National Airlines (1934–1980)

National Airlines

IATA NA ICAO NAL Callsign NATIONAL
Founded	1934
Ceased operations	1980 (acquired by Pan Am)
Hubs	Miami International Airport
Focus cities	Jacksonville International Airport New York International Airport New Orleans Moisant Field Tampa International Airport
Headquarters	Miami-Dade County, Florida
Key people	George T. Baker (founder, CEO 1934-1962) Louis "Bud" Maytag (CEO 1962-1980)

National Airlines was a United States airline that operated from 1934 to 1980.^[1] For most of its existence the company was headquartered at Miami International Airport, Florida.^[2] At its height, National Airlines had a network of "Coast-to-Coast-to-Coast" flights, linking Florida and the Gulf Coast with cities along the East Coast and large cities on the West Coast.^[3] From 1970 to 1978 National, Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) and Trans World Airlines (TWA) were the only U.S. airlines that operated scheduled passenger flights to Europe.^[4]

History

The original logo of National Airlines, used from the 1930s^[5] to the early 1960s.^[6]

1930s

National Airlines was founded by George T. Baker in 1934, originally being headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida and based at the city's Albert Whitted Airport.^[7] On 15 October of that year, revenue flights were launched, initially transporting passengers and mail from St. Petersburg to a few destinations within Florida using a fleet of two Ryan ST monoplanes.^[7][8] In 1935, the Stinson Trimotor was introduced with National Airlines,^[9] which were soon replaced by the Lockheed Model 10 Electra.^[5] In 1939, the company headquarters were moved to Jacksonville.^[7] By the end of the decade, the National Airlines network spanned from Miami to New Orleans,^[10] on what it called the Buccaneer Route.^[4]

1940s

Revenue passenger miles for years ending 30 June:^[11]

• 1936: 249,799
• 1938: 653,688
• 1939: 1,340,050
• 1940: 3,465,316
• 1941: 7,264,322
• 1946: 108,760,267

In 1940 the Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar became the backbone of National's fleet.^[12] National was awarded rights from Florida to New York City and other cities along the East Coast in 1944, with flights starting in 1945.^[13] In 1946 National got approval to fly to Havana, Cuba, which coincided with the introduction of the Douglas DC-4.^[7] The DC-4 allowed non-stop flights between Miami and New York^[14] that started on February 14, 1946. Later that year National relocated its headquarters to Miami International Airport; a maintenance base opened at Miami in 1950.^[7][15]

The Douglas DC-6, National's first pressurized airliner, began flights on July 1, 1947^[7] and reduced New York to Miami flight time from five to four hours.^[7] Flights on the DC-6 were marketed as Star Service.^[4] National ran the Piggy Bank Vacations campaign, promoting low-fare flights to Florida during the off-peak summer season.^[16]

1950s

This decade saw the introduction of the Convair 340/440, the Douglas DC-7,^[16] and the Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation.^[17] On 10 December 1958 National became the first airline to operate domestic jet flights, using a Boeing 707 leased from Pan American World Airways between Miami and New York.^[7] In 1959 the Lockheed L-188 Electra was introduced into the fleet as another new type for National and was the only turboprop aircraft type ever operated by the airline.^[18] At the end of the decade Houston and Boston were the ends of the network with heavy emphasis on service between Florida and the U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast.^[17]

1960s

With the award of traffic rights on the southern transcontinental route on March 11, 1961, National Airlines gained access to California and began operating new Douglas DC-8 jetliners between Florida and Los Angeles and San Francisco with a number of flights making intermediate stops in Houston and/or New Orleans^[7][19] (previously, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and National had together operated Douglas DC-6 and DC-7 propliner aircraft with interchange through-service between Miami and California).^[16] In March 1962, National was operating only one round trip transcontinental nonstop service: National flight numbers 34 and 35 between Miami and Los Angeles which were both flown with DC-8 jets.^[20] According to the front cover of its system timetable at the time, National billed itself as the "Airline of the Stars". Concerning international destinations in Central and South America, a cooperation involving interchange flights with Pan Am was set up.^[6]

Also during the early 1960s, National inaugurated new service with the Lockheed Electra propjet to Las Vegas and San Diego.^[19] Eastbound coast to coast routes flown with the Electra at this time included San Diego-Los Angeles-Houston-New Orleans-Miami and San Francisco-Las Vegas-Houston-New Orleans-Tampa-Orlando-Jacksonville.^[19] National was also operating other long, multistop routings with the Electra as this time such as Boston-New York City-Jacksonville-Orlando-Tampa-New Orleans-Houston-Las Vegas-San Francisco. National flight number 223 departed Boston at 7:30am and arrived in San Francisco at 8:42pm with this latter routing being flown on a daily basis.^[19] Total travel time for this flight was 16 hours and 12 minutes.

In 1962 Louis Bergman "Bud" Maytag, Jr. (grandson of Maytag Corporation founder Frederick Louis Maytag I), who had previously led Frontier Airlines^[21] bought a majority share in National Airlines and replaced George T. Baker as CEO.^[7] In 1960, the airline modernized its fleet with new Douglas DC-8 jetliners which were then followed by ten new Boeing 727-100 trijets,^[13] the first of which was delivered in 1964. After the retirement of the Electras in 1968, National became an all-jet airline with the DC-8 and 727.^[7] The Douglas DC-8 fleet included the stretched Super DC-8-61 which was the largest aircraft type operated by the airline until the introduction of new wide body jetliners such as the Boeing 747 and McDonnell Douglas DC-10. In 1969, National was operating the Super DC-8 nonstop between Miami and New York JFK airport and also nonstop between Miami and Los Angeles with these flights having specific names such as "The Royal Biscayne", "The Royal Dolphin", "The Gotham" and the "The Manhattan" between Miami and New York, and "The Californian" and "The Caribbean" between Miami and Los Angeles.^[22]

On July 26, 1969 the Atlanta-San Francisco nonstop route was awarded to National and service began on October 1, 1969. It was National's only route out of Atlanta.

1970s

A $17 million IBM electronic computer reservation system, called Res-A-Vision, was completed and put into operation in 1970.

On 16 June 1970 National Airlines reintroduced international flights, when their Miami-London route opened (flights to Cuba were suspended in 1961 due to the Cuban Revolution).^[13] With the London route, they became the third U.S. transatlantic passenger carrier, after Pan Am and TWA.

In October, the Boeing 747-100 jumbo jet, at that time the largest commercial airliner, entered service with National on the Miami-New York nonstop route on October 1, 1970 and the Miami-Los Angeles transcontinental nonstop route on October 25, 1970.^[7] National sold its 747s in May 1976. Also in 1970, National Airlines opened their own terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport, which was dubbed the Sundrome.^[24]

Having placed an order for ten aircraft back in 1969,^[13] the wide body McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 was put in service on the Miami-New York route on December 15, 1971.^[7] A 1971 publicity campaign designed by F. William Free promoting National's flight attendants was criticized by the National Organization for Women as being sexist due to the slogan "I'm Cheryl. Fly me.", or similar.^[25][26] In May 1973, the front cover of the airline's system timetable proudly proclaimed, "National has daily nonstop 747s from Miami to London".^[27] By early 1976, the airline was operating scheduled wide body DC-10 service to Houston (IAH), Las Vegas (LAS), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), New Orleans (MSY), Orlando (MCO), San Diego (SAN), San Francisco (SFO), Tampa (TPA), West Palm Beach (PBI) and all three airports in the New York City area: John F. Kennedy (JFK), LaGuardia (LGA) and Newark (EWR).^[28] With the advent of the intercontinental McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30, National Airlines then expanded their European network by adding Paris (inaugurated on 22 June 1977), as well as Frankfurt, Amsterdam (both in 1978)^[7] and Zurich (in 1979).^[8] National began the very first nonstop flights from New Orleans to Europe (to Amsterdam) on July 2, 1978. National then began nonstop New York Kennedy (JFK)-Amsterdam flights on December 13, 1978, taking the route over from Pan Am.

In the late 1970s, several airlines tried to take over National Airlines, who had become a major player in the southern transcontinental and Florida-East Coast airline markets.^[29] In 1978, Texas International Airlines (which was led by Frank Lorenzo at that time) acquired 24.6 percent of the shares,^[1] but did not succeed in the subsequent tender offer takeover bid. A similar attempt was made by Eastern Air Lines in 1979.^[1] At the same time, the shares held by Texas International were sold to Pan American World Airways, who emerged as a white knight and succeeded in accumulating a controlling majority. On 7 January 1980, the acquisition was completed,^[1] with Pan Am taking over the National Airlines fleet and route network.

Route network

National Douglas DC-8 at Los Angeles International Airport (1971)

National Boeing 747-100 at London Heathrow Airport (1973)

National McDonnell Douglas DC-10 at Heathrow in 1974

National Airlines operated scheduled flights to the following U.S. cities:

National also operated scheduled flights to the following destinations in Europe and the Caribbean:

Fleet

A Boeing 727 in the livery of National Airlines landing at Miami International Airport (1980). The airline had already been taken over by Pan Am.

When National Airlines was acquired by Pan Am in 1980, the fleet consisted of forty-three (43) Boeing 727 aircraft (nineteen (19) of the original series 100 model and twenty-four (24) of the stretched series 200 variant), as well as sixteen (16) McDonnell Douglas DC-10 airliners (eleven (11) of the series 10 model used in domestic service and five (5) of the intercontinental series 30 model used for service to Europe).^[36]

Over the years, National owned the following aircraft types:^[1]

This transport-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Sun King Club

Domestic

• Fort Lauderdale
• Houston
• Miami
• Jacksonville
• Los Angeles
• New Orleans
• New York (Kennedy)
• New York (LaGuardia)
• Newark
• Orlando
• San Francisco
• Tampa
• Washington (National)
• West Palm Beach

International

• Amsterdam
• Frankfurt
• London (Heathrow)
• Paris (Orly)

Incidents and accidents

Fatal

• On October 5, 1945 Flight 16, a Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar (registered NC18199) crashed into a lake near Lakeland, Florida at 01:05 local time. The scheduled passenger flight had originated in Tampa, when the pilots encountered technical problems during approach of Lakeland Airport, which led to a failed go-around attempt. Of the 15 people on board, two passengers died.^[39]
• On January 14, 1951, 6 of the 28 passengers on board Flight 83 died when the aircraft, a Douglas DC-4 (registered N74685) overshot the runway and crashed into a ditch at Philadelphia International Airport. The pilots of the flight from New York City had tried to land the aircraft too far down the runway, instead of aborting the approach.^[40] Frankie Housley, the only stewardess, also lost her life. She has been regarded as a hero, as she had returned to the burning wreckage to lead passengers into safety.^[41]
• On February 11, 1952, a National Airlines Douglas DC-6 (registered N90891) crashed shortly after take-off from Newark Airport due to a failing propeller, which caused the pilots to lose control of the aircraft. Of the 59 passengers that had been on this Flight 101 to Miami, 26 died, as well as three of the four crew members. Furthermore, there were four ground casualties.^[42]
• With 46 fatalities (5 crew and 41 passengers, among them Billy DeBeck's widow), the disaster of Flight 470 on February 14, 1953 marks the worst accident in the history of National Airlines. The aircraft, a DC-6 registered N90893, crashed into the Gulf of Mexico 20 mi (32 km) off Mobile Point en route a flight from Tampa to New Orleans, after having encountered severe turbulences.
• On November 16, 1959 at 00:55 local time, another National Airlines aircraft, a Douglas DC-7 (registered N4891C) crashed into the Gulf of Mexico, the cause of which could not be determined. The 36 passengers and 6 crew that had been on Flight 967 from Tampa to New Orleans died in the accident 35.6 mi (57.3 km) off the coast of Pilottown, Louisiana.^[43]
• On January 6, 1960, a bomb exploded on board the DC-6 registered N8225H en route Flight 2511 from New York to Miami. In the subsequent crash of the aircraft near Bolivia, North Carolina, all 29 passengers and five crew died.^[44]
• On November 3, 1973, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10 (registered N60NA) suffered an uncontained engine failure during Flight 27 from Houston to Las Vegas. Pieces of the turbine penetrated the fuselage, creating a hole in the passenger cabin. One passenger was blown outside and died.^[45]

The wreckage of Flight 193 (1978).

• On May 8, 1978 at 21:20 local time, Flight 193 went down into Escambia Bay near Pensacola, in 12 ft (3.7 m) deep water. Of the 52 passengers on board the Boeing 727 registered N4744, three lost their lives. The pilots had attempted to land the aircraft at Pensacola Bay Airport.^[46]

Non-fatal

• On September 13, 1945, a National Airlines Lockheed Lodestar (registered NC33349) overshot the runway at Peter O. Knight Airport near Tampa in rainy weather and came to a rest in the water of Hillsborough Bay. There were eleven passengers and three crew members on board the scheduled flight from Miami.^[47]
• On October 11, 1945, another Lodestar (NC15555) was involved in a hull-loss accident. The pilots of Flight 23 from Jacksonville to Miami with 14 passengers on board experienced an engine fire and attempted an emergency landing at Melbourne Airport. The approach was missed, though, and the pilots did not manage to pull the aircraft up again, so that it hit the ground.^[48]
• On October 2, 1950, a cargo-configured Curtiss C-46 Commando (registered N1661M) was substantially damaged in a belly-up landing at Washington National Airport.^[49]
• On January 10, 1955 at 09:38, Flight 1 with ten passengers and three crew veered off the runway during a take-off attempt at Sr. Petersburg-Clearwater Airport. The copilot had lost control of the Lockheed Lodestar (registered N33369) that had been bound for Sarasota.^[50]
• On November 15, 1961 at 17:10, National Airlines Flight 429 (a DC-6 registered N8228H) collided with Northeast Airlines Flight 120 (a Vickers Viscount) on the ground at Logan International Airport. The pilots of the National aircraft with 25 passengers on board had commenced with the take-off run without having been cleared to do so, hitting the landing Northeast plane.^[51]

Hijackings

Between 1961 and 1980, 22 (attempted) hijackings on board National Airlines occurred, which involved the aircraft being demanded to be flown to Cuba. In 1969 alone, there were nine such occurrences.^[52] The reasons of these events can be attributed to the tense Cuba–United States relations at that time, and the strong focus of National Airlines on the southeastern United States. See List of Cuba – United States aircraft hijackings for more information.

There were several other criminal acts involving National Airlines aircraft:

• On March 8, 1971, a hijacker on board Flight 745, a Boeing 727 with 46 occupants en route from Mobile to New Orleans, demanded the aircraft be flown to Canada instead.^[53]
• On July 12, 1972, Michael Stanley Green and Ethiopian national Lulseged Tesfa hijacked National Airlines Flight 496 (a Boeing 727) while en route to New York from Philadelphia.^[54]
• On March 30, 1974, following a hostage taking in Sarasota, the perpetrator tried to hijack a parked National Airlines 727 at Sarasota-Brandenton Airport, but was prevented from doing so by a flight engineer.^[55] A similar hijacking attempt happened on 3 January 1975 at Pensacola Airport.^[56]

References

Bibliography

Wikimedia Commons has media related to National Airlines.

• Banning, Eugene; edited by R.E.G. Davies (2001). Airlines of Pan American since 1927. Paladwr Press. ISBN 1-888962-17-8
• Conrad, Barnaby (1999). Pan Am: An Aviation Legend. Emeryville, California: Woodford Press. ISBN 0-942627-55-5.
• Davies, R.E.G. (1972, revised August 1982). Airlines of the United States Since 1914, Putnam. ISBN 0-370-30942-1.
• Davies, R.E.G., illustrated by Mike Machat (1987). Pan Am: An Airline And Its Aircraft. Orion. ISBN 0-517-56639-7
• Gandt, Robert L. (1995). Skygods: The Fall of Pan Am. New York: Morrow. ISBN 0-688-04615-0.
• The Clipper Heritage - Pan American World Airways 1927-1991 (2005). Pan American Historical Foundation. Retrieved April 2008.
• Pan American World Airways, Inc., Records (6-26-1996). Otto G. Richter Library, University of Miami Archives. Retrieved April 2008.