Rand's History

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The industry is in turmoil. But if you're a student of its history, or a participant in that history, than you undoubtedly understand that it has experienced nothing but turmoil since 1926, when airmail pilots/entrepreneurs first took passengers to the sky. It's been fascinating, alot of fun and provided me with a very comfortable living, but like every other evolving business... it's continually changing. Complaining about it is wasted energy. Learning, preparing and adapting for those changes is a more lucrative and constructive course of action.

Airline flying is something that I've aspired to since I was a small boy growing up just north of Boston. My dad, after flying for the Army Air Force in WWII in B-25's and B-26's, returned home and was hired on at Boston based, NORTHEAST AIRLINES in 1946. Northeast's colorful history began during the Great Depression in 1933 as BOSTON-MAINE AIRWAYS, then merged with DELTA AIRLINES in September of 1972. My Fathers career spanned the period from magnificent large reciprocating aircraft with grand silver propellers to the industry's first jet-liners. From 1946 through1980, he flew DC-3's, Convair 240's, DC-4's, DC-6B's, Viscounts, DC-9's and retired from the venerable Boeing 727. It was the golden age of commercial air transport, when captains wore their caps back on their head, and a little to one side and always had a Camel cigarette pursed between their lips.

Along with my entire family, I accompanied him on his final flight, from Orlando to Boston, riding his jumpseat, as Captain C.K. Peck closed out his 34 year career. Northeast Airlines, chronicled in Captain Bob Mudges wonderful book, THE ADVENTURES OF A YELLOWBIRD, published in 1969, tells the story of the the nations smallest Trunkline. NEA had a fascinating history and is well worth the study time. With the help of Captain Mudge and retired Captain Norman Houle, my own history of Northeast Airlines, in the form of an historical novel, will be available soon on this website.

My first exposure to airline flying, was when I was hired at Binghamton, NY. based COMMUTER AIRLINES in 1974. There, I flew the Dumod Infinite II (a Beech 18 with tri-gear) the brand new Swearengen Metroliner and the Piper Navajo, flying passengers to Newark, LaGuardia, White Plains and Washington National. A whirlwind one day ground school brought us up to speed on all of these airplanes, followed by an afternoon of flying. But what I enjoyed the most was flying night mail in the Beech 18. There were no uniforms and no passengers, just heavy mail sacks, flown in old tattered airplanes that were long past their prime. This appealed to me. This mail route would be my first exposure to tailwheel and radial engine powered airplanes, that would become a lifelong interest. At that time, COMMUTER AIRLINES employed approximately 20 pilots flying a Part 135 schedule. When not out flying the line, new hire pilots Peck and Delerentus would work in the office taking reservations, anxiously awaiting the arrival of other new hires to take our place in the office. Commuter Airlines transformed to become FREEDOM AIRLINES, flying former ALLEGHENY AIRLINES Convair 580's, before going out of business.

On June 1, 1974, I was thrilled when I was hired on at Hyannis based, later Boston based, AIR NEW ENGLAND. As a former Beverly, MA based Flight Instructor, I'd been trying for several years to gain employment at ANE. AIR NEW ENGLAND started business in November of 1970 with Beech 18's, Twin Otters and a little later, DC-3's, flying the Cape and Islands. (That is, Cape Cod, Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard and New Bedford) They would survive to become the nations largest commuter airline and eventually a certificated, Part 121 carrier, flying Twin Otters, Fairchild FH-227's and Convair 580's. We flew a route structure reminiscent of an early Northeast Airlines, connecting all six New England states and New York, hubbing in Boston and LaGuardia. Our competitors included; EXECUTIVE AIRLINES, BAR HARBOR AIRLINES, PBA, COMMAND AIRWAYS and PRECISION AIRLINES.

My new hire class of 23 pilots attended one week ground schools exploring in depth, either the Twin Otter, Beech 99 or DC-3. After my experience at Commuter Airlines, I remembered thinking, "Why would it take a week to learn just one airplane? Ground school was followed by several days of flight training, terminating with an oral and a checkride. Our Chief Pilot was Captain Jim Pashley, a WWII, P-38 veteran and he was serious about our training. ANE had a training department, a dispatchers office, crew scheduling, load control, paid vacations and other company benefits not enjoyed by most commuter airline pilots in the 1970's. In fact, by 1975 we were represented by ALPA, the smallest of its member airlines in those days.

By 1978 with de-regulation and after the Controllers strike, the flood gates were opened. This signaled the end of the Commuter Airline industry as we knew it. Bold entrepreneurs like Joe Whitney and Nelson Lee at ANE and Executive, George Parmentar at ANE, Kingsley Morse at Command, Joe Fugere at Pilgrim and John Van Arsdale at PBA, men who'd built the industry, experienced dramatic change. No longer would you paint your name on the side of your airplane, typically a 19 passenger turboprop and try to compete for or create a market. Now to succeed, you became an "Express" a "Shuttle" an "Eagle" or an "Airlink", shed your identity and hooked your wagon to a Major airline. For better or worse, it was called "Code Sharing" and the personality or flavor of the industry was gone forever. It was a sad day on October 31, 1981 when Captain Paul Johnson flew ANE's last flight from Burlington, VT to Boston, via Lebanon, NH in an FH-227. We had more than 600 employees, nearly 175 pilots, transported more than 4 million passengers safely and had formed a very close group. To this day, more than twenty years later, every five years, under the direction of Captain Paul Mercandetti, (Piedmont/USAirways) we enjoy reunions that attract more than 300 ex Air New Englanders. To learn more about AIR NEW ENGLAND, read my article in the November 1998 issue (#33) of AIRWAYS MAGAZINE.

Shortly after ANE's demise I obtained a Part 135 certificate to fly charter in a Navajo. A little later, I teamed up with another ANE pilot and we formed ATLANTIC EXPRESS, based in Farmingdale, NY (Republic Field) flying a fleet of Fairchild Metro III's on a schedule. We serviced Farmingdale, Albany, Syracuse, Boston, Philadelphia and for a short while Presque Isle, Maine. On weekends we supplemented our income with casino charters to Atlantic City. With approximately 85 employees we struggled against BAR HARBOR and EMPIRE AIRLINES. With my vast experience, I thought surely I could run a commuter airline as well as anyone else. It was a happy day when we sold it!

In 1983, I was hired at ORION AIR, a contract company who supplied flight and maintenance crews to UPS and PUROLATOR COURIER. A former ANE pilot, and good friend Ward Dunning (on furlough from United) got me hired here. I was hired as a B-727 Flight Engineer, advancing to First Officer and F/E Instructor, based in Louisville, KY. ORION was a good company to fly for, crew scheduling was handled by former BRANIFF people who worked on a "favor" basis and understood how to crew airplanes. As good as they were though, it didn't take me long to realize that I wasn't particularly suited for flying on the back side of the clock and started to get my resume out again.

I'd received offers at EASTERN, AMERICAN, UNITED and PEOPLE EXPRESS, but had been flying by that time at REPUBLIC AIRLINES and liked what I'd seen there. Although it was a major airline, because of its diverse past, it had a much smaller or friendlier feel to it. With the help of many former ANE pilots (Lundquist, Finnigan, Hallinan, Hickey, McCarthy.. flying at REPUBLIC) I was hired at the beginning of a large hiring cycle in April of 1985. REPUBLIC, had just been formed a few years earlier by the union of NORTH CENTRAL AIRLINES and SOUTHERN AIRWAYS, adding HUGHES AIRWEST to the mix a year later in 1980.

For those of us who enjoy airline history, this place was a dream. The predecessor airlines to these three company's included; Bonanza Airlines '45, Pacific Airlines '46 and West Coast Airlines '46, combined in 1968 to produce AIR WEST. Predecessor airlines to these company's included Zimmerly Airways, Empire Airlines and Wisconsin Central Airlines, all formed in 1944. Howard Hughes jumped in and bought AIR WEST in 1970, running the San Mateo based HUGHES AIRWEST with 600 pilots. Are you confused yet?

In 1985, its last full year of operation, REPUBLIC AIRLINES carried 17.5 million passengers with 168 aircraft; Convair 580's, DC-9's and B-727's throughout the United States/Canada/Cayman Islands (89,000 route miles) with more than 14,000 employees. Nineteen hundred of these were pilots and the cockpit procedures that you followed depended on which of the predecessor airlines the captain hailed from. This changed quickly though as a very determined training department put aside past histories and built a strong presence. Wherever I landed back in those days, and many of these stations didn't have jetways yet, (I loved that) I'd run into "OPS" to get the paperwork for the captain. While there I'd linger and talk with the station personnel, who, anxious to get rid of "clutter" gave me tons of Southern, North Central or Air West memorabilia. I can hear you groaning!

Change occurred yet again, when for $884 million, Minneapolis based NORTHWEST AIRLINES, bought Minneapolis based REPUBLIC AIRLINES in July of 1986. It was a monumental merger, really the largest airline merger to date. The history of NWA, the oldest passenger carrying airline in the United States, is well documented, easy to obtain and wonderful to explore. From Stinson Detroiters to the launch customer of the 747-400 and the North American launch customer of the new B-787 Dreamliner, NWA has been an innovative international airline that maintains a low profile. The worlds fourth largest airline and it is rarely in the news, eclipsed by its larger competitors United, American and Delta.

In 2005 I completed my 20th year with NWA, based in Detroit and commuting to New Hampshire and my 31st year in the airline industry. Retirement is now just four years away, (2009) assuming of course that federal legislation doesn't interrupt this. I've very much enjoyed the industry, its history, airline people and flying jet airplanes for a living...but I'm ready to move on. Just a few years ago, that statement would have surprised me. In that time I've flown: Beech 18's, Beech 99's, Twin Otters, DC-3's, FH-227's, Metroliners, DC-9's, DC-10's, B-727's, Airbus A-320's and B-757's. I've also served in the Training Department on the B-727 and DC-9 as a checkairman and instructor. I even did a short stint as an ALPA Grievance Chairman. That was interesting!

I've met alot of people, flown alot of airplanes, seen alot of the world, covered alot of miles in a variety of weather systems and had alot of fun doing this. For those contemplating a career as an airline pilot, I encourage you, but remember. The industry, like any industry is in a constant state of change and it is incumbent upon you to prepare for your own retirement and take responsibility for your welfare. Just as you plan ahead in an airplane, plan ahead for your career and life. Be prepared and enjoy them, because believe me...they pass all too quickly.

And that's all I have to say about that!

Rand