In the summer of 1987, I was attending UC-Irvice earning my MBA and just completed my first year in the programme.

As a 23 year old enthusiast aviation fan with a solid interest in the Lockheed Electra, I established contact VARIG’s North American Vice President Mr. Werner Leghein at his office in downtown Los Angeles. I asked if he would assist me in sending my request to the airline’s head office in Rio asking if they would support my efforts to visit them with the purpose of preparing an in-depth article on VARG’s Ponte Aerea Electra operation.

VARIG responded positively, and it was the start of many trips and numerous friendships made with the airline. On my first trip down to Rio in early July, 1987, VARIG provided first class tickets from LAX. As a student I couldn’t believe my luck!

Those were the days when airlines would graciously help aviation journalists, a great rarity in this day and age! VARIG is no more, and times have changed, but the article below takes us back to a time when it seemed anything was possible for budding aviation fan and journalist.

Back in late 1990, I got a call from my good friend and fellow aviation journalist Ken Swartz with a story scoop. NWT Air of Yellowknife was about to retire the last of their Lockheed Electra’s and would I be interested in doing the article?

Ken put me in contact with the company’s General Manager Grey Cooper, and arrangements were put in place for me to travel up to Yellowknife to document the very last day of NWT Air Electra operations on February 1, 1991.

Not only did I have a fabulous visit riding the aircraft’s sked up to Coppermine and Cambridge Bay on that last day, the visit also provided me with the opportunity to meet a number of the airline’s key staff. I was also able to shoot video of my visit which is available as a top selling aviation DVD.

Later that year when my aircraft leasing job came to an end with Corsair in Bellevue, WA, I was able to leverage my contacts at NWT Air into what would become a six year employment stretch with NWT Air, based and living in Yellowknife! Anyhow, here’s the article from Airliners magazine that started it all.

Whilst working for NWT Air in Yellowknife back in the Spring of 1996, I was able to tag along on the some of our 737-200 charters to Anchorage in support of the Arctic Winter Games that year.

Our ground handling in Anchorage was provided by Reeve Aleutian Airways, and this connection afforded me the amazing opportunity to personally meet Reeve Aleutian Airways owners Dick Reeve, and his sister Janice. It was their father Bob Reeve who founded the company many decades prior.

Dick and Janice welcomed two visits I made to their airline during 1996, in the capacity of a super keen enthusiast and journalist. I was also able to shoot video of my visits documenting the Lockheed Electra flight experience, which is available as a top selling aviation DVD.

I am forever grateful for their amazing Alaskan hospitality all those years ago. Sadly the airline closed down, and even today Reeve Aleutian is fondly remembered by many as an Alaskan institution. The article that follows takes us back to when the Reeve’s Electras were the last sked passenger examples on the planet.