The Convair-Liner was a twin-engined, pressurized airliner built for the 40-50 passenger short haul feeder market of the post World War 2 era by San Diego based Convair General Dynamics.

Republic Convair 580 N2729R DTW DEC 1980.

The Convair Twine was popular in the US as pretty much all the US major operators of the 1950s ordered the Convair Twin, including Braniff, United, Delta, American, Western, Eastern, Frontier, Continental, and of course North Central Airlines, the subject of this article.

Although North Central only initially took delivery of a handful of Convair Twins in the early 1960s, additional machines were acquired through the 1960s and 70s, and by the time the airline became Republic Airlines in 1979, the Convair 580 fleet exceeded 20 examples. The Convair 580 was a sturdy well built machine that lent itself to the harsh winter operating conditions of the mid west. The primary stomping grounds for the Republic Convair 580 fleet were the “local service” small towns that dot the landscape between Chicago, Detroit and Minneapolis, as well as spanning further West through the Dakotas.

In 1986/87 Republic Airlines was acquired by Minneapolis based Northwest Airlines, the 24 Convair 580s of Republic were panted into varying degrees of Northwest Airlines’ scheme. Most were hybrid schemes.

The Convair 580 images presented here are from the slide collection of Henry Tenby.

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BEA British European Airways was the UK’s short haul government owner air carrier during post war period up until the airline was merged into BOAC to become British Airways in 1973.

BEA Vanguard G-APEH possibly at Manchester winter of 1970.

Along with their associate companies BEA Scottish and BEA Channel Island Airways BEA provided domestic UK services as well as flights to many popular points within Continental Europe during the 1960s. BEA had an all British built fleet that included the De Havilland Comet, De Havilland Heron, Vickers Viscount, Vickers Vanguard, BAC One Eleven, Trident, SC-7 Skyvan, S-61 helicopter, and other types in the 1950s including the AS.57 Elizabethan and DC-3.

BEA’s main operating bases were at London Heathrow and Manchester and the airline operated the famous London-Scotland shuttle service using pretty much all the larger types in their fleet of the day. The Vanguard was specially well utilized on the shuttle service.

The images presented here are from the slide collection of Henry Tenby.

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Passenger air travel specially in Britain boomed dramatically throughout the 1960s. The UK’s State owned international air carrier was BOAC British Overseas Airways Corporation, and like many nationalized industries at the time, efficiencies of private enterprise proved difficult to compete with during these times of massive air travel expansion.

BOAC 707-436 G-ARRC at Manchester May 1971.

By the early 1970s it became apparent that something had to be done and the decision was made for extensive amalgamation of the larger air carriers in the UK. The short haul domestic BEA was combined with even smaller feeder carriers and BEA along with BOAC were joined to become British Airways. The images presented here are from the slide collection of Henry Tenby.

At the time BOAC and British Airways operated a fleet largely made up of UK designer airliners including Viscounts, Vanguards, Tridents, BAC One Elevens, VC-10s, which ar also complemented by US built 707s and 747s for the long haul services.

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Cargo has always played a major role in the British Independent airline scene going back well into the 1960s. Much of the UK cargo market has historically been carried by specialized cargo airlines, which have cycled through the decades with airlines coming and going on a fair regularity often using dedicated pure cargo aircraft which were often designed and built in the UK. The Vickers Viscount and Vanguard were popular cargo planes in the UK in the 1970s, with jets like 707s, DC-8s and BAC One Elevens slowly taking over in the latter 1970s.

Transmeridian Air Cargo Seabird CL-44 G-ATAA circa 1974 possibly at Basle.

Today many of these airlines have ling since vanished or gone bust. I am pleased to share these photos from my slide collection taken by slide photographers of the day.

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In the 1960s and 1970s the UK had a thriving independent airline scene, in which ad-hoc and IT charter operators experienced massive business growth as the public become more and more accustomed to taking inclusive holiday charter vacations. Some might say the UK was the world’s leading region for such airline traffic. The UK also had a growing domestic airline scene whereby small airline operations took on the local and regional routes that were not operated by British European Airways.

Channel Airways Trident II G-AVYB February 1971 location not known.

Today many of these airlines have ling since vanished or gone bust. I am pleased to share these photos from my slide collection taken by slide photographers of the day.

I am looking to purchase 35mm Kodachrome aircraft slide collections. Please contact me: henrytenby at gmail dot com

Thank you very much for visiting this page, and enjoy!

In the 1960s and 1970s the UK had a thriving independent airline scene, in which ad-hoc and IT charter operators experienced massive business growth as the public become more and more accustomed to taking inclusive holiday charter vacations. Some might say the UK was the world’s leading region for such airline traffic. The UK also had a growing domestic airline scene whereby small airline operations took on the local and regional routes that were not operated by British European Airways.

Channel Airways Trident II G-AVYB February 1971 location not known.

Today many of these airlines have ling since vanished or gone bust. I am pleased to share these photos from my slide collection taken by slide photographers of the day.

I am looking to purchase 35mm Kodachrome aircraft slide collections. Please contact me: henrytenby at gmail dot com

Thank you very much for visiting this page, and enjoy!

In the 1960s and 1970s the UK had a thriving independent airline scene, in which ad-hoc and IT charter operators experienced massive business growth as the public become more and more accustomed to taking inclusive holiday charter vacations. Some might say the UK was the world’s leading region for such airline traffic. The UK also had a growing domestic airline scene whereby small airline operations took on the local and regional routes that were not operated by British European Airways.

Donaldson International Airlines Bristol Britannia G-AOVC circa late 1960s.

Today many of these airlines have ling since vanished or gone bust. I am pleased to share these photos from my slide collection taken by slide photographers of the day.

I am looking to purchase 35mm Kodachrome aircraft slide collections. Please contact me: henrytenby at gmail dot com

Thank you very much for visiting this page, and enjoy!

Back in the 1970s, many of the Asia Pacific rim airlines which today are global brands, were just start up airline operations with small route networks. The long haul work horses of the day were 707s, DC-8s, DC-10s and early 747s. Some of the airlines didn’t make it, for example Air Siam with their 747s, DC-10s and BAC One Elevens. Now distant memories.

Philippine Airlines DC-8-53 PI-C801 at San Francisco January 1972.

But many are now very well known including Singapore Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Garuda Indonesian Airlines, Korean Airlines, Thai International, Royal Nepal and Air India. I am pleased to share photos from my slide collection taken by slide photographers of the day.

I am looking to purchase 35mm Kodachrome aircraft slide collections. Please contact me: henrytenby at gmail dot com

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The Scandinavian countries had a very interesting mix of charter and cargo airlines in the 1960s and 1970s. It was the 1960s when airlines started the mass inclusive tourist boom taking sun seeking passengers in large groups to the Southern sun destinations in Southern Europe.

Sterling Lockheed L-188 Electra SE-FGC circa early 1970s taken somewhere in Sweden.

With exception to SAS most of these independent airlines have since ceased operations. But many of these airlines were well photographed by airline slide photographers of the era. Including airlines like Conair, SAGA, Maersk, Sterling, Hilair, Swedair and others. On the cargo side we had Fred Olsen Lines and their propliners including C-46, DC-6 and L-188 cargo lifters. Who can ever forget Scanbee and their Convair Twins and then 737 jets.

I am looking to purchase 35mm Kodachrome aircraft slide collections. Please contact me: henrytenby at gmail dot com

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Swedair DC-3 SE-BSM possibly in Sweden circa early 1970s.

The airline scene in Spain during the 1960s and early 1970s was very vibrant specially for airline buffs. The Spanish charter holiday market was already well established by this time with the flag carrier Iberia and sister company Aviaco complemented by a handful of local charter companies operating classic equipment on IT charters.

Aviaco Se210 Caravelle EC-AXU at Palma 1973.

In the late 60s and early to mid 1970s Aeroflete operated DC-3 and DC-4 passenger charters from a Madrid base as did SPANTAX with their famous Convair 880s, DC-7s, and DC-9-14, and IBERIA low cost sister company operated Fokker 27s and Caravelles. TAE had DC-7s, Trans Europa had DC-4s and DC-7s, and their was Air Spain with their Bristol Britannia and Air Spain with their DC-8-21 charter aircraft. It was a very colourful scene to say the least.

Many of these Spanish charter companies served the major airports of Europe including Zurich, Paris, London Gatwick and German centres too, flying holiday makers from cold climes down to the sunny beaches of Palma, the Canary Islands and sun spots and tourist destinations in Spain proper.

I am looking to purchase 35mm Kodachrome aircraft slide collections. Please contact me: henrytenby at gmail dot com

I have added a few TAP Portugal images as well.

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As the third largest population in Europe behind the UK and Germany, France’s airline industry was well established into the 1960s with a healthy number of charter airlines serving the travel hungry travelling public to destinations within Europe and to French Department Territories further abroad. The growth of the home built airline market with the Caravelle, and then the Mercure, Nord 262, and the Airbus 300 which launched in the early 1970s fuelled growth through the 1970s and beyond.

Europe Aero Service Vickers Viking F-BMEU circa mid 1960s.

TAI, UAT, UTA served the overseas Department Territories of France along side flag carrier Air France whilst the domestic passenger scheduled market and inter European routes were operated by Air France and Air Inter (which was primarily a domestic France carrier as insinuated by their company name). During the 1960s the main airport for international operations was the iconic Orly Airport in Paris. Orly boasted a fantastic viewing deck which allowed for aviation fans and photographers of the day to easily capture the airline scene on slides for the viewing enjoyment of later generations, present company included!

Through my many years of collecting 35mm aircraft slides, I am pleased to present an extensive photo collection of many of these French international, domestic and charter carriers, including the following (which are featured in my French airline 1960s and 1970s photo slide show which starts on this page):

Air France
TAI
UTA
Air Inter
Europe Aero Servis EAS
Air Charter International
Air Toulouse
Air Alsace
Catair
Air Paris
Air Polynesie
Aeromaritime
Airnautic
Air Alpes
TAR
TAT
Trans-Union

I am looking to purchase 35mm Kodachrome aircraft slide collections. Please contact me: henrytenby at gmail dot com

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Prior to the Deregulation Act of 1978, the US airline industry was high regulated with licences and routes being approved by the Civil Aeronautics Board. From the 1950s, a number of supplemental air carriers were formed to provide specialized airlift services that catered to markets beyond the point to point services provided by the scheduled airlines.

Transocean L-749 Constellation N9812F possibly at San Francisco or Oakland, circa 1950s.

These supplemental air carriers provided contract services to the US military, as well as specialized charter and cargo services and passenger charters services, both within the US home market and to points outside of the Continental United States. Sometimes there airlines provided wet lease aircraft operations for the mainline scheduled carriers. Typically these small airliners operated the second hand and military surplus transport aircraft and their operations were focused within certain niche markets in which they built up specializations over their years of operations.

Through my many years of collecting 35mm aircraft slides, I am pleased to present an extensive photo collection of many of these supplemental carriers, including the following (all of which provided US and International passenger and cargo charter services unless otherwise noted):

Seaboard World – using C-46, CL-44, DC-8 and 747 aircraft
Transamerican – Trans International – Based from Oakland operated a fleet which included DC-8, L-188, DC-10 and 747 aircraft
Saturn Airways – Operated in the 1960s and 1970s with a fleet of DC-6, DC-7, DC-8, L-100 Hercules
Flying Tigers / Flying Tiger Line – LAX Based with a fleet of CL-44, DC-8, and 747 aircraft
Airlift International – Miami based with F27, DC-6, DC-7, 727, and DC-8
Southern Air Transport – Miami based cargo airline with DC-4, DC-8, 707, L-100 Hercules
Slick Airways – a 1950s airline with DC-6 and CL-44
Quick Trans – DC-4 and DC-6 cargo airline from the 1950s and 1960s
Riddle – C-46, DC-4, DC-6 cargo airline
Intermountain – primarily Alaskan operations with C-46, Helio Courier, Caribou, L-188, Convair 580
Transocean – 1950s and early 1960s Oakland based with heavy trans-Pacific presence with Stratocruisers and Connies
Standard Airways – 1960s wet lease operator with Convair 400s, DC-9, 707-138B aircraft
Universal – 1960s and 1970s operations with DC-6, DC-8, Argosy aircraft
ONA – Overseas National Airlines – New York based with DC-6, DC-7, DC-8, L-188, and DC-10 aircraft

I am looking to purchase 35mm Kodachrome aircraft slide collections. Please contact me: henrytenby at gmail dot com

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Who can remember Winner Airways, Civil Air Transport, Far Eastern Air Transport, and Air America? All these classic airlines were operating from Taiwan’s famous downtown Sung Shan airport in the 1960s. Whilst Taiwan government owned China Airlines was also operating in the 1960s, most of the other Taiwan airlines from the 1960s are now long gone, but we are happy to share photos of the interesting airliners in this photo report.

Civil Air Transport Convair 990 B-1008 taken at Tokyo Haneda circa 1961.

Civil Air Transport was a major carrier of the day, possibly bigger than Air China. They operated C-46 Commando, DC-4 and DC-6 aircraft, as well as the famous Convair 880 jetliner. Air America was a CIA front airline set up by the US Government to operate clandestine operations in the Vietnam war theatre, and they chose Taiwan as a friendly base removed from the conflict. Winner Airways operated Vickers Viscounts and Lockheed Electras. FEAT Far Eastern Air Transport competed with Air China on medium haul services within the region and their 1960s fleet included Se210 Caravelles and Viscount 800s.

Henry Tenby has been collecting 35mm aircraft slides since the early 1980s, and has amassed the collection of vintage Japanese airline slides presented in this posting from his collection.

I am looking to purchase 35mm Kodachrome aircraft slide collections. Please contact me: henrytenby at gmail dot com

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In the 1960s, there were several famous airlines operating in the Philippines from Manila airport all of which we are pleased to present in this photo history report.

Philippine Airlines Douglas DC-4 C-54 PI-C774 at Manila circa 1967.

The largest operator was the flag carrier airline Philippine Airlines, which operated DC-8s on long haul services, with DC-3s, YS-11s, Vickers Viscount, DC-4 and F27s on the shorter haul and domestic Philippine services. Other airlines based from Manila in the 1960s included short lived Philippine airlines like Filipinas Orient Airways with their Nord 262s, YS-11s and even 707s, and there was also Air Manila with their Dart Heralds.

Henry Tenby has been collecting 35mm aircraft slides since the early 1980s, and has amassed the collection of vintage Japanese airline slides presented in this posting from his collection.

I am looking to purchase 35mm Kodachrome aircraft slide collections. Please contact me: henrytenby at gmail dot com

Thank you very much for visiting this page, and enjoy!

Kait Kai airport Hong Kong based Cathay Pacific Airways operated a very interesting mix of classic airliners in the 1950s and 1960s, which included the Douglas DC-6, Lockheed L-188 Electra, and the famous Convair 880. Back in the 1950s and 1960s Cathay Pacific operated primarily within the region of Southern Asia and to Tokyo. We hope you enjoy this nice selection of vintage Cathay Pacific Airways photos. Also included are a few other vintage photos from Kai Tak airport in the 1950s.

Cathay Pacific DC-6 VR-HFG at Tokyo Haneda circa 1960.

Henry Tenby has been collecting 35mm aircraft slides since the early 1980s, and has amassed the collection of vintage Japanese airline slides presented in this posting from his collection.

I am looking to purchase 35mm Kodachrome aircraft slide collections. Please contact me: henrytenby at gmail dot com

Thank you very much for visiting this page, and enjoy!