Post by Scott Anderson on Oct 24, 2013 20:01:25 GMT -5
I finally had the opportunity to dig through 70 year-old newspapers today, and have been able to piece together a better picture of the history of our 'parent line', the historical Bluegrass Airlines:
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Bluegrass Airlines was founded in the Spring of 1944 at Bowling Green, Kentucky, with the intent of providing intrastate air travel through most of the state, with Bishop M. Stuart as the director of the airline, and Larue Coy as chief pilot.
Flight operations began on March 21, 1944 with a flight from Bowman Field in Louisville, using a single-engine aircraft [type not known as of the date of this writing], to Bowling Green, thence Hopkinsville, Paducah, Madisonville, Owensboro, and then returning to Louisville. Ashland was later added to the list of cities served by Bluegrass. Service was six days per week (excepting Sundays), and rates were announced as being ‘the same as standard airlines”.
Service continued through 1944 and 1945, and into 1946. On October 9, 1946, Bluegrass Airlines announced that the state aeronautics commission had granted a freight rate cut which would allow the airline to be more competitive, as well as a route change to extend their service by allowing flights from Paducah to terminate in Ashland, rather than Louisville. On the thirty-first of October, Bluegrass put into service a twin-engine war surplus Cessna T-50 Bobcat (civil registration number NC-61782) purchased from the War Assets Commission, with the intent of operating a second similar aircraft as traffic demands warranted.
In the first week of November, 1946, the airline announced that there would henceforth be two flights daily serving each city on its routes, in response to the increased demand for freight and passenger service. Additionally, Bluegrass filed a request with the Federal Communications Commission for permission to install ground radio stations at its terminals for the purposes of reservations and expediting company operations.
On November 23, 1946, Bluegrass Airlines gave notice that, as of November 30, they would suspend flight operations “at least through the month of December” in order to re-equip with 24-passenger Douglas DC-3 aircraft and to build up the maintenance facilities necessary to service these aircraft. It was stated that the demand for passenger and cargo service had increased to the point that the change to the larger aircraft was “imperative”.
However, the airline had failed to seek a formal hearing from the state aeronautics commission for authority to suspend their service. On December 10, the commission met to discuss the action, and at that meeting Bluegrass formally petitioned for permission to temporarily cease operations as of that date. When asked to show cause as to why they had discontinued their service on November 30 without approval, the airline responded that they had notified the commission on November 21 of their intentions. On January 30, 1947, the aeronautics commission granted the suspension of service, to extend until the Civil Aeronautics Board ruled on the requests of some thirty airlines that had requested approval for interstate route additions, including Bluegrass Airlines. Bluegrass wished to add Clarksville, Tennessee; Nashville, Tennessee; Jackson, Tennessee; Cincinnati, Ohio; Cape Girardeau, Missouri and Memphis, Tennessee to their list of stops. Four other airlines also wished to add these cities to their routes as well.
The CAB denied Bluegrass Airlines’ request, and as a result the airline permanently terminated operations immediately thereafter.
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The one thing I have left to discover of significance is what type of single-engine aircraft they operated prior to the purchase of the Cessna.
***************************************************
Bluegrass Airlines was founded in the Spring of 1944 at Bowling Green, Kentucky, with the intent of providing intrastate air travel through most of the state, with Bishop M. Stuart as the director of the airline, and Larue Coy as chief pilot.
Flight operations began on March 21, 1944 with a flight from Bowman Field in Louisville, using a single-engine aircraft [type not known as of the date of this writing], to Bowling Green, thence Hopkinsville, Paducah, Madisonville, Owensboro, and then returning to Louisville. Ashland was later added to the list of cities served by Bluegrass. Service was six days per week (excepting Sundays), and rates were announced as being ‘the same as standard airlines”.
Service continued through 1944 and 1945, and into 1946. On October 9, 1946, Bluegrass Airlines announced that the state aeronautics commission had granted a freight rate cut which would allow the airline to be more competitive, as well as a route change to extend their service by allowing flights from Paducah to terminate in Ashland, rather than Louisville. On the thirty-first of October, Bluegrass put into service a twin-engine war surplus Cessna T-50 Bobcat (civil registration number NC-61782) purchased from the War Assets Commission, with the intent of operating a second similar aircraft as traffic demands warranted.
In the first week of November, 1946, the airline announced that there would henceforth be two flights daily serving each city on its routes, in response to the increased demand for freight and passenger service. Additionally, Bluegrass filed a request with the Federal Communications Commission for permission to install ground radio stations at its terminals for the purposes of reservations and expediting company operations.
On November 23, 1946, Bluegrass Airlines gave notice that, as of November 30, they would suspend flight operations “at least through the month of December” in order to re-equip with 24-passenger Douglas DC-3 aircraft and to build up the maintenance facilities necessary to service these aircraft. It was stated that the demand for passenger and cargo service had increased to the point that the change to the larger aircraft was “imperative”.
However, the airline had failed to seek a formal hearing from the state aeronautics commission for authority to suspend their service. On December 10, the commission met to discuss the action, and at that meeting Bluegrass formally petitioned for permission to temporarily cease operations as of that date. When asked to show cause as to why they had discontinued their service on November 30 without approval, the airline responded that they had notified the commission on November 21 of their intentions. On January 30, 1947, the aeronautics commission granted the suspension of service, to extend until the Civil Aeronautics Board ruled on the requests of some thirty airlines that had requested approval for interstate route additions, including Bluegrass Airlines. Bluegrass wished to add Clarksville, Tennessee; Nashville, Tennessee; Jackson, Tennessee; Cincinnati, Ohio; Cape Girardeau, Missouri and Memphis, Tennessee to their list of stops. Four other airlines also wished to add these cities to their routes as well.
The CAB denied Bluegrass Airlines’ request, and as a result the airline permanently terminated operations immediately thereafter.
***************************************************
The one thing I have left to discover of significance is what type of single-engine aircraft they operated prior to the purchase of the Cessna.
