Anyone Remember "Mid-Continent Airlines"?

[Jay Honeck]

One of our repeat guests -- an 80-something year old Arizona sweetheart who
has helped immensely with my task of writing a "History of the Iowa City
Airport" -- casually mentioned today that she remembers Mid-Continent Air
Lines flying into Iowa City when she was growing up. (Her family owned the
land just north of the airport -- where the Inn sits today.)

This blew me away, as NO ONE has ever mentioned this air line. To date,
I've discovered that Boeing Air Transport, then United, then Northwest (for
a weekly stop), and then Ozark served Iowa City -- but never a mention of a
"Mid-Continent."

A Google search brought up some history of this airline, which shows them
stopping at cities all around Iowa City -- but I can't find any timetable
information that proves her claim that they stopped here.

Anyone remember this carrier? Does anyone know who would know?

Thanks in advance!

(For those interested in viewing our work thus far, see:
http://alexisparkinn.com/the_iowa_city_airport.htm )
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[N93332]

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
news:Xg5Xe.127632$084.71465@attbi_s22...
> One of our repeat guests -- an 80-something year old Arizona sweetheart
> who has helped immensely with my task of writing a "History of the Iowa
> City Airport" -- casually mentioned today that she remembers Mid-Continent
> Air Lines flying into Iowa City when she was growing up. (Her family
> owned the land just north of the airport -- where the Inn sits today.)

I probably did the same Google searches you did and I didn't find anything
about Iowa City as being one of Mid-Continent's stops.

I found this but it doesn't mention Iowa City.
http://www.braniffinternational.org/history/Midcontinent.htm
"In 1950, the CAB awarded Mid-Continent the hotly contested North Central
routes, consisting mainly of Route 106 between Sioux City and Chicago. That
same year. Mid-Continent also inaugurated service with new 40-passenger
Convair 240's. At the time of the merger with Braniff in 1952, Mid-Continent
was operating a fleet of 23 Douglas DC-3's and four Convair 240's over its
6,241 miles of routes, serving, 35 cities from Minneapolis/St. Paul and the
Dakotas on the north to the southern termini of Houston and New Orleans."



http://www.airtimes.com/cgat/usb/midcontinent/detail/mapmc48sep.jpg

[Blueskies]

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message news:Xg5Xe.127632$084.71465@attbi_s22...
> One of our repeat guests -- an 80-something year old Arizona sweetheart who has helped immensely with my task of
> writing a "History of the Iowa City Airport" -- casually mentioned today that she remembers Mid-Continent Air Lines
> flying into Iowa City when she was growing up. (Her family owned the land just north of the airport -- where the Inn
> sits today.)
>
> This blew me away, as NO ONE has ever mentioned this air line. To date, I've discovered that Boeing Air Transport,
> then United, then Northwest (for a weekly stop), and then Ozark served Iowa City -- but never a mention of a
> "Mid-Continent."
>
> A Google search brought up some history of this airline, which shows them stopping at cities all around Iowa City --
> but I can't find any timetable information that proves her claim that they stopped here.
>
> Anyone remember this carrier? Does anyone know who would know?
>
> Thanks in advance!
>
> (For those interested in viewing our work thus far, see: http://alexisparkinn.com/the_iowa_city_airport.htm )
> --
> Jay Honeck
> Iowa City, IA
> Pathfinder N56993
> www.AlexisParkInn.com
> "Your Aviation Destination"
>

From http://www.aerofiles.com/airlines-am.html

Midcontinent Air Express SEE Western Air Express

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mid-Continent Airlines
1938: Kansas City MO (pres: Thomas F Ryan III), on acquisition of Hanford Tri-State Airlines. 1952 (>1942?): Acquired by
Braniff Intl Airways.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mid-Continent Air Transport
1924: (Blaine M) Tuxhorn Flying School & Mid-Continent Air Transport (reportedly the origin of Ozark Airlines), Kansas
City KS. Connected Omaha and Little Rock AR.

also: http://airlines.afriqonline.com/airlines/

I wouldn't doubt that they flew in there, the question I would have is for how long...

[Steven P. McNicoll]

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
news:Xg5Xe.127632$084.71465@attbi_s22...
>
> One of our repeat guests -- an 80-something year old Arizona sweetheart
> who has helped immensely with my task of writing a "History of the Iowa
> City Airport" -- casually mentioned today that she remembers Mid-Continent
> Air Lines flying into Iowa City when she was growing up. (Her family
> owned the land just north of the airport -- where the Inn sits today.)
>
> This blew me away, as NO ONE has ever mentioned this air line. To date,
> I've discovered that Boeing Air Transport, then United, then Northwest
> (for a weekly stop), and then Ozark served Iowa City -- but never a
> mention of a "Mid-Continent."
>
> A Google search brought up some history of this airline, which shows them
> stopping at cities all around Iowa City -- but I can't find any timetable
> information that proves her claim that they stopped here.
>
> Anyone remember this carrier? Does anyone know who would know?
>
> Thanks in advance!
>

Mid-Continent Airlines operated from August 1938 to August 1952. Your
80-something acquaintance remembers it from her formative years so we're
talking about the period from 1938 to the mid-forties. R.E.G Davies doesn't
mention IOW service by Mid-Continent in his "Airlines of the United States
since 1914". I have an October 1945 CAB route map that shows only Route 1,
operated by United, going through IOW, and that it was suspended due to
national defense. Mid-Continent operated Routes 26 and 48 which served
other cities in Iowa; Mason City, Des Moines, Ottumwa, and Sioux City, but
not Iowa City.

I know you're a former newspaperman and have researched the history of IOW,
surely local newspaper files were incorporated in your research? I think if
Mid-Continent had served IOW you'd have found mention of it there. I think
it likely her memory is flawed.

[Jay Honeck]

> I know you're a former newspaperman and have researched the history of
> IOW, surely local newspaper files were incorporated in your research? I
> think if Mid-Continent had served IOW you'd have found mention of it
> there. I think it likely her memory is flawed.

Well, although I did work at newspapers for 20 years, it wasn't in the
editorial department. However, I *have* searched the local newspaper
archives, and it's incredibly easy to miss stuff. There are no indexes, and
"research" consists of rolling microfilm while scanning back and forth
looking for "keywords" like "Airport". It's a mind-numbing, horrible job,
made worse by the low quality of the film and equipment.

Interestingly, I just discovered last week that Northwest Airlines served
Iowa City with weekly stops, starting in 1930. (I don't know when it
stopped.) This was part of a rail/plane line, where they would fly all day
and ride the rails all night, ending up in Omaha. No mention of this has
ever been made in any book I've found, or by any person I've spoken with --
but I found it mentioned in a 2002 issue of "Airline Pilot Magazine", in an
article about a Northwest pilot.

It's funny where you find information. Thanks for your help.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Steven P. McNicoll]

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
news:CXqXe.341301$x96.120453@attbi_s72...
>
> Well, although I did work at newspapers for 20 years, it wasn't in the
> editorial department.
>

?


>
> However, I *have* searched the local newspaper
> archives, and it's incredibly easy to miss stuff. There are no indexes,
> and "research" consists of rolling microfilm while scanning back and forth
> looking for "keywords" like "Airport". It's a mind-numbing, horrible
> job, made worse by the low quality of the film and equipment.
>

I've searched local newspaper archives as well. I found that newspapers of
this era loved photographs of airplanes. It's easy to spot airplane photos
and the articles you'd be looking for probably included them.


>
> Interestingly, I just discovered last week that Northwest Airlines served
> Iowa City with weekly stops, starting in 1930. (I don't know when it
> stopped.) This was part of a rail/plane line, where they would fly all
> day and ride the rails all night, ending up in Omaha. No mention of this
> has ever been made in any book I've found, or by any person I've spoken
> with -- but I found it mentioned in a 2002 issue of "Airline Pilot
> Magazine", in an article about a Northwest pilot.
>

I'm more than a bit skeptical about that. It's true that Northwest Airways
(it didn't become Northwest Airlines until 1934) operated the first
coordinated air-rail service in the US (1928), but I don't think they
provided this service to Iowa City. No carrier was able to operate
profitably in that era hauling passengers only, they needed air mail
revenue, and they could only haul mail on their own contract air mail
routes. The route serving Iowa City and Omaha was operated by Boeing Air
Transport.

[Jay Honeck]

> I'm more than a bit skeptical about that. It's true that Northwest
> Airways (it didn't become Northwest Airlines until 1934) operated the
> first coordinated air-rail service in the US (1928), but I don't think
> they provided this service to Iowa City. No carrier was able to operate
> profitably in that era hauling passengers only, they needed air mail
> revenue, and they could only haul mail on their own contract air mail
> routes. The route serving Iowa City and Omaha was operated by Boeing Air
> Transport.

I know, that's what makes this find so strange -- and exciting. (I know; I
lead a sheltered life... :-)

See:

https://www.alpa.org/alpa/DesktopModules/ViewDocument.aspx?DocumentID=415

to read the article.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[news.algx.net]

They did the long-range tank installations in Minneapolis to prepare the
Doolittle Raid B25's...

"Steven P. McNicoll" > wrote in message
k.net...
>
> "Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
> news:CXqXe.341301$x96.120453@attbi_s72...
>>
>> Well, although I did work at newspapers for 20 years, it wasn't in the
>> editorial department.
>>
>
> ?
>
>
>>
>> However, I *have* searched the local newspaper
>> archives, and it's incredibly easy to miss stuff. There are no indexes,
>> and "research" consists of rolling microfilm while scanning back and
>> forth
>> looking for "keywords" like "Airport". It's a mind-numbing, horrible
>> job, made worse by the low quality of the film and equipment.
>>
>
> I've searched local newspaper archives as well. I found that newspapers
> of this era loved photographs of airplanes. It's easy to spot airplane
> photos and the articles you'd be looking for probably included them.
>
>
>>
>> Interestingly, I just discovered last week that Northwest Airlines served
>> Iowa City with weekly stops, starting in 1930. (I don't know when it
>> stopped.) This was part of a rail/plane line, where they would fly all
>> day and ride the rails all night, ending up in Omaha. No mention of this
>> has ever been made in any book I've found, or by any person I've spoken
>> with -- but I found it mentioned in a 2002 issue of "Airline Pilot
>> Magazine", in an article about a Northwest pilot.
>>
>
> I'm more than a bit skeptical about that. It's true that Northwest
> Airways (it didn't become Northwest Airlines until 1934) operated the
> first coordinated air-rail service in the US (1928), but I don't think
> they provided this service to Iowa City. No carrier was able to operate
> profitably in that era hauling passengers only, they needed air mail
> revenue, and they could only haul mail on their own contract air mail
> routes. The route serving Iowa City and Omaha was operated by Boeing Air
> Transport.
>

[Steven P. McNicoll]

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
news:XTTXe.144456$084.132385@attbi_s22...
>
> I know, that's what makes this find so strange -- and exciting. (I know;
> I lead a sheltered life... :-)
>
> See:
>
> https://www.alpa.org/alpa/DesktopModules/ViewDocument.aspx?DocumentID=415
>
> to read the article.
>

The article states; "In May 1929, passenger service was started to
Rochester, Minn. Service to Elgin and Rockford, Ill., was added to the
Northwest Airways route map in 1930, as were weekly flights to Sioux City
and Iowa City, Iowa, and Omaha, Neb." I can confirm service to Sioux City
and Omaha in 1930, but not to Iowa City. I have a history of Northwest
Airlines, "Flight to the Top" by Kenneth D Ruble. It contains a Northwest
Airways route map, originally published in The St. Paul Daily News of June
15, 1930. It shows service to Sioux City from St. Paul and on to Omaha but
no further.

Northwest didn't want to serve those cities at all, they were ordered to
provide the weekly STP-SUX-OMA service by Postmaster General Walter Folger
Brown. Northwest wanted to create a northern transcontinental route to
Seattle.

"On occasion, the Postmaster General exercised his dictatorial powers by
telling a carrier: 'I want you to fly from this point to that point, whether
you think it's a good idea or not.' In 1930, for example, Northwest was
ordered to fly once a week from the Twin Cities to Omaha, connecting with
the Central Continental. Like the earlier weekly service to Winnipeg, this
anemic schedule produced little business, so Brown finally authorized a halt
to the money-losing route." -- "Flight to the Top", page 34.

I'll scan the route map and post it to alt.binaries.pictures.aviation.

[Steven P. McNicoll]

"news.algx.net" > wrote in message
...
>
> They did the long-range tank installations in Minneapolis to prepare the
> Doolittle Raid B25's...
>

Northwest did operate a bomber modification center during WWII, but
according to Doolittle's biography the B-25s used in the raid were modified
by Mid-Continent Airlines. So we're back on topic now.

[Montblack]

("Steven P. McNicoll" wrote)
> I have a history of Northwest Airlines, "Flight to the Top" by Kenneth D
> Ruble. It contains a Northwest Airways route map, originally published in
> The St. Paul Daily News of June 15, 1930. It shows service to Sioux City
> from St. Paul and on to Omaha but no further.


I grew up with the "Northwest Orient (pause) ...Airlines" jingle.

(From Wikipedia)
On 1 October 1986, Northwest purchased its competitor, Minneapolis-St.
Paul-based Republic Airlines and adopted its three-hub network centered
around Minneapolis-St. Paul, Detroit, and Memphis. Northwest dropped the
word Orient from its brand name after the merger. The legal name has been
Northwest Airlines since 1934.

....which is why 'Steven's' 1930 map is a "Northwest Airways" route map.

Found that interesting, in an airline history kind of way.


Montblack

[Jay Honeck]

> I'll scan the route map and post it to alt.binaries.pictures.aviation.

Sorry, Steven -- my mail server dumped it before I could see it.

If you get a minute, can you email it to me, please?

Thanks!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Jay Honeck]

> I grew up with the "Northwest Orient (pause) ...Airlines" jingle.

Me, too!

I used to LOVE that jingle. In it was all the potential adventure and
exploration a young lad in the Midwest could ever imagine. It played
endlessly on the AM radio stations of my youth.

They really should never have dropped "Orient" from their name. After that
they lost their allure, IMHO.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[beavis]

In article <fwdYe.355117$x96.5301@attbi_s72>, Jay Honeck
> wrote:

> They really should never have dropped "Orient" from their name. After that
> they lost their allure, IMHO.

I can't tell you how mortified I am that they're going by "NWA" now...