ATLANTA AIRPORT : THE PAINTINGS OF MICHEL SCHOU

In March 2011 I was contacted by a French artist named Michel Schou who sent along an image of an incredible painting showing a Delta Convair 880 on the ramp of Atlanta's long gone 1961 terminal. The email also included a link to his online portfolio at http://cloudpainter.canalblog.com/  where I was floored not only by his obvious talent but by the sheer volume of his work. An incredibly prolific artist, Michel finishes a new painting an average of once a week. Update: It looks like his website has disappeared but the archive can be viewed HERE.

Two weeks after our first email exchange, Michel sent links to two brand new watercolor paintings of classic aircraft on the ramp of the "Temporary" terminal that served Atlanta from 1948 until 1961. Only a few days later he posted yet another magnificent new image: a Delta DC-6 at Atlanta. Michel has kindly allowed me to share his paintings of historic scenes from Atlanta Airport here at Sunshine Skies for your viewing pleasure.

This painting shows Delta's DC-6 ship 604 and a Capitol Airlines DC-3 at Atlanta's temporary terminal. Michel notes that the DC-6 was Delta's first pressurized aircraft type.

A classic view of an Eastern L-1049 Super Constellation at Atlanta.

Delta Air Lines first Douglas DC-8, ship 801, arrives at Atlanta's temporary terminal, July 22, 1959. Michel noted on his website: The coming of the jets posed a major challenge to the airlines to improve terminal passenger service. Delta engineers designed Atlanta's first passenger jetways and installed them just in time. The airline launched the world's first DC-8 Jet service on September 18, 1959.

During the Spring of 2011 Michel was painting at a furious rate and the historical images of Atlanta airport kept coming in rapid succession. I could hardly keep up! The captions for these images were provided by Michel.

Southern Airways began operating the Douglas DC9-10 Fanjet in 1967. The regional airline was headquartered at Hartsfield Airport, near Atlanta. The route system covered the south central portion of the U.S. Southern began its life in 1949 and merged with North Central Airlines to become Republic Airlines in 1979.

Delta Air Lines ordered ten Convair 340s in June 1951. First delivery on December 18, 1952. Delta used the Convair 340 to promote its night time "Owl" discount coach service on its southern routes. In 1956, Delta
acquired the Convair 440, an improved version of the 340 with increased operating weights. Delta retroactively modified all its Convair 340s to the -440 standard.

Piedmont Airlines was founded on January 1, 1948. The airline began operations with the DC-3, and added later the Fairchild F-27 and the Martin 404. Piedmont introduced the Boeing 737 in 1968. PI's first 737 set new speed record for twin-jet transports during delivery flight, flying 2,501 miles from Seattle to Wilmington in four hours and 47 minutes. Boeing 737-200 N736N was delivered 1968-07-15 and christened "Sunshine State Pacemaker"

Piedmont Historical Archives link: http://www.jetpiedmont.com/

The Douglas DC-3 revolutionized commercial aviation with its passenger capacity, speed and economical operation. Delta acquired their first five DC-3s from the Douglas factory, others were ex military. First delivery : Nov 1940. Ship 40, named "City of Atlanta", was christened with a bottle of Coca-Cola. The Douglas DC-3 was the first airplane with a galley for food service. An Atlanta to Ft-Worth flight took 6 hours, made four stops, and cost $38.50. The last DC3 left Delta service on October 29, 1960.

At some point, Michel asked if there were any particular airlines or aircraft I had great memories of from the days of the old Atlanta terminal. I mentioned that I always loved seeing Air South / Florida Airlines Martin 404s and DC-3s at the airport when I was a kid. Of course, I never expected these...

Air South was a regional airline operating out of Atlanta. The all-propeller aircraft fleet included the Douglas DC-3, the Martin 404 and the Beech 99. Founded in 1968, Air South served a variety of destinations in Georgia, Florida and South Carolina. The airline was acquired by Florida Airlines in 1975.

Douglas DC-3 Air South / Florida Airlines at Atlanta Hartsfield Airport.

Delta Air Lines acquired five Douglas DC-10s in case of delay or cancellation of L-1011 deliveries. The planes arrived at Delta in late 1972. The airline started DC-10 service from Atlanta to New York La Guardia on December 15, 1972. Delta became the first airline to operate three of the first generation wide-bodied jets. Delta's DC-10 service ended on May 1, 1975. The airline acquired twelve DC-10s from Western Airlines when it merged with Delta on April 1, 1987. Last retirement: December 1, 1988.

Delta L-1011 N707DA - Atlanta Hartsfield Airport. Special Delta logo " WE THE PEOPLE " 1776-1976.

Delta Air Lines DC-8 taxiing for departure. N811E, Douglas DC-8-51 Cn 45672. On March 8, 1962, a Delta DC-8 was the first airplane to fly between Los Angeles and Atlanta in less than three hours. The official time was 2 hours, 57 minutes, 11 seconds. Number of seats: 152.

Delta Air Lines Boeing 747-132 Ship 101 N9896, christened "Georgia Belle". Delta acquired five Boeing 747s. The first one was delivered to Atlanta on October 2, 1970. First scheduled service Atlanta-Dallas-Los Angeles on October 29, 1970. The airline used it's 747 fleet between the major cities : Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas/Ft Worth, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami and New York.

Thanks again to Michel Schou. Such incredible talent!