, Iowa resident traveling to LA for a court hearing for her brother McKinley Lee, a Snoop Dogg bodyguard. Both men were accused of killing a gang member in West Palm Beach. Fairchild wasn’t a smoker but became a Freedom Air Member as a cheap way to fly to LA.
The second was a construction worker named Marty Stollar from Toronto, Canada. Despite not living in America, he wanted to support smoker’s rights by pledging money to Freedom Air.
Hall was elated to see the ‘No Smoking’ light go out during the flight. Hall smoked a whole pack of cigarettes during the near-four-hour flight.
‘I would have liked to have seen a full plane, but I’ll never forget this thing,’ Hall said.
The flight’s departure and arrival were greeted by even more members of the press looking to interview the passengers. Despite all the fanfare from the media, it didn’t get the story and footage it was hoping for. If footage of these flights did air on television, it’s now lost media.
‘They Probably All Choked to Death’
The other two flights between ORD and LAX did take place, but they received less attention from the media and filled even fewer seats. Hall thought about canceling the other two flights but told Jinni, ‘I can live better with losing money than going back on my word.’
Being the only known investor of the airline, Hall gave up on Freedom Air shortly thereafter. Only about 100 people became Freedom Air Smoker Club members.
President of Aviation Systems Research Corporation (ASRC) Michael Boyd told Bloomberg that the travelers interested in Freedom Air ‘probably all choked to death’. Boyd added that Hall likely misjudged the appeal and demand for a smoker-friendly airline.
Bloomberg states that Hall was going to restart the airline in Las Vegas, Nevada, but nothing came of this idea.
In 2015, NASA tested a Distributed Electrical Propulsion (DEP) system on a unique-looking aircraft called “Greased Lighting.” The aircraft never made it past the unmanned prototype scale model stage, but it did demonstrate the technology’s potential. Other companies are also researching DEP.
NASA tests Distributed Electrical Propulsion on Prototype
NASA classified Greased Lightning, officially known as the GL-10, as an uncrewed subscale hybrid-electric VTOL technology demonstrator. It had a carbon-fiber frame, a swept-back tilt-wing, and ten electric motors. NASA built ten prototypes of the aircraft and conducted several test flights.
NASA’s “Greased Lightning” prototype with Distributed Electrical Propulsion | Image: NASA
DEP was perhaps the most significant technology NASA tested on Greased Lightning. Aircraft designers developed it based on goals to reduce fuel consumption, improve performance, and shorten takeoff and landing distances.
Electric Propulsors Provide Thrust for Aircraft With DEP Systems
There are multiple ways to define DEP, but it is a propulsion system in which the thrust generation comes from three or more electrically powered propulsors—fans or propellers. In many DEP designs, the propulsors are distributed parallel along an aerodynamic surface like an aircraft’s wing.
DEP systems may be fully electric, with electric motors receiving power from batteries, or hybrid, with electric motors receiving power from generators operating with gas turbines or electricity.
Diagram showing positions of electric motors on swept wing of Greased Lightning. | Image: NASA
Propulsors and Power Sources Not Directly Connected
One of the main differences between DEP systems and traditional power plants is that with Distributed Electrical Propulsion, the propulsors are not connected mechanically, like with a driveshaft, to the power-producing components of the aircraft. The power systems can be multiple combinations of devices like turbines, electric generators, and fuel cells. They also require storage devices like batteries. The propulsors can be propellors or fans of various types and sizes.
Diagram showing configuration of aircraft with battery-powered distributed electrical propulsion system. | Image: Tyto Robotics
Since the power sources are not directly connected to the propulsors, the gas turbines or electric generators can spin at different speeds from the propellors or fans. This feature allows both parts to operate at optimum speeds. Power inverters link the power sources to the propulsors.
Diagram showing configuration of aircraft with hybrid gas-turbine-powered distributed electrical propulsion system. | Image: Tyto Robotics
DEP Systems Can Function As Control Surfaces
Another advantage of DEP systems is that multiple electric motors are often positioned close to each other along wing surfaces. The motors can then function as control surfaces and control how the aircraft maneuvers, as the thrust of each motor can be adjusted independently.
Another interesting feature of aircraft with DEP, like Greased Lightning, is their ability to shift from vertical to horizontal flight. Following takeoffs, pilots can shut down some of the motors and have the propellors fold back, increasing their aerodynamic efficiency.
DEP systems also promise to reduce operating costs. The cost reduction is partly because small electric motors and propellors are cheaper and easier to manufacture and replace than larger engines on other aircraft.
Safety From Redundancy of Multiple Motors
Having multiple motors also improves the safety of the aircraft. They provide redundancy if, for example, some are damaged since no single motor is responsible for keeping the aircraft in the air. In a system with 8 or 16 propulsors, the aircraft could continue flying if even a few motors failed.
NASA personnel preparing Greased Lightning for a test flight. | Image: NASA
NASA and several companies are developing other aircraft similar to Greased Lightning. These include NASA’s N3X with 16 propulsors, Electra’s EL-2 Goldfinch with 8, and Archer’s Midnight with 12.
Electra EL-2 Goldfinch Can Takeoff and Land at Very Slow Speeds
Electra’s EL-2 Goldfinch is an electric short takeoff and landing (eSTOL) aircraft that uses distributed electric propulsion and a hybrid electric power system. On 20 November 2023, the EL-2 Goldfinch completed its first crewed flight. It also has a blown lift system that uses electric motors to blow air over the wing and flaps, which increases the lift at slow speeds. This unique system enables the Goldfinch to take off and land at speeds as slow as 35 knots.
Artist image of Electra EL-2 Goldfinch. | Image: Electra
Archer’s Midnight has 12 Motors
Archer Aviation is developing its Midnight aircraft for urban transportation/taxi use. The Midnight will have 12 electric motors and six independent battery packs, each supporting a pair of motors.
Yet another advantage of these systems is reduced noise. For example, Archer reports that its DEP aircraft have smaller rotors and are up to 100 times quieter than helicopters.
Boeing and Wisk Collaborating on Air Taxi with DEP and No Pilot
Boeing is also working on a DEP project with Wisk, a company focused on “urban air mobility.” Wisk is developing an electric self-flying air taxi vehicle. This VTOL aircraft, named “Cora,” will carry two passengers. It has 12 independent lift fans and can perform level flight on only one motor.
Boeing and Wisk are working on Cora, a two-passenger air taxi with DEP that will fly without a pilot | Image: Boeing
NASA appears to have a very positive view on DEP’s potential for aircraft in the future. A NASA Technical Reports Server report on progress in DEP refers to it as a “disruptive” technology, comparing its potential for aviation to the impact of jet engines.
During the 1970s, hijackings became an unsettling global phenomenon. A notable incident involved a Southern Airways flight, where hijackers held passengers and crew captive for over 24 hours, forcing the plane to crisscross the United States before heading to the Caribbean.
The three perpetrators demanded a ransom of $10 million—equivalent to $48.8 million in 2025 dollars. Their scheme unraveled when the DC-9 touched down in Cuba, where authorities swiftly arrested them.
‘Billy Bob, We’re Taking Over the Airplane’
The hijacking took place on Southern Airways Flight 49 on 10 November 1972. Having departed Memphis, Tennessee, the DC-9 carrying 31 passengers stopped in Birmingham, Alabama, before departing for Miami, Florida, at around 1900 local time. William Haus was the pilot, with Harold Johnson co-piloting.
Johnson spoke to Ay Magazine about what security was like during his time as a pilot:
‘Any semblance of airport security in the 1960s was virtually nonexistent…You drove to the airport, purchased a ticket, checked your baggage, walked to the gate, and boarded the airplane. Perhaps a policeman may have been around somewhere, but there was no “airport security” at that time.’
Shortly after takeoff, a man smashed a cabin door open, corralling a female flight attendant while pointing a gun at her head and shouting ‘Billy Bob, we’re taking over the airplane!”.
The suspects were identified as Henry Jackson Jr., Louis Moore, and Melvin Cale from Detroit, Michigan. All three men were facing trial for prior incidents.
The three men, all of whom were Black, expressed frustration to Johnson and Haas about the way law enforcement was disproportionately focusing on the Black community in Detroit. They insisted the flight be rerouted there, demanding that the city provide them with $10 million.
The pilots obliged in fear for their lives, so the flight traveled to Jackson, Mississippi, for refueling and then headed north towards the Motor City.
Great Danger Above the Great Lakes
Flight 49 flew 20,000 feet above Detroit and circled the city as Jackson, Moore, and Cale negotiated with city officials about the $10 million ransom.
Southern Airways and the City of Detroit only offered $500,000 apiece. The criminals rejected the offer and told the pilots to fly above Cleveland, Ohio, and then to Toronto, Canada. At 0500 the next day, FBI agents proposed $500,000 to the hijackers at Toronto Pearson International Airport, but this offer was rejected, too.
The men instructed the pilots to fly to Knoxville, Tennessee. At this point, the men raided the DC-9’s liquor cabinet and shared alcohol with hostages. The FBI and two other aircraft from Southern Airways were following the DC-9 by air.
One of the Southern Airways hijackers negotiated again with officials, stating that if the $10 million wasn’t on the table, he would crash the plane into the Atomic Energy Commission in Oak Ridge.
‘We’ll Make This Look Worse Than Munich’
The DC-9 refueled once more in Lexington, Kentucky. That was when agents agreed to hand over the $10 million.
The DC-9 landed in Chattanooga, where the FBI handed over a bag of money and buckets of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Little did the men know that the money only equated to around $2 million. Regardless, they were in good spirits after receiving it.
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Despite the money grab, the three men refused to release their captives, instead instructing the flight to divert once more to Cuba to meet dictator Fidel Castro. The men ended up changing their minds and wanted to fly to Algiers, Africa.
Johnson knew the flight was impossible, as the aircraft would run out of fuel. ‘But they had the guns. We didn’t,’ Johnson recalled.
After flying 200 miles over the Atlantic, the criminals decided to refuel back in America and then fly to Cuba.
The Havoc Ends in Havana
The plane refueled in Key West, Florida. FBI agents, including acting director L. Patrick Gray, met them upon landing. The hijackers demanded to meet with President Nixon, but this request was denied. The plane then continued on to McCoy Air Force Base in Orlando, Florida, where it refueled again. Flight 49 took off from Orlando again, despite the FBI shooting two of its four tires.
To ‘make an example’ out of Johnson, Jackson and Moore were going to execute him right then and there from inside the cabin. Johnson shoved Moore’s arm out of the way and the bullet struck his arm, shattering the bone.
As the DC-9 was in the air again, Haas entered the cabin and stated that he needed Johnson to fly despite losing his arm.
That evening, the plane landed in Havana, Cuba. The Cuban military was well prepared and arrested the three men on the spot.
Johnson claims to not remember the flight to Cuba. He did say he wasn’t able to call his wife until he returned to America. When Johnson asked her if she knew his flight was hijacked, she responded, ‘The whole world knows.’
Johnson spent three months in a hospital and three additional months in rehabilitation. In 1974, Johnson and Haas received the Airline Pilots Association Gold Medal of Heroism. He returned to Southern Airways that year and retired in 1986.
Jackson, Cale, and Moore were detained in Cuba for eight years before being extradited to America. In 1981, the Southern Airways hijackers were sentenced to at least 20 years in prison, minus the time served in Cuba.
It was unknown when Jackson was released from prison. Cale was paroled in 1993, while Moore was released in 1998.
On 7 April 2025, Republic Airways Holdings Inc. and Mesa Air Group, Inc. revealed plans to merge, creating a powerhouse in the U.S. regional airline sector.
This all-stock transaction will see the combined entity renamed Republic Airways Holdings Inc., trading on NASDAQ under the ticker “RJET.” The merger unites two operators with a shared focus on connecting underserved communities in the United States. The combined company will leverage complementary fleets and operational strengths to enhance service reliability and efficiency.
Jonathan Ornstein, Mesa’s Chairman and CEO, hailed the merger as a pivotal moment in the Company’s 40-year legacy. In a statement, he emphasized the benefits for shareholders and employees alike.
“By bringing the best of our organizations together, we will create a regional carrier that continues to connect communities across America while providing advancement opportunities to our employees,” he stated.
Bryan Bedford, Republic’s President and CEO, echoed this sentiment.
“We’re thrilled to combine the Republic and Mesa teams to create one of the world’s leading Embraer Jet operators,” Bedford said. “With this combination, we are establishing a single, well-capitalized, public company that will benefit from the deep expertise of Republic and Mesa associates, creating value for all stakeholders well into the future.”
The synergy aims to establish a well-capitalized entity poised for long-term success.
Fleet and Operational Synergies
A Republic Airways Embraer 175 touches down. Photo: Republic Airways
REPUBLIC AIRWAYS: A REGIONAL TITAN
Founded in 1974, Republic operates a fleet of over 240 Embraer E170/E175 aircraft. The carrier logged 591,000 block hours and served 17.5 million passengers in 2024. Based at Indianapolis International Airport (IND), Republic operates primarily across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. The carrier flies exclusively under capacity purchase agreements (CPAs) with American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines. With 15 new E175s slated for delivery in 2025, all debt-financed, Republic’s operational scale is set to grow further.
MESA AIR GROUP: WESTERN REACH
Established in 1982, Mesa complements Republic with its 60 E175s, operating over 250 daily departures across 89 cities. Headquartered in Phoenix, Mesa flies solely as United Express under a CPA with United Airlines. The merger will consolidate these operations into a unified fleet of approximately 310 E-Jets, maintaining existing basing structures and over 1,250 daily departures.
Combined Network Benefits
United Express Embraer E175 Aircraft operated by Mesa Air | IMAGE: Acroterion from Wikimedia Commons
The merger enhances economies of scale, optimizing crew resource management and regional flying efficiency. The combined network will continue supporting American, Delta, and United under existing and new CPAs, including a 10-year United agreement for Mesa’s operations post-merger. A single FAA operating certificate will streamline regulatory compliance.
Financial Outlook and Stability
In 2024, Republic reported $1.5 billion in revenue and $65 million in net income, with an EBITDA of $254 million. Mesa’s debt-free contribution to the merger strengthens the combined balance sheet, projecting pro forma revenues of $1.9 billion and an adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) exceeding $320 million.
Post-merger, cash reserves are forecasted at $285 million, with debt at $1.1 billion, yielding a net leverage of 2.5x and liquidity above 15% of revenues. This financial robustness supports investments in service quality and resilience against market volatility.
Cultural and Safety Alignment
Both airlines share a commitment to safety and operational excellence, evidenced by their inclusion in the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) registry. The merger preserves this ethos, retaining all flight crews, technicians, and operational staff. Republic’s leadership team will helm the combined company, supported by a board featuring six Republic directors and one independent Mesa director, ensuring continuity and expertise.
Transaction Mechanics and Timeline
Republic Airways Embraer 170 jets at Indianapolis International Airport (IND) | IMAGE: Republic Airways
Republic shareholders will hold 88% of the merged entity, with Mesa shareholders owning 6% to 12%, contingent on pre-closing milestones. Mesa’s debt will be canceled, bolstered by a Three Party Agreement with United Airlines facilitating asset dispositions and liability management.
Approved by both boards, the deal awaits regulatory and shareholder nods, targeting closure in late Q3 or early Q4 2025.
Over 200,000 guests, 3000-3500 aircraft, and several hundred vendors attended the event. The Expo brought in roughly $31 million, and a big portion of the profits will go to the Aerospace Center For Excellence, which supports Youth Education Programs in aviation.
All photos in this article by Bill Lindner
Throughout the week, Sun ‘n Fun offers activities such as military and civilian flying demonstrations, static displays, workshops, lectures, and vendor displays.
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Blue Angels Lead Flight Demonstrations at Sun ‘n Fun
Flying demonstrations are a highlight of any air show or Expo, and the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels were the headline group during the event. Last Thursday, the Blue Angels did not perform their typical aerobatic show. Instead, they showed off their ability to fly in close formation at varying speeds. They flew for well over an hour, giving spectators many photo opportunities.
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Several other medium and light planes demonstrated their short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities from the Paradise City grass runway at the Expo. Guests could get very close to the runway as the planes taxied.
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Thousands of Aircraft on Static Display at Sun ‘n Fun
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Thousands of aircraft were parked all over the Sun n Fun grounds. A large section of the flight line had new and old warbirds. These included F-35s, a C-17, and a KC-135. Some older military aircraft included P-51 Mustangs, a B-25 Mitchell Bomber, and a C-47 Skytrain.
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On other parts of the flight line, hundreds of other aircraft, including planes and helicopters for corporate and private owners, and many light or experimental planes, were also present.
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Many people fly their own planes to Sun n Fun and camp there during the week. Several hundred planes were parked in long rows on a large section of the grass airfield, and their owners slept in tents next to the planes.
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Innovative Aircraft on Display
One interesting aircraft was the Aperion MD-52 Guardian drone. At 30 feet long, it is larger than a typical commercial or hobby drone. The Guardian can carry up to 1500 pounds and is powered by a diesel engine. The company hopes to get contracts from military and commercial customers.
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Workshops Offer Experiences for People Building their Own Aircraft
One of the workshops at the Expo covered metal shaping techniques. Eight engineers and craftsmen showed guests how to form aluminum sheets into aircraft parts like cowlings and wing leading edges. Guests then got to try out the tools and equipment. All the work was done by hand, with no electric tools in the shop.
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Rodney Beckwith from Bendix Academy in Brighton, Michigan, was division chairman for the workshop. He explained how he designed many of the tools and turned some of the forms or molds on a lathe. Beckwith demonstrated how to cut and shape smooth edges on aluminum parts and develop a smooth mirror-like finish. He also talked about how Bendix Academy helps students ages 12 and up learn mechanical skills.
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Four Hangars Filled with Vendors Demonstrating Thousands of Products
In another section of the Sun ‘n Fun grounds, four hangars buzzed with activity as roughly 557 exhibitors showcased a vast array of aviation-related products. They displayed avionics components, pumps, brakes, lights, test kits, headsets, insurance, and more.
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Among them, Aerotronics, a company from Billings, Montana, actively crafted custom avionics panels for individuals constructing their own aircraft. They tailored each panel to include the precise components their customers requested. As part of their service, Aerotronics handled the fabrication, wiring, installation, and testing of their products.
Expo Guests Test Flight Simulators
Nearby, another hangar housed companies promoting their flight simulators. Customers actively tested the lifelike simulators, which featured authentic controls and instruments. Desktop Pilot, one of the vendors, showcased three models of their simulators and offered individual components for sale, allowing customers to personalize their setups.
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Mission Aviation has a Big Presence at Fun ‘n Sun
Yet another hangar featured displays from several organizations providing aviation support for missions around the world. One notable vendor was Ethnos360. This Sanford, Florida-based organization flies planes and helicopters to remote communities, providing humanitarian support like food, supplies, and medical transportation.
Something unique about Ethnos360 is that they transcribe Bibles into obscure languages and then distribute them to people who otherwise would never be able to read them. For example, they support people in remote Isnag communities in the Philippines. These people did not speak English or have Bibles in their spoken language. A team from Ethnos360 moved into an Isnag community, learned their language, and transcribed the Bible for them.
Every day at Sun ‘n Fun was filled with hundreds of things to do, and it would be difficult, if not impossible, to describe it all in a few words. Still, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the Expo offered literally everything aviation enthusiasts could hope to find.
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The creation of Lockheed Aircraft Corporation in 1926 was Allan Loughead’s second foray into airplane construction.
His first company, Loughead Aircraft Manufacturing, built a few products between 1916 and 1920. When he started his next aviation enterprise, he decided to use the phonetic spelling (Lockheed) of his Scottish-heritage surname (Loughead) to encourage proper pronunciation of the moniker. He would legally change his name to Allan Lockheed in 1934.
Lockheed Aircraft’s first successful project was the Vega, introduced in 1927. A high-wing, single-engine monoplane, the Vega’s selling point was speed, which would also be the performance highlight of Lockheed types to follow.
Early Successes and Challenges
Varney Air Transport Lockheed Vega. One of several airlines started by Walter Varney, VAT eventually became Continental Airlines. UNITED AIRLINES ARCHIVES PHOTO
The Vega found favor with some airlines (Braniff, Bowen, and Hanford’s Tri-State among them) but established its fame as a racing aircraft favored by renowned pilots of the day, most notably Amelia Earhart, who earned fame in her Vega as the first woman to fly the Atlantic, and Wiley Post, who set new records in his Vega named Winnie Mae.
Another view of a Varney Air Transport Lockheed Vega. VAT, operating between El Paso, Texas, and Pueblo, Colorado, was also known as Varney Speed Lines, Southwest Division. UNITED AIRLINES ARCHIVES PHOTO
In 1929, the Detroit Aircraft Corporation, a burgeoning aviation conglomerate, purchased a majority interest in Lockheed. Displeased with the takeover of his company, Allan Loughead resigned. After the stock market crash of October 1929, the Detroit Aircraft Corporation faced a tailspin of mounting losses, and Lockheed Aircraft descended into bankruptcy in 1932.
A Lockheed Orion belonging to Varney Air Service, Ltd., which operated between the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles. PHOTO: OAKLAND AVIATION MUSEUM
Before the manufacturer landed in receivership, the Lockheed Model 9 Orion was introduced in 1931. Designed specifically for use as an airliner, the Orion was a low-wing, single-engine aircraft featuring a new concept: retractable landing gear.
Luggage label featuring the image of a Lockheed Orion. FROM THE JOHN CORPENING COLLECTION
A New Beginning
Fortunately, the Lockheed Aircraft Company was not left to die. A group of investors bought the franchise for a mere $40,000. Among them were Walter Varney and Thomas Fortune Ryan III, who both held a deep appreciation for Lockheed’s innovative designs. Varney employed both Vegas and Orions in his airline ventures. Ryan would eventually take over the aforementioned Vega operator, Hanford’s Tri-State – renamed Hanford Airlines – and build it into Mid-Continent Airlines.
Lockheed was actually the phonetic pronunciation of Loughead, surname of the company’s founder, Allan Loughead, who legally changed his name to Allan Lockheed in 1934.
In addition to Varney and Ryan, other investors included brothers Robert and Courtlandt Gross, who would remain with Lockheed until the 1960s. The company’s founder, Allan Loughead, pursued other interests, including real estate, and served as a consultant to his namesake aircraft company in later years.
Continuing the trend of naming aircraft after celestial bodies, the Lockheed L-10 Electra was a successful 10-passenger airliner introduced in 1934. DELTA AIR LINES PHOTO VIA THE AUTHOR
The Lockheed Twins
A Chicago & Southern Air Lines (C & S) brochure advertising the company’s new Lockheed L-10 Electra. DAVID H. STRINGER COLLECTION
Known for speed, Lockheed channeled resources into a twin-engine, all-metal airliner to outpace rivals like the Boeing 247 and Douglas DC-2.
L-10 ELECTRA
Developed and tested in 1932 and 1933, the 10-passenger Lockheed L-10 Electra debuted in 1934. The first units were delivered to Northwest Airlines that same year, followed by shipments to Pan American Airways for its subsidiaries, including Aerovias Centrales in Mexico, Pacific Alaska Airways, and Cubana. Other North American airlines that ordered the Electra included Braniff, Canadian Airways, Chicago & Southern, Delta, Eastern, Hanford (later Mid-Continent), and National. The type also found buyers among carriers in Europe, South America, and Australia.
A unique variant of the Electra, the Model 10-E, gained fame when Amelia Earhart flew it during her ill-fated attempt to circle the globe. Tragically, she and her navigator, Fred Noonan, vanished near Howland Island in the Pacific Ocean on 2 July 1937.
Another Model 10-E served the U.S. Army as a testbed for cabin pressurization, a pioneering idea later implemented commercially by Boeing in its Model 307 Stratoliner, launched in 1939. In total, Lockheed produced 149 L-10 Electras, with 115 delivered as commercial airliners and the rest sold to private buyers and military customers.
Cutaway diagram of a Lockheed L-10 Electra interior. DAVID H. STRINGER COLLECTION
ELECTRA JUNIOR AND L-14 SUPER ELECTRA
Building on the original Electra’s design, Lockheed built 130 Model 12s and 212s, referred to as the Electra Junior. Intended for use on low-traffic airline routes (the type accommodated only six passengers), the Electra Junior found its success as a corporate and personal aircraft. Only a few were sold to airlines. The original British Airways (1935-39) ordered two, National Parks Airways ordered two, and Walter Varney’s Varney Air Transport – soon to be renamed Continental Air Lines – took delivery of three.
Lockheed L-14 Super Electra in service with Continental Airlines. PHOTO: UNITED AIRLINES ARCHIVES
Following the L-10, Lockheed introduced the L-14 Super Electra, a 14-passenger aircraft. It attracted orders from airlines worldwide, including Trans-Canada Air Lines, British Airways, LOT Polish Airlines, and Air Afrique. However, Northwest Airlines was the sole buyer in the United States, dubbing its L-14s “Sky Zephyrs.” Two of these later transferred to Continental Air Lines for a short stint.
A design flaw in the L-14’s twin vertical tail fins was corrected, but only after Northwest lost one of its Sky Zephyrs due to an in-flight failure of the fin assembly. Several other accidents led Northwest to abandon the type after the company introduced Douglas DC-3s in 1939.
L-18 LODESTAR AND L-75 SATURN
Lockheed L-18 Lodestar in the livery of National Airlines. Among all of the certificated trunk and local service airlines in the United States, National was the only one to never fly a DC-3, relying on the 14-passenger Lodestars instead to cover short-haul routes. JOHN PICKETT PHOTO
The ultimate model in the Lockheed Twin series was the 14-passenger L-18 Lodestar, introduced by Thomas Fortune Ryan III’s Mid-Continent Airlines in March 1940. Like the other Lockheed Twins, the Lodestar was popular with military and corporate customers but lost favor with most airlines after World War II as surplus C-47s (DC-3s) became plentiful and newer, modern twin-engine types were introduced.
A Lockheed L-18 Lodestar operates Continental Airlines’ inaugural flight to Topeka, Kansas. DAVID H. STRINGER COLLECTION
Ted Baker’s National Airlines never operated DC-3s. Instead, the carrier kept Lodestars in service on some routes until 1959.
Advertisement showing the interior of a National Airlines Lockheed L-18 Lodestar. DAVID H. STRINGER COLLECTION
After the war, Lockheed also developed a high-wing, 14-passenger aircraft designed for local service operators. Dubbed the L-75 Saturn, the company halted production of the type, and the design was shelved for the same reason given for the Lodestar’s demise: a glut of less-expensive, war surplus C-47s and competing designs from other manufacturers.
Delivery flight of the first Lockheed L-49 Constellation to TWA, April 16, 1944. PROCTOR-LIVESEY-THOMAS COLLECTION
The Lockheed Constellations
WARTIME SHIFT AND L-049 DEBUT
By the time the United States entered World War II in December 1941, Lockheed had made a dramatic comeback from its bankruptcy in 1932. In addition to civilian customers, the company found success in manufacturing aircraft for the military, all of which took place in Burbank, California, at Lockheed Air Terminal (the former Union Air Terminal).
Howard Hughes, the major investor in Transcontinental & Western Air (TWA)—later renamed Trans World Airlines—worked with Lockheed engineers to create specifications for a pressurized airliner that could carry 44 passengers nonstop between Los Angeles and New York. Hughes wanted the first delivery positions for this revolutionary aircraft reserved exclusively for TWA.
On 17 April 1944, Howard Hughes (8th from left) turned over TWA’s first Constellation to the military in Washington, DC. At the end of the war, TWA would repurchase the aircraft from the government. PROCTOR-LIVESEY-THOMAS COLLECTION
The new 4-engine aircraft was designated the Lockheed Model L-49 and given the stellar name Constellation.
TWA L-49 Constellation NC86505 at Burbank. Sadly, this aircraft would be lost in an accident at Shannon, Ireland, in December 1946. PROCTOR-LIVESEY-THOMAS COLLECTION
During wartime, manufacturers halted all commercial airliner production and focused on designing and constructing aircraft for the armed forces. Engineers continued developing the L-49, now assigning it the military designation C-69 for use as a troop carrier.
After the war ended, Lockheed prepared the Constellation for its airline debut, and TWA launched scheduled L-049 Constellation service in February 1946. The “Connie” became the first post-war pressurized airliner to enter service and reigned as the premier airliner of its era.
UPGRADES AND SUPER CONSTELLATIONS
Eastern Air Lines L-749A Constellation at St. Louis. JOHN WEGG PHOTO
Lockheed continued to improve on the Constellation, introducing various upgraded models – featuring more powerful engines and larger, more luxurious cabins – every few years. Eastern Air Lines introduced the L-649 into service in June 1947, promoting it as their “New-Type Constellation,” though the L-749 soon surpassed it. Engineers equipped both versions with an optional removable cargo pod, dubbed a Speedpak, which attached to the aircraft’s underside.
In 1953, Lockheed debuted the L-1049 Super Constellation, enabling TWA to schedule nonstop eastbound flights from Los Angeles to New York. Previously, early Constellation models required a scheduled stop en route, as nonstop flights depended on weather conditions and the aircraft’s load.
The L-1049G “Super G” model proved to be the most popular variant in the Lockheed Constellation series. A TWA Super G is seen in this Mel Lawrence photo.
Subsequent improvements on the Super Constellation included the L-1049C Super C model, featuring new turbo-compound engines, and the most popular of the series, the L-1049G Super G Constellation.
TWA AND EASTERN AIR LINES BOTH OPERATED LARGE FLEETS OF CONNIES
An Eastern Air Lines L-1049G Super G Constellation, photographed by Jim Singer at Newark, New Jersey in 1961.
TWA and Eastern Air Lines operated the largest Constellation fleets in the United States, and both airlines were closely associated with the tri-tailed airliners.
Mel Lawrence’s camera captured this KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Super G at Tokyo in 1960.
The Constellation series was also very popular with foreign carriers. By 1957, Super-Gs were crossing the North Atlantic wearing the colors of Air France, Iberia, KLM, Lufthansa, and Trans-Canada, in addition to TWA. Cubana’s Super Gs flew passengers from New York to Havana, and VARIG’s connected the U.S. with Brazil. While Northwest operated the type across the North Pacific, QANTAS Super Gs carried passengers from San Francisco and Honolulu to Sydney.
The L-1049 H “Super H” was the final model in the Super Constellation series. A National Airlines Super H Constellation is seen here pre-delivery in this Lockheed Aircraft Corporation photo.
The final model in the Super Constellation series was the L-1049H Super H Constellation, which featured three different configuration options: all-passenger, all-cargo, or combination passenger/cargo.
In October 1958, the De Havilland Comet 4 and the Boeing 707 ushered in the jet age for countries outside of the Soviet bloc (the USSR had introduced the Tupolev TU-104 as its first jet airliner in 1956). This would swiftly end the big piston-powered airliners that plied long-distance routes.
THE STARLINER
Douglas Aircraft introduced its ultimate reciprocating-engine propliner, the DC-7C Seven Seas, in 1956. Lockheed also created a top-of-the-line piston-engined, propeller-driven aircraft to serve as the last of the great breed. It looked like a Constellation. But, the L-1649A Starliner, equipped with turbo-compound radial engines, was marketed as an entirely new type. With a range allowing TWA to fly the Polar Route from Los Angeles and San Francisco nonstop to London or Paris, the airline decided to market its L-1649As as Jetstreams rather than Starliners.
The L-1649A Starliner, equipped with turbo-compound radial engines, was marketed as an entirely new type of airliner instead of a continuation of the Constellation line. This photo of an Air France Starliner is from the Proctor-Livesey-Thomas Collection.
Only 44 L-1649As were built, with Air France and Lufthansa operating Starliners in addition to TWA.
The Turboprop L-188 Electra
While Douglas, Boeing, Martin, and Convair had each contributed products to America’s postwar airliner market, none of them had decided to follow through on a commercial transport design with turboprop engines – the hybrid combination of turbine power and propellers, commonly referred to as a jet-prop or prop-jet.
In 1954, American Airlines and Eastern Airlines expressed interest in a turboprop airliner that would be bigger and faster than the British Viscount. Lockheed was in the process of building its first military turboprop, the Allison-powered C-130 Hercules, so the company was gaining the experience needed to design a commercial jet-prop transport. The C-130 itself would become the basis of a commercial cargo aircraft, the L-100 Hercules, employed by Delta Air Lines, Alaska Airlines, and other carriers in the 1960s.
American Airlines Lockheed L-188 Electra “Flagship New York” in this staged Lockheed Aircraft Corporation photo. This aircraft would be lost in a crash on approach to New York’s LaGuardia Airport only two weeks after entering service. LOCKHEED AIRCRAFT CORP. PHOTO
The aircraft that developed from the initial meetings between Lockheed, American Airlines, and Eastern was the L-188.
In one of the oddest marketing decisions ever made, Robert Gross gave the L-188 the name Electra, the same name that had graced 1934’s Lockheed model L-10. When speaking of flying aboard an Electra, how was one to know if you meant the little twin-engine airliner from the 1930s or the modern 4-engine turboprop? But Electra it would be.
The Lockheed L-188 Entered Service in 1959
The first L-188 Electras entered service with Eastern Air Lines on 12 January 1959. JIM SHAUGHNESSY PHOTO
The first Lockheed L-188 entered service with Eastern Air Lines on 12 January 1959. American was next, starting Electra operations on January 23, two days before the airline launched its first pure-jet service with the Boeing 707.
This Lockheed Aircraft Corporation photo taken during takeoff from Burbank shows the large Allison Turboprop engines installed on the L-188 Electra.
With its four large Allison turboprop engines, a cruising speed of over 400 mph, and a passenger capacity of 65 or more, the L-188 appeared to be ready to fulfill its requirements as a short-to-medium haul airliner capable of operating from airport runways too short for the new jetliners.
A Design Flaw Leads to Tragedies
Less than two weeks after American’s Electra inaugural, one of the company’s L-188s, christened Flagship New York, crashed into the East River on approach to New York’s LaGuardia Airport. Investigators attributed the accident to the crew’s inexperience with the type and weather conditions at the airport.
Braniff International Airways received N9706C as its sixth L-188 Electra in 1959. Its sister ship, N9705C, crashed in the first Electra incident attributed to whirl mode—a phenomenon whereby vibrations in the outboard nacelles triggered flutter, causing the wing to detach from the fuselage. PHOTO: PROCTOR-LIVESEY-THOMAS COLLECTION
On 29 September 1959, a Braniff Electra fell from the night sky en route from Houston to Dallas. Before the investigation for that accident was complete, a Northwest Orient Airlines Lockheed L-188 met a similar fate, falling to the ground at Tell City, Indiana, on 17 March 1960.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) placed speed restrictions on all Electras shortly after the Northwest crash. Lockheed’s new turboprop was earning an unwanted reputation, and the public began avoiding it.
This Northwest Orient timetable, effective 8 September 1959, advertises the brand-new turboprop Electras. Northwest would lose one of its new Electras the following March in an accident ascribed to whirl mode. DAVID H. STRINGER COLLECTION
WHIRL MODE
After a thorough investigation, authorities attributed the crashes to a phenomenon known as whirl mode. This condition results in severe vibration that could cause a wing to separate from the aircraft in flight due to “flutter induced by oscillations of the outboard nacelles.” The Electra’s large engines, mounted on stubby wings, needed more secure bracing, while the wings themselves needed strengthening.
The manufacturer launched a modification effort called the Lockheed Electra Action Program—LEAP—to address a recognized design flaw (though some sources mistakenly claim the acronym stands for Lockheed Electra Achievement Program). After completing the LEAP modifications and returning the aircraft to their airline owners, authorities removed the speed restrictions.
Once the design flaw responsible for whirl mode had been corrected, Lockheed Electras went on to serve faithfully for many years with several different airlines, which rechristened them as Electra II’s, Super Electras, or Electra Mk. II’s. PHOTO: PROCTOR-LIVESEY-THOMAS COLLECTION
When the modified Electra reentered service, most airlines chose to rebrand them as Electra II, Super Electra, or Electra MK II. The type recovered from its early bad publicity and went on to provide many years of reliable service for airlines worldwide.
Lockheed’s Commercial Era Comes to an End
A Western Airlines L-188 Electra. BOB ARCHER PHOTO
Unlike Boeing, Douglas, and Convair, Lockheed did not produce a first-generation commercial jetliner. However, the company maintained a robust production of aircraft, missiles, and other military assets.
The widebody L-1011 TriStar would mark the end of the line for Lockheed’s airliners and their celestial names. It was Lockheed’s only contribution to the jet airliner marketplace. PHOTO: PROCTOR-LIVESEY-THOMAS COLLECTION
The manufacturer would not participate in the airliner marketplace again until the company created its widebody L-1011 TriStar, which would be the final type of commercial aircraft built by Lockheed.
Between 1968 and 1984, Lockheed manufactured 250 TriStars. The type’s commercial operations ended in 2008, and just one final L-1011 remains airworthy today.
