Anyone here fly Convair 440 Metropolitans?

I've received word from an old United pilot that they used to fly the
Metropolitans into Iowa City until 1959 or so. Anyone here ever flown one?

Can anyone comment on how much runway this plane would have needed?

Also, anyone here ever fly for Ozark? They took over service into IOW from
United in '59, and flew into Iowa City until '72. I'm wondering what kind
of planes they flew into smaller airports like ours?

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

I know of one (not sure if it was a 240, 340, or 440, but the aircraft are
very similar) that was flown with some frequency from a 3500' grass strip
with honest to gosh 50' obstacles at each end. The field was narrow too. At
its tightest point, maybe 20' wider than the Convair's wingspan. Not for
the faint of heart.

KB

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:BJUmd.419737$D%.332315@attbi_s51...
I've received word from an old United pilot that they used to fly the
Metropolitans into Iowa City until 1959 or so. Anyone here ever flown
one?

Can anyone comment on how much runway this plane would have needed?

Also, anyone here ever fly for Ozark? They took over service into IOW
from United in '59, and flew into Iowa City until '72. I'm wondering what
kind of planes they flew into smaller airports like ours?

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

I know of one (not sure if it was a 240, 340, or 440, but the aircraft are
very similar) that was flown with some frequency from a 3500' grass strip
with honest to gosh 50' obstacles at each end. The field was narrow too.
At its tightest point, maybe 20' wider than the Convair's wingspan. Not
for the faint of heart.

That's about how long the north/south runway was here -- maybe a bit
longer -- but with a hospital off the departure end a the TOP OF A HILL.

The old fella who emailed me said they had to have maximum performance,
because the airport is in a bowl, yet they had to also be worried about
noise abatement because of the hospital!

I can't imagine flying airliner off of our current Rwy 36 (which has been
shortened with a displaced threshold, but you can still "use" the remaining
portion in a pinch) -- yet they did it every day, several times a day,
apparently without mishap, for 40 years.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:BJUmd.419737$D%.332315@attbi_s51...
I've received word from an old United pilot that they used to fly the
Metropolitans into Iowa City until 1959 or so. Anyone here ever flown
one?

Can anyone comment on how much runway this plane would have needed?

Also, anyone here ever fly for Ozark? They took over service into IOW
from United in '59, and flew into Iowa City until '72. I'm wondering what
kind of planes they flew into smaller airports like ours?

Thanks in advance!
--

Jay, Try this site... http://www.ozarkairlines.com/

GigG

Jay, Try this site... http://www.ozarkairlines.com/

Thanks, Gig -- great site with lots of information.

What a great era that was -- imagine, catching an airliner at a handy
airport, and being provided with great customer service!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck wrote:

Jay, Try this site... http://www.ozarkairlines.com/

Thanks, Gig -- great site with lots of information.

What a great era that was -- imagine, catching an airliner at a handy
airport, and being provided with great customer service!

And paying a fortune for the ticket.

George Patterson
If a man gets into a fight 3,000 miles away from home, he *had* to have
been looking for it.

What a great era that was -- imagine, catching an airliner at a handy
airport, and being provided with great customer service!

And paying a fortune for the ticket.

True, you didn't have the "super-saver" ticket options. But you DID have
many more options, for a price.

Nowadays, you can't have that -- for ANY price. The service just doesn't
exist.

(Unless you charter, of course, which is still unaffordable for most.)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck wrote:

Nowadays, you can't have that -- for ANY price. The service just doesn't
exist.

The service only existed at that time because the government forced airlines to
provide service on some legs at a loss in order to obtain the rights to the more
profitable portions of a route. The service doesn't exist now because nobody can
break even, much less make a profit on those legs.

George Patterson
If a man gets into a fight 3,000 miles away from home, he *had* to have
been looking for it.

George,



And paying a fortune for the ticket.

No kidding.

While the quality of service with U.S. airlines has plummeted with
ticket prices, and I'm not a particular fan of the effects of
deregulation, the good old days weren't always so good. Few airlines
to choose from as each airline had to get permission for its routes.
In the midwest east/west travel was okay, but you were a prisoner of
Braniff if you wanted to go north or south. It had one of the best
flight departments and worst customer service around, it gave Pan Am a
run for its money in sheer rudeness and indifference to customers.
Nowadays you run into the ocassional rude airline employee or folks
who are just frustrated at working hard and still having to take pay
cuts, but I've never run across the almost institutional nastiness
that was Braniff in the midwest when they faced no competition at all.

All the best,
Rick

My father, William, was a famous photographer and had a huge job at the
Stanford Medical School in the 1950's.

http://tinyurl.com/6vgpo

He had to travel from Portland Oregon to Stanford twice a month for seven
years.

United Airlines knew him well. The normal airplane on that route was a
Convair of some sort. I can remember one time we took him out to PDX, but he
was late for the flight. It was already taxiing out to the runway. United
operations called the flight and the Convair turned around and came back to
the terminal to pick him up.

He also once talked the crew into flying low over our house on the ridge in
Sylvan. We were prepared, and had a bed sheet that we waived to the flight
on it's way to California.

Times HAVE changed!

Karl


"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:u38nd.50065$V41.15106@attbi_s52...
Jay, Try this site... http://www.ozarkairlines.com/

Thanks, Gig -- great site with lots of information.

What a great era that was -- imagine, catching an airliner at a handy
airport, and being provided with great customer service!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"