US Supplemental Air Carriers of the 1960s – A Pictorial History
Photos from the Collection of Henry Tenby
Write up by Henry Tenby
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
Thank you very much for visiting this page, and enjoy!
Trans International Lockheed L100-30 Hercules N10ST at Zurich Kloten July 1978.Trans International DC-10 N102TV at Seattle in June 1974. (John Blatherwick slide)Trans International DC-10 N101TV September 1973.Transamerica 747-200 N741TV at Zurich Kloten May 1980.Trans International DC-6 N90768 possibly at Prestwick circa early 1960s.Trans International Lockheed L-1049 Constellation N9752C circa early 1960s.Trans International 727-100 N1727T circa late 1960s.Trans International Cargo DC-8-63 N794FT at Zurich Kloten May 1978.Saturn Airways 707-320C N763U at Seattle Boeing Field circa late 1960s, possibly awaiting delivery to the airline.Saturn Airways DC-7 N90774 circa mid 1960s.Saturn Airways DC-6A N90377 at Wright Patterson AFB in 1969.Saturn Airways DC-7C N90778 at Paris in March 1974.Saturn Airways L100-20 Lockheed Hercules N9263R in June 1972.Saturn Airways L-100-30 Hercules N12ST at Winnipeg in June 1972.Flying Tiger Line DC-8-63 N780FT at Seattle in July 1972. (Dr. John Blatherwick slide)Flying Tiger s L-1049 Constellation N6914C circa early 1960s.Flying Tiger Line CL-44 N1001T circa mid 1960s.Flying Tiger Line Boeing 707-320C N319F in former British Caledonian colours circa late 1960s.Flying Tiger Line DC-8-63 N626FT at San Francisco late 1960s after lease with Canadian Pacific Airlines.Flying Tigers DC-8-63 N795FT in full cargo configuration at Zurich Kolten airport May 1979.Flying Tigers 747-200F at Boeing Paine Field pre delivery October 1980. Registration is not visible.ONA Overseas National Airways DC-8-63 N863F in Air Siam colours in June 1972.ONA Overseas National Airways DC-10 N1031F at London Heathrow circa 1972.ONA Overseas National Airways DC-8-50 N852F possibly at London Gatwick, circa mid 1970s.ONA Overseas National Airways L-188 N852F circa mid 1970s, in a bare metal scheme.ONA Overseas National Airways DC-9-32 N930F departing Miami, March 1976.ONA Overseas National Airways DC-8-32 N8315 possibly at Washington DC, October 1976.ONA Overseas National Airways L-188 Electra N281F bare metal scheme at Miami circa mid 1970s.Overseas National DC-6 N630NA on a mTAS charter possibly in Japan circa early 1960s.ONA Overseas National Airways DC-8-63 N793FT possibly at London Gatwick circa mid 1970s.ONA Overseas National Airways DC-8-21 N1776R in special 1776-1976 bicentennial colours circa mid 1970s.ONA Overseas National Airways DC-8-63 N8760 in former Eastern Airlines colours circa late 1960s.ONA Overseas National Airways DC-6 N321A possibly at Oakland circa early 1960s. In former American Airlines colours.ONA Overseas National Airways DC-8-61 N867F in former Universal colours circa late 1960s.ONA Overseas National Airways L-188 Electra N282F at New York JFK circa mid 1970s.Airlift CL-44 N603SA circa mid 1960s, possibly at Oakland.Airlift International 707-320C N737AL circa late 1960s.Airlift International 727-100 N725AL at Miami circa late 1960s.Airlift International DC-7F N8219H at Miami circa mid 1960s.Airlift International DC-8-63 N163FT at San Francisco early 1970s.Airlift International DC-8-54F N108RD in former National Airlines colours circa mid 1970s.Airlift 727-100 N725AL in Air Mali colours circa early 1970s.Standard Airways 707-138B N792SA circa mid to late 1960s.Standard Airways DC-9-15 N490SA departing Miami circa mid to late 1960s.Standard Airways Convair 440 N9303 circa mid 1960s.Standard Airways DC-7 N297 circa mid 1960s.Seaboard World DC-8-55 N806SW circa 1972 in Aviogenex colours.Seaboard World DC-8-55 N802SW at London Heathrow circa early 1970s.Seaboard World Boeing 707 N73225 at London Heathrow circa late 1960s.Seaboard World Airlines Canadair CL-44 N123SW at London Heathrow circa mid 1960s.Seaboard World Airlines C-46 Commando N10427 circa mid 1960s.Seaboard Western Airlines L-1049 Constellation N1010C circa 1950s.Seaboard Western Airlines DC-4 N54373 circa 1950s.Seaboard World Airlines DC-8-50 N802SW at Copenhagen circa late 1960s.Seaboard World Airlines DC-8-63 N8639 at Anchorage circa late 1960s. In the colours of Loftleidir Icelandic.Seaboard World Airlines Canadair Cl-44 N2253W circa mid 1960s.Seaboard World Airlines DC-8-63 N8637 landing at Frankfurt circa late 1960s. In the colours of Korean Air Lines.Southern Air Transport C-54 DC-4 N9864 at Miami circa 1972.Riddle Airlines C-46 N3944C circa 1960s.SLICK Airways QUICKTRANS DC-6 N91309 circa early 1960s at location unknown.SLICK Airways QUICKTRANS DC-4 C-54 N90427 circa late 1950s or early 1960s.Riddle Airlines DC-4 N33679 Miami 1950s.Riddle C-46 Commando N1234N circa 1950s.Riddle Airlines DC-7 N8218H Tokyo 1960s.Intermountain L-188 Electra N385AC (former Air California) at Boeing Field in Seattle May 1973. (Dr. John Blatherwick slide)Intermountain DC-6 N61267 in August 1973.Intermountain DHC-4 Caribou N608J at Marana circa early 1970s.Intermountain Pilatus PC-6 N351GFH at Marana circa early 1970s.Intermountain C-46 Commando N9761Z circa late 1960s.Transocean L-749 Constellation N9812F possibly at San Francisco or Oakland, circa 1950s.Transocean Boeing 377 Stratocruiser N403Q at New York Idlewild circa late 1950s.Transocean Boeing 377 Stratocruiser N404Q in storage at the Mojave desert circa mid to late 1960s.Universal Airlines Argosy N895U circa mid 1970s, possibly at Ypsilanti.Universal Airlines C-46 N74178 circa 1960s, possibly at Ypsilanti.
