Alaska Coastal Airlines
Encyclopedia
Alaska Coastal Airlines 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, trading for a while as Alaska Coastal-Ellis Airlines. Alaska Coastal Airlines was taken over by Alaska Airlines
in April 1968.
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. 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. In 1938, Simmons used Bellanca NC47M in the rescue of survivors of the Patterson, an ocean going freighter which had run aground at Cape Fairweather
, 150 miles northwest of Juneau. In 1939, Simmons and Holden joined forces, forming Alaskan Coastal Airways.
Ellis Air Lines was formed in Ketchikan in 1936 by Robert Edmund Ellis (January 2, 1903May 8, 1994). At the merger his fleet was ten Grumman G-21 Goose aircraft.
In 1945, Simmons went to Vancouver
, BC
, and purchased a Grumman G-21 Goose, formerly in the service of the Royal Canadian Air Force
. The aircraft was registered N48550. In 1948, Kingbird N622V was written off at Tulsequah, BC
. Vega
NC49M was destroyed by fire on November 14, 1952 at Sitka. Vega NC47M was wrecked on January 5, 1958 near Tanakee, the pilot was killed and two passengers were injured. At the time it was the last single engined Lockheed
aircraft in scheduled airline service in the US. Goose N79914 was involved in an accident on January 20, 1964 at Petersburg, Alaska. Catalina N4936V was written off on October 2, 1964, at Otter Lake, Alaska. One person was killed. Goose N88820 was written off on August 21, 1966, in an accident near Juneau. Nine people were killed. In 1966, a Convair CV-240-5 was purchased from the Falstaff Brewing company. On one occasion in the late 1960s, a woman had a baby in flight between Gustavus and Juneau. Goose N74588 was involved in an accident on August 30, 1967 at Prince Rupert, Canada.
, 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, Port Baker, Port Walter
, Rogers Point, Saginaw Bay, Sitka, Skagway, Steamboat Bay, Taku Lodge, Tenakee
, Thorne Bay, Todd, Tokeen. Washington Bay, Wrangell
.
Alaska Coastal Airlines operated 24 Grumman Goose aircraft.
Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines is an airline based in the Seattle suburb of SeaTac, Washington in the United States. The airline originated in 1932 as McGee Airways. After many mergers with and acquisitions of other airlines, including Star Air Service, it became known as Alaska Airlines in 1944...
in April 1968.
History.
Alaska Air Transport was formed by Sheldon B. "Shell" Simmons (October 8, 1908November 16, 1994) at Juneau in the summer of 1935 with one Stinson SM-2ACStinson Aircraft Company
The Stinson Aircraft Company was an aircraft manufacturing company in the United States between the 1920s and the 1950s.-The Company:The Stinson Aircraft Company was founded in Dayton, Ohio, in 1920 by aviator Edward “Eddie” Stinson, brother to Katherine Stinson. After five years of business...
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. Marine Airways was formed by Alex Holden, Jim Davis and M E Monagle in Juneau in July 1936. holden bought a Bellanca CH-300
Bellanca CH-300
-References:NotesCitationsBibliography* Szurovy, Geza. Bushplanes. St. Paul, Minnesota: Zenith Press, 2004. ISBN 0-7603-1478-0.* Taylor, Michael J.H. Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions, 1989, p. 149.-External links:* *...
Pacemaker NC196N in August 1936. In 1938, Simmons used Bellanca NC47M in the rescue of survivors of the Patterson, an ocean going freighter which had run aground at Cape Fairweather
Cape Fairweather
Cape Fairweather is a cape 705 m high, which is ice covered except for rocky exposures along its southeast and east sides, lying midway between Drygalski Glacier and Evans Glacier on the east coast of Graham Land...
, 150 miles northwest of Juneau. In 1939, Simmons and Holden joined forces, forming Alaskan Coastal Airways.
Ellis Air Lines was formed in Ketchikan in 1936 by Robert Edmund Ellis (January 2, 1903May 8, 1994). At the merger his fleet was ten Grumman G-21 Goose aircraft.
In 1945, Simmons went to Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, BC
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, and purchased a Grumman G-21 Goose, formerly in the service of the Royal Canadian Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force
The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...
. The aircraft was registered N48550. In 1948, Kingbird N622V was written off at Tulsequah, BC
Tulsequah, British Columbia
Tulsequah is an unincorporated locality in northwestern, British Columbia, Canada, located at the confluence of the Taku and Tulsequah Rivers. The Tulsequah Chief Mine is located nearby, about ten miles up the Tulsequah River....
. Vega
Lockheed Vega
|-See also:-References:NotesCitationsBibliography* Allen, Richard Sanders. Revolution in the Sky: Those Fabulous Lockheeds, The Pilots Who Flew Them. Brattleboro, Vermont: The Stephen Greene Press, 1964....
NC49M was destroyed by fire on November 14, 1952 at Sitka. Vega NC47M was wrecked on January 5, 1958 near Tanakee, the pilot was killed and two passengers were injured. At the time it was the last single engined Lockheed
Lockheed Corporation
The Lockheed Corporation was an American aerospace company. Lockheed was founded in 1912 and later merged with Martin Marietta to form Lockheed Martin in 1995.-Origins:...
aircraft in scheduled airline service in the US. Goose N79914 was involved in an accident on January 20, 1964 at Petersburg, Alaska. Catalina N4936V was written off on October 2, 1964, at Otter Lake, Alaska. One person was killed. Goose N88820 was written off on August 21, 1966, in an accident near Juneau. Nine people were killed. In 1966, a Convair CV-240-5 was purchased from the Falstaff Brewing company. On one occasion in the late 1960s, a woman had a baby in flight between Gustavus and Juneau. Goose N74588 was involved in an accident on August 30, 1967 at Prince Rupert, Canada.
Alaska
Angoon, AnnetteAnnette Island
Annette Island, or Taak'w Aan, is an island in Gravina Islands of the Alexander Archipelago of the Pacific Ocean on the southeastern coast of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is at . It is about long and about wide. The land area is...
, Baranof
Baranof Island
Baranof Island, also sometimes called Baranov Island, Shee or Sitka Island, is an island in the northern Alexander Archipelago in the Alaska Panhandle, in Alaska. The name Baranof was given in 1805 by Imperial Russian Navy captain U. F. Lisianski to honor Alexander Andreyevich Baranov...
, Cape Pole, Chatham, Craig
Craig, Alaska
Craig is a first-class city in the Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area in the Unorganized Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. The population was 1,397 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
, Duncan Canal
Duncan Canal, Alaska
The Duncan Canal is a naturally occurring inland waterway in the Alexander Archipelago in Alaska, USA. It deeply penetrates Kupreanof Island, separating the Lindenberg Peninsula, on the southeast side of the island from the main island. It was first charted in 1793 by James Johnstone, one of...
, Edna Bay, Elfin Cove, Excursion Inlet, Funter
Funter Bay
Funter Bay is a two-mile-long bay on the western side of Admiralty Island near its northern tip, in the Alexander Archipelago of the U.S. state of Alaska. It lies within the Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, in the Unorganized Borough of Alaska....
, Gustavus
Gustavus, Alaska
Gustavus is a city in Hoonah-Angoon Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. At the 2000 census the population was 429.-Geography:Gustavus is located at ....
, Haines
Haines, Alaska
Haines is a census-designated place in Haines Borough, Alaska, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population of the area was 1,811. Haines was formerly a city but no longer has a municipal government...
, Hawk Inlet, Hollis
Hollis, Alaska
Hollis is a census-designated place in Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 139.-Geography:Hollis is located at ....
, Hoonah, Hydaburg, Juneau, Kake
Kake, Alaska
Kake is a town in Petersburg Census Area, Alaska, United States. The population was 710 at the 2000 census. The name comes from the Tlingit word or , which is derived from “dawn, daylight” and “mouth”, i.e. “mouth of dawn” or “opening of daylight”.-Geography:Kake is located at...
, Kasaan, Ketchikan, Klawock, Pelican
Pelican, Alaska
Pelican is a city in the northwestern part of Chichagof Island in Hoonah-Angoon Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 163.-Geography:...
, Petersburg
Petersburg, Alaska
Petersburg is a city in Petersburg Census Area, Alaska, in the United States. According to 2009 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 2,824 full time residents.- History :...
, Port Alexander, Port Armstrong, Port Baker, Port Walter
Port Walter
Port Walter is located on the southeastern side of Baranof Island in Sitka City and Borough, Alaska. It is made up of two parts: Little Port Walter and Big Port Walter....
, Rogers Point, Saginaw Bay, Sitka, Skagway, Steamboat Bay, Taku Lodge, Tenakee
Tenakee Springs, Alaska
Tenakee Springs is a city on Chichagof Island in Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 104.-Geography:Tenakee Springs is located at ....
, Thorne Bay, Todd, Tokeen. Washington Bay, Wrangell
Wrangell, Alaska
Wrangell is a city and borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. At the 2000 census the population was 2,308.Its Tlingit name is Ḵaachx̱aana.áakʼw . The Tlingit people residing in the Wrangell area, who were there centuries before Europeans, call themselves the Shtaxʼhéen Ḵwáan after the nearby Stikine...
.
Accidents.
- 1948 - Kingbird NC622V written off at Tulsequah, BC.
- November 14, 1952 - Vega NC49M destroyed by fire at Sitka.
- January 5, 1958 - Vega NC47M written off near Tanakee. Pilot killed, two passengers injured.
- January 20, 1964 - Goose N79914 accident at Petersburg.
- October 2, 1964 - Catalina N4936V written off at Otter Lake, flight attendant killed.
- August 21, 1966 - Goose N88820 written off near Juneau. Nine killed.
- August 30, 1967 - Goose N74588 accident at Prince Rupert, Canada.
Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker / Skyrocket
- NC196N c/n 181. Ex N503N, Became CF-ATN. Preserved in the National Aviation MuseumCanada Aviation MuseumThe Canada Aviation and Space Museum is Canada's national aviation history museum. The museum is located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, at the Ottawa/Rockcliffe Airport...
, OttawaOttawaOttawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, OntarioOntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Convair CV-240-5
- N196N c/n 42. Previously N503, Ex Falstaff Brewing Company, sold to Pacific Nevada Airlines in January 1973.
Consolidated PBY Catalina
- N2763A c/n CV-548. Ex USN Bu No 21232, Paul Mantz Aviation N5609V and Queen Charlotte AirlinesQueen Charlotte AirlinesThe Queen Charlotte Airlines was a Canadian airline founded by Jim Spilsbury that operated on the West Coast of Canada from 1943 to 1955, when it was sold to Pacific Western Airlines...
CF-GHU. Sold to Antilles Air Boats early 1970s. Preserved at Yanks Air Museum, Chino, California. - N4760C c/n 33993. Ex USAF 43-43847. Sold to Geoterrex, accident on March 22, 1983 at Neilsville, Wiscomsin. Under restoration at McChord Aviation Museum, Washington.
- N4936V Ex USN Bu No 48343.
- N5584V Ex USN Bu No 46482.
- N31235 c/n 1788. Ex USN Bu No 48426. Currently owned by the Palm Springs Air Museum
Grumman G-21 Goose
- N1019N c/n B-30 Ex USN Bu No 37777 and Ellis Airlines
- N2751A c/n 1184 Ex Ellis Airlines
- N2752A c/n B-8 Ex USN Bu No 34079 and Ellis Airlines
- N4762C c/n B-60 Ex USN Bu No 37808, RCAF 389 and Ellis Airlines
- N4763C c/n B-86 Ex USN Bu No 84791 and Ellis Airlines Sold to Reeve Aleutian AirwaysReeve Aleutian AirwaysReeve Aleutian Airways was an airline headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska, United States. It ceased operations on December 5, 2000.-Founding:...
1972 then to Peninsula Airways in April 1977. - N4772C c/n B-131. Written off February 21, 1976 at St. Croix, US Virgin Isles.
- N4773C c/n B-52 Ex Ellis Airlines
- N4774C c/n B-93 Ex Ellis Airlines
- N28369 c/n 1149 Ex USN Bu No 66347, RAF FP499, USN Bu No 66346 and Ellis Airlines
- N48550 c/n 1061 Ex RCAF and Ellis Airlines, sold to Antilles Airboats late 1960s.
- N68157 c/n 1138 Ex RAF BW791, USN and Ellis Airlines
- N74588 c/n 1165 Ex Ellis Airlines, Accident on August 30, 1967 at Prince Rupert, Canaa.
- N74676 c/n 1172 Ex Ellis Airlines
- N79901 c/n B-63 Ex USN Bu No 37810 and Ellis Airlines. Preserved at FlygvapenmuseumSwedish Air Force MuseumThe Swedish Air Force Museum is located at Malmen Airbase in Malmslätt, just outside of Linköping, Sweden. Malmen is where Baron Carl Cederström, nicknamed the "Flyer Baron" founded his flying school in 1912. Malmen Airbase is home to the Royal Swedish Airschool operating SAAB 105 jettrainers...
, LinköpingLinköpingLinköping is a city in southern middle Sweden, with 104 232 inhabitants in 2010. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality with 146 736 inhabitants and the capital of Östergötland County...
, SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. - N79914 c/n B-88 Ex USN Bu No 84793 and Ellis Airlines. Accident January 29, 1964 at Petersburg, Alaska.
- N86590 c/n 1028 Ex Ellis Airlines
- N88820 c/n 1114 Ex Ellis Airlines. Written off near Juneau, August 21, 1966.
- N88821 c/n 1157 Ex Ellis Airlines. Under restoration at Ketchikan, Alaska.
- N95431 c/n 1164 Ex USN Bu No 66336, RAF FP514 and Ellis Airlines, converted to "Super Goose" with PT6A-20 turboprop engines. Became N72PR with Wright engines, accident on September 2, 1978 at Old Harbor, Alaska. Became P2-JWB, RP-C864, VH-MBA and DQ-AYL.
- N95467 c/n 1167 Ex Ellis Airlines. Preserved at Palm Springs Air Museum.
Lockheed Vega
- NC47M c/n 99 Nugget ex Irving Airways. Written off on January 5, 1948 at Tenakee, Alaska.
- NC49M c/n 101.Purchased April 17, 1941. Destroyed by fire at Sitka November 14, 1952.