Alaska Coastal Airlines
Alaska Coastal Airlines was an airline in the United States. It was formed in 1939 as a result of the merger of Alaska Air Transport and Marine Airways. On April 1, 1962, Alaska Coastal Airlines merged with Ellis Air Lines[1],[2] trading for a while as Alaska Coastal-Ellis Airlines. Alaska Coastal Airlines was taken over by Alaska Airlines in April 1968.[3]
| Founded | 1939 |
|---|---|
| Ceased operations | 1968 (acquired by Alaska Airlines) |
| Destinations | Alaska, British Columbia. |
| Headquarters | Juneau, Alaska, United States |
| Key people | Sheldon Simmons, Alex Holden |
History edit
Alaska Air Transport was formed by Sheldon Bruce "Shell" Simmons (October 8, 1908 – November 16, 1994)[4] at Juneau in the summer of 1935 with one Stinson SM-2AC aircraft named Patco. Alaska Air Transport bought out Irving Airways in September 1936. Irving Airways had been started by Wilbur Irving at Juneau in the spring of 1936.[5]
Marine Airways was formed by Alex Holden, Jim Davis and M E Monagle in Juneau in July 1936. Holden bought a Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker NC196N in August 1936.[6] In 1938, Simmons used Bellanca NC47M in the rescue of survivors of the Patterson, an oceangoing freighter which had run aground at Cape Fairweather, 150 miles northwest of Juneau.[4][7][8] In 1939, Simmons and Holden joined forces, forming Alaskan Coastal Airways.[6]
Ellis Air Lines was formed in Ketchikan in 1936 by Robert Edmund "Bob" Ellis[9] (January 2, 1903 – May 8, 1994). At the time of the merger his fleet consisted of ten Grumman G-21 Goose amphibian aircraft.[10]
In 1945, Simmons went to Vancouver, BC, and purchased a Grumman G-21 Goose, formerly in the service of the Royal Canadian Air Force[7] On one occasion in the late 1960s, a woman had a baby in flight between Gustavus and Juneau.[11]
Alaska Island Airways was acquired by Alaska Coastal Airlines in 1954.[12]
Destinations edit
Alaska edit
Angoon, Annette, Baranof, Cape Pole, Chatham, Craig, Duncan Canal, Edna Bay, Elfin Cove, Excursion Inlet, Funter, Gustavus, Haines, Hawk Inlet, Hollis, Hoonah, Hydaburg, Juneau, Kake, Kasaan, Ketchikan, Klawock, Pelican, Petersburg, Port Alexander, Port Armstrong, Point Baker, Port Walter, Rogers Point, Saginaw Bay, Sitka, Skagway, Steamboat Bay, Taku Lodge, Tenakee, Thorne Bay, Todd, Tokeen. Washington Bay, Wrangell.
British Columbia edit
Accidents edit
- 1948 - Kingbird NC622V written off at Tulsequah, BC.[13]
- November 14, 1952 - Vega NC49M destroyed by fire at Sitka.[14]
- January 5, 1958 - Vega NC47M written off near Tanakee. Pilot killed, two passengers injured.[5]
- January 20, 1964 - Goose N79914 accident at Petersburg.[15]
- October 2, 1964 - Catalina N4936V written off at Otter Lake, flight attendant killed.[16][17]
- August 21, 1966 - Goose N88820 written off near Juneau. Nine killed.[18]
- August 30, 1967 - Goose N74588 accident at Prince Rupert, Canada.[19]
Fleet edit
- Aeronca PC-3 NC16250 bought new from Aeronca 1 May 36 and sold after two accidents in Juneau and subsequent repairs on 30 Sep 39 to Mary Joyce of Taku Lodge, cancelled in CAA records 4 Aug 48 after letter from Miss Joyce that it was unlikely to fly again (Source; FAA file for NC16250)
- Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker - one operated now preserved in the National Aviation Museum, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.[6][20][21]
- Cessna 180
- Cessna 185D - one operated[22]
- Convair 240-5 - one operated[6][23][24]
- Consolidated PBY Catalina- five operated [5][22]
- Curtiss Kingbird D-3 - one operated[2][13][20]
- Fairchild 24 - one operated[25]
- Howard DGA[clarification needed]
- Grumman G-21 Goose - 24 operated[26] including aircraft converted to turboprop power ("Turbo-Goose")
- Lockheed Vega - two operated[27][28][29]
- Piper J-3C-65 Cub - one operated in 1948[30][31]
- Stinson SM2A - one operated[20]
- Waco[clarification needed]
See also edit
References edit
- Cohen, Stan (1988). Flying Beats Work. The Story of Reeve Aleutian Airways. Missoula: Pictorial Histories Publishing Company. ISBN 0-933126-98-0.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 2009-10-21.
- ^ a b . Archived from the original on 2009-10-21.
- ^ Alaska Coastal Airlines timetables.
- ^ a b library 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine Shell's biography
- ^ a b c Findarticles.com N2763A history
- ^ a b c d Findarticles.com
- ^ a b Findarticles.com
- ^ Findarticles.com
- ^ "Stories in the News - Ketchikan, Alaska - June Allen".
- ^ . Archived from the original on 2009-10-20.
- ^ Findarticles.com
- ^ "Alaska Island Airways". Airline History. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
- ^ a b "General Aviation News". Archived from the original on 2007-07-09. Retrieved 2008-01-14.
- ^ DMAirfield.com 2009-01-06 at the Wayback Machine Full history of NC49M
- ^ NTSB Accident report December 26, 2004, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ <McBlah.com 2005-01-18 at the Wayback Machine N4936V accident details
- ^ Mcblah.com 2005-01-18 at the Wayback Machine N4936V accident details
- ^ "1966". www.planecrashinfo.com.
- ^ NTSB Accident report February 15, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c . Archived from the original on January 19, 2008.
- ^ Geocities Alaska Airlines Fleet List. 2009-10-25.
- ^ a b Geocities Alaska Coastal-Ellis Airlines Fleet article & photos. 2009-10-25.
- ^ xs4all.com Convair 240 production list.
- ^ Ozairliners 2008-06-13 at the Wayback Machine Complete history of N196N
- ^ Skyways: 15. July 1995.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link) - ^ Widaguy Goose webpage
- ^ Findarticles.com
- ^ . Archived from the original on 2009-10-21.
- ^ Findarticles.com
- ^ Alaska.edu Photo of NC71097
- ^ Airportdata.com history of N71097
External links edit
- Photo of CF-ATN (NC196N) in Canada National Aviation Museum.
- Photo of CF-ATN (NC196N) in Canada National Aviation Museum.
- Photos of NC196N at Juneau in 1939.
- Video documentary about Simmons[permanent dead link]