NORTH CARIBOU FLYING SERVICES, LTD.: P. O. Box 6789, Fort St. John, British Columbia, V1J 4J2, Canada; Phone (250) 7870311; Fax (250) 787-6086; Http://www. northcaribooair. com; Code 5N; Year Founded 1958. Organized at Fort St. John, British Columbia, NCFS begins revenue services in 1958 flying passenger and cargo charters and contract services flights primarily to Edmonton, Alberta, but also to other western Canada destinations. The first aircraft employed are all single-engine lightplanes, including de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beavers. During the 1960s and 1970s, the carrier comes to emphasize not only general charter operations, but support flights for oil and geological exploration concerns.
The first airliner acquired is a Convair CV-440, which is purchased in 1979 and employed to transport Edmonton’s hockey and baseball teams. The fleet is considerably enlarged in 1980 with the arrival of a second Convair and two Douglas DC-3s. The Douglas transports inaugurate a scheduled network in 1981 linking Fort St. John with Hudson Hope, Chetwynd, Dawson Creek, Fort Nelson, and Grande Prairie.
A de Havilland Canada DHC-6-200 is purchased in 1982 and assigned to the scheduled services. These prove so successful that a Vickers Viscount 806 is added in 1983. The Twin Otter is replaced in 1984 by a Convair CV-640, formerly flown by Echo Bay Mines, Ltd. The Viscount, proving too expensive to operate, is sold to the U. K. carrier Euroair Transport, Ltd. in 1985.
Scheduled operations cease in 1986, at which time all three Convairs are sold. Charter and contract service flights continue with lightplanes and the DC-3s, one of which is painted green and used to transport British Columbia fire fighters during the summer of 1987. It is withdrawn in 1988. Operations continue apace during the remainder of the decade and into the 1990s.
In 1993, President Dan Wuthrich oversees a workforce of 20 and operates a fleet reduced in type size if not in number. Among the flight equipment now utilized are the DC-3,2 DHC-6s, 1 Piper King Air 90, 1 Piper King Air 100, 1 Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain, 1 Pilatus-Brit-ten-Norman PBN-2 Islander, and 1 Cessna 206.
Operations are continued in 1994-2000, primarily in support for oil and geological exploration companies. The employee population is increased by five; however, the fleet, by the latter year, is down to 2 King Airs and 2 Twin Otters.
NORTH CAY AIRWAYS: United States (1964-1976). Established at San Juan, Puerto Rico, in the early fall of 1964, North Cay is equipped with a Douglas DC-3, originally delivered to United Air Lines on January 3, 1937, and a Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander. These two aircraft are employed to inaugurate scheduled third-level passenger and cargo services from San Juan International and Isle Grande Airports on October 21.
Except for the addition of a Piper PA-32 Cherokee Six, operations continue with almost no change until 1973. Destinations visited during the decade include Aguadilla, St. Thomas, Mayaguez, Ponce, Calebra, Vieques, and St. Croix.
Late in the year, North Cay becomes a subsidiary of Airways Enterprises, Inc. The fleet is increased by the addition of 10 DC-3s and routes and frequencies are significantly increased. Unable to remain economically viable in the midst of this expansion, the company fails in 1976.
NORTH CENTRAL AIRLINES: United States (1952-1979). To celebrate its locale, Wisconsin Central Airlines changes its name to North Central Airlines on December 16, 1952. Arthur E. A. Mueller, majority owner, remains chairman with former Wisconsin State Aeronautics Commission Chairman Howard Morey as president/general manager.
Corporate headquarters are moved to Minneapolis/St. Paul’s Wold-Chamberlain Field at year’s end. Routes previously flown by the carrier’s 8 Douglas DC-3s are maintained between cities in Wisconsin and to Chicago and Minneapolis. A net loss is incurred on the year’s books.
A period of gradual growth is begun in 1953 and routes are opened to Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Lansing. Although passenger boardings are up, a second net loss is suffered. Acknowledging that it had been a mistake to let him resign in the fall of 1952, the board rehires Hal N. Carr as president on April 15, 1954; at age 33, Carr is the youngest airline president in America. Having received a 90-day grace period from creditors, Carr establishes his own management team and begins to turn the airline around. The interiors of the DC-3s are upgraded, the aircraft receive names, and the first female stewardesses are hired. The dispatch rate is improved, new financing is found, and the first company profit under the North Central Airlines name, $80,222, is earned.
Acting through its Purdue Aeronautical Foundation, Purdue University of West Lafayette, Indiana, which had purchased nine DC-3s in an abortive attempt to create Mid West Airlines as its own carrier, now invests in NCA and begins to promote its merger with another regional local service operator, Lake Central Airlines.
Airline employment in 1955 stands at 900 and 2 more DC-3s are added to the fleet. New routes are opened from Chicago to Detroit via South Bend, Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, and Jackson. A “shuttle” service is introduced between Chicago and Milwaukee and in June the one millionth passenger (cumulative) is transported.
Receiving its permanent operating certificate from the CAB, the airline, which has boarded 430,445 passengers and posted a net gain of $99,000, is labeled “America’s Leading Local Airline.”
The workforce totals 1,000 in 1956 and the fleet comprises 24 DC-3s. The route system covers 3,240 unduplicated miles and over 100 departures per day are offered.
Although 550,000 bookings are honored, net profit falls to just $10,691.
Three more DC-3s are acquired in 1957; these Northliners’ tails bear a logo consisting of a goose nicknamed Howard within a circle and stretch a route to Omaha from Grand Forks. North Central wins CAB authority to fly nonstop from Chicago to Duluth and Spencer. The two-millionth passenger (cumulative) is boarded in April as the company celebrates its tenth anniversary. Purdue’s plan ends when the CAB rejects its application to combine NCA and Lake Central Airlines.
Enplanements for the year total 680,983.
As the result of a CAB ruling in 1958, the carrier is able to expand into such cities as Rapid City and Bismarck. The fleet of 32 DC-3s flies into 65 cities in 9 states. Employing a loan guarantee program authorized by Congress for local service carriers, North Central begins to modernize its fleet.
In 1959, five Convair CV-340s “Super Northliners,” purchased from Continental Air Lines, are introduced, together with a new “feather” scheme livery, which is also applied to the Douglas transports. Hot meals are offered aboard the Convairliners and during the summer, a “Beer Service” is launched from Milwaukee. This route, with its complementary brews, will remain popular through 1967.
Passenger bookings jump to 957,751.
Traffic continues to grow; over a million passengers are carried for the first time in 1960, as the company inaugurates new services to 15 additional Michigan markets, as well as Cleveland. The company’s first international route is opened from Duluth to Port Arthur and Fort William, Ontario. A DC-3 with 19 aboard is badly damaged in a crash landing at Madison, Wisconsin, on August 13; all 16 passengers and 3 crew are injured.
In competition with several trunk lines, North Central by 1961 holds over half of the Chicago-Milwaukee market. The government subsidy provided to the carrier, like that given all local service airlines, is now $8 million per year. A DC-3 with 27 aboard is rammed by a truck at Chicago on April 17 and is badly damaged. In the late fall, Operation Cold Front is implemented and this winterization program allows increased dispatch reliability during cold winter months.
In route near Pierre, South Dakota, on October 24-25, 1962, a CV-340 with 47 aboard runs into a flock of birds; the aircraft is badly damaged, but is able to land without major injury to anyone aboard.
The company receives an $800,000 foreign aid contract from the Agency for International Development (AID) on August 28, 1963 to help modernize LAB (Lloyd Aero Boliviano, S. A.).
Enplanements for the year total 1.117,707. Revenues are $28,006,027 and yield a net profit of $505,711.
Airline employment in 1964 stands at 2,018 and the fleet includes 42 aircraft. Applications are made to the CAB for nonstop services from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Milwaukee and Chicago and via intermediate stops from Omaha to St. Louis and Kansas City. In December, North Central becomes the first local service carrier to enplane its 10 millionth passenger.
Bookings for the year accelerate 11% to 1,255,850. Despite a 7% decline in government subsidy, overall revenues advance by 5.8% to a record $29,730,389. A record net profit of $617,359 is also announced.
The workforce in 1965 is increased to 2,171. This is the largest number of employees for any of the U. S. regionals. President/General Manager Carr is also named board chairman in March upon the death of his predecessor, Arthur Mueller. To settle Mueller’s estate, an inside secondary stock offering is made, from which Carr emerges as the largest single shareholder. Restrictions on service between Chicago and Duluth are removed and CV-440 Northliner cargo service is inaugurated to 12 midwestern cities.
On April 26, DC-3 N21728 flown by Capt. Herbert Splettstoeser, one of the carrier’s original pilots, is retired following its arrival at Chicago (ORD) on Flight 748 from Minneapolis. With 83,032 hrs. 52 min. flying time, Northliner Winnebago is, at this time, the highest-time aircraft in the history of aviation. Unable to part with the famous aircraft, President Carr has it refurbished as an executive transport.
Reservations and flight information services are improved when the company begins to share the Univac 490 computer system of Eastern Air Lines. The fleet now includes 45 aircraft, including 29 CV-440s, 6 of which are newly delivered. Orders are placed for 5 DC-9-31s at $4 million each, with options on five others.
On September 14, a DC-3 with eight aboard strikes trees while landing at Stevens Point, Wisconsin; no one is hurt.
Passenger traffic accelerates 20% as 1,616,900 passengers are carried; freight is up by 37% and a $1.1-million profit is reinvested.
Five additional DC-9-31s are requested in 1966, with options on five others. The first Convairliners are taken in hand for the fitting of turboprop engines.
Enplanements for the year leap to 2,018,740; revenues total $39,422,442.
The workforce in 1967 stands at 2,649 as the company’s twentieth birthday is celebrated. As the demand for improved services increases, the company continues to seek a replacement for its aging fleet of DC-3s. North Central also works to upgrade its entire fleet of 28 CV-340s and CV-440s into CV-580 turboprops that are gradually introduced, beginning with the first two on April 1. The marketing campaign “The Jet-Smooth Skyways of North Central” heralds their arrival, as does their new color scheme.
During the spring and summer, three new $4-million Douglas DC-9-31s are acquired; the first is delivered on July 28, also in new livery, and is placed into service on September 8.
Meanwhile, ground is broken in July for a new $15-million base facilities complex at Minneapolis (MSP). During the fall, jetliner flights are offered from Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis (MSP) to a variety of smaller communities, including Kalamazoo, Aberdeen, Rapid City, South Bend, Eau Claire, Duluth, La Crosse, Green Bay, Wausau, Marshfield, and Madison. Service is also started to Kansas City and Toronto.
As a result of $62 million in financing for the equipment upgrade, seven more CV-580s and all three DC-9-31s are delivered by December.
A record 2,347,371 passengers are originated, a 14% increase, and as the anniversary year closes, it is reported that 16 million passengers have been flown since 1947. Revenues jump 8% to $42,850,480 and a net profit of $1,520,124 is banked.
At the beginning of 1968, North Central flies over a 7,000-mile route network that connects 90 cities in 11 midwestern states, plus Canada. Employing one of every type of aircraft flown, including a Lockheed Model 10A in Wisconsin Central Airlines colors, the company stages a massed “20th Anniversary Flight” over Minneapolis/St. Paul on February 24. Work on the company’s new operations base at Minneapolis (MSP) nears completion.
The year is plagued by operational accidents. On June 24, a CV-580 with 19 aboard lands safely after demolishing a 2,000-foot television transmitter tower near the airport at Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Another CV-580 with 11 aboard collides with a Cessna 150 of Home Airmotive over southeast Wisconsin on August 4 and flies 20 miles to a safe landing, the little private plane and its three dead passengers imbedded in its fuselage.
While executing a go-around in bad weather and fog at Chicago (ORD) on December 27, the pilot of Flight 458, a CV-580 with 4 crew and 41 passengers, loses control. The aircraft crashes upside down into a hangar and 27 aboard the turboprop are killed in the company’s first fatal accident, along with 1 person on the ground.
Passenger boardings swell 23% to 2,777,000 and cargo traffic climbs 34.4%. Revenues jump 29% to $55,226,000, but profits decline.
In February 1969, the new $15-million operations base, including general offices, is occupied at Minneapolis (MSP) by 1,200 of the airlines total 3,100 employees. The final DC-3 flight is completed on February 8 from the Twin Cities to Mankato, Minnesota, and Chairman Carr appoints Bernard “Bud” Sweet president in April. Applications are filed with the CAB seeking permission to service 29 more cities in 11 new states plus Canada and the District of Columbia.
DC-9-31 flights commence to the new Central Wisconsin Airport, serving Wausau, Marshfield, Stevens Point, and Wisconsin Rapids. In addition, service authority is granted to Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, and four cities in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. All of the DC-3s are now retired and replaced with 33 Convair 580s and 13 DC-9-31s, with 5 of the latter joining the fleet since spring.
The operations base is officially dedicated in October and in December new stewardess uniforms are introduced.
Enplanements total 3,150,000. Revenues are $68.42 million and although a $4.01-million operating profit is earned, a net loss of $2.37 million is suffered, the first in 16 years.
The employee population in 1970 is 3,147. Two additional DC-9-31s and another CV-580 are placed into service.
On April 23, a lone assailant wielding a fake pistol commandeers a bus and demands to be driven to the airport at Pellston, Michigan. There he boards Flight 945, a DC-9-31 preparing for departure to Detroit, and attempts to take it over. The man is quickly overpowered by the crew and turned over to law enforcement officers. Upon examination, he will be judged mentally deficient and will be sent to a psychiatric facility.
Minneapolis (MSP) to Omaha nonstop service is started in June, along with a route from Milwaukee to Cincinnati via Columbus and Dayton. At the same time, authority is granted for the company’s single most important extension, to New York. In September, a long-awaited long-haul DC-9-31 route is inaugurated between Milwaukee and New York (LGA).
Passenger boardings accelerate 16% to 3.75 million and freight ton-miles are up by 31% to 10.9 million. With revenues of $91.9 million, the company posts $2.18-million net profit—a company record. NCA is the only local service carrier besides Allegheny Airlines (1) to achieve positive earnings this year.
Operations continue apace in the twenty-fifth anniversary year of 1971 , as the company employs a special logo and opens the Northliner Museum at the airline’s Minneapolis (MSP) headquarters.
Enplanements remain level at 3,714,340 and profits decline to a million dollars.
The workforce in 1972 is 3,200. Company officials approach the CAB for permission to fly nonstop from Detroit to Boston, Milwaukee to Denver, Detroit to Atlanta, and Cincinnati to Atlanta. During the spring and summer, three DC-9-50s are ordered, terminal facilities at several airports are improved, and the ESCORT reservations system is expanded.
On June 29, a CV-580 collides in midair over Lake Winnebago, near Appleton, Wisconsin, with an Air Wisconsin de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter; there are no survivors from either aircraft.
During a 19-minute Chicago to Milwaukee flight on August 18, $2 million worth of securities are stolen by either a passenger who gained access to them through a restroom or someone hiding in the baggage compartment. The Brinks Company immediately calls in the FBI and stops payment, but $1 million of the loss is in negotiable bonds.
On December 20, North Central Flight 575, a DC-9-31 with 4 crew and 41 passengers is taking off in heavy fog from Runway 27L at Chicago (ORD). At the same time, Delta Air Lines Flight 954, a CV-880 with 7 crew and 81 passengers, is taxiing across Runway 27L. The two aircraft collide, snapping off the Delta plane’s vertical stabilizer; 10 aboard the local service airliner are killed and lack of speedy medical aid immediately following the accident raises new issues about airport emergency readiness.
Passenger boardings jump 14% to 4,319,000 and a total of 7.94-million freight ton-miles are flown. Income climbs to $118.33 million and expenses are held to $105.97 million. Consequently, the operating profit is $12.355 million and the net gain is $7.53 million, the largest in the carrier’s history to date.
Seventy-eight new employees are hired in 1973. Five DC-9-50s are ordered and three are delivered. In addition, automated ticketing is introduced at several terminals. An application is made to the CAB for permission to fly nonstop from Milwaukee to Philadelphia. It also asks that its present route segments be consolidated so as to allow greater scheduling flexibility.
Historically, the year’s highlight occurs when NCA becomes the first U. S. local service carrier to have its stock listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
Customer bookings fall by 1.3% to 4,263,000, but cargo is up by 13.8%. Income is $126.42 million and expenses total $114.41 million. The operating profit is $12 million and the net gain—the 19th in 20 years—is $6.44 million, down largely because of the OPEC embargo and oil crisis.
Airline employment in 1974 is 3,364. This quiet carrier continues its profitable ways despite the general U. S. economic situation. In October, flights are added from Duluth and Superior to Winnipeg and the route network grows to 10,200 unduplicated miles.
Although freight is off by 0.9%, enplanements are up 6.6% to 4,546,000. Even though expenses are up 15.1% to $133.49 million, total income climbs 18.4% to $151.49 million. The operating profit is $17.99 million and net income is $8.2 million.
Profitable for 20 years, a cumulative net income of $25.2 million over the past 5 years has made North Central the highest earning airline in the local service industry; indeed, $7 million more valuable than second place Frontier Airlines (1). If this news is not welcome enough, Chairman Carr and President/CEO Sweet proudly announce that their company is the first local service carrier to declare a dividend upon New York Stock Exchange listed shares.
Sixty-six new employees are hired in 1975. On May 28, chief pilot Louie Farrell turns over the former Northliner Winnebago to the Henry Ford Museum at Dearborn, Michigan. With 84,875 flight hours (9.5 years) that have covered 12 million miles with 260 million passengers, N21728 remains the second highest-time aircraft of its type in aviation history behind another ex-EAL machine, N136PB of Provincetown-Boston Airline (PBA).
A new $1.8-million DC-9 digital flight simulator is delivered in October and a CV-580 nearly collides with a lightplane over Janesville, Illinois, on December 8. Two DC-9-50s arrive, also in December, and on
December 5, Hal N. Carr turns over his CEO responsibilities to President Sweet.
At 4,581,000, passenger boardings set a new record, though technically they are off by.08%. Cargo traffic is down 9.8%. Income reaches the record level of $163.58 million and there are $156.36 million in hidden expenses. The operating profit is $7.22 million and the 21st consecutive net profit is $5.22 million.
Airline employment is increased by 4.6% in 1976 to 3,587. In January, the company receives the 1975 “Financial Management Award” from Air Transport World magazine.
Five DC-9-50s are delivered during the year, beginning on April 5, bringing the fleet total to 8, plus 20 DC-9-31s and 25 CV-580s.
Customer bookings accelerate 8.5% to a record 4,969,264 while freight does even better, up 13.7% to 13.4 million FTKs. Operating income is $191.1 and expenses are held to $177.07 million. The result of this happy imbalance is an operating profit of $14.03 million and a record net gain of $7.45 million.
New nonstop service is started between Detroit and Boston on January 3, 1977. During the year, three more DC-9-50s arrive.
Enplanements total 5,211,000. On revenues of $227.62 million, a $13.76-million net profit is banked.
Airline employment is boosted a full 25% in 1978 to 4,460. A DC-950 with 103 aboard narrowly misses a high-speed collision with a corporate jetliner on a New York (LGA) runway on June 23.
During takeoff from Kalamazoo on July 25, Flight 801, a CV-580 with 3 crew and 40 passengers, strikes a flock of birds, causing the propeller to autofeather and forcing the aircraft to turn left and crash into a cornfield. There are no fatalities.
Following passage of the Airline Deregulation Act, competition between the various U. S. domestic carriers greatly intensifies. Marketing shifts and equipment upgrades become commonplace throughout the U. S. air transport industry.
In the fourth quarter, North Central extends its routes to 11 new cities, including Baltimore, Syracuse, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Houston, Tucson, and five areas in Florida, thereby doubling its route network to 22,400 unduplicated miles. To meet demand, seven DC-9-50s are acquired.
The year’s most dramatic incident occurs at Madison, Wisconsin, on November 23. After crashing through a perimeter fence with his automobile, a man, claiming to have a bomb hidden in a plastic trash bag, rushes aboard Flight 468, a DC-9-50 preparing for departure. The captain calls police, who show up shortly thereafter and take the man into custody. Not only does the man not have an explosive, but upon psychiatric examination, will be found to be mentally unstable and sent to an institution for treatment.
Passenger boardings increase 24.6% to 6,911,000, while freight is up by 13.3% to 16.42 million FTKs. Revenues jump upward 31% to $299 million and expenses are held to $263.74 million. For the 24th consecutive year, the company records a net profit, reporting a 61% boost to $22.2 million.
Airline employment exceeds 4,000 in 1979. In an effort to increase prosperity in a cutthroat marketplace, North Central joins with Southern Airways in agreeing to a merger which, with CAB approval, is consummated on July 1. The resulting airline, the 13 th largest in the country, is christened Republic Airlines.
World History
