Sunshine Skies
  • Home
  • Airlines
  • Airports
  • ATL history
  • Planes, etc
  • Timetables
  • Updates
  • About
    • The Book
    • Press
  • Contact
    • Mail Bag May-July 2018
  • Contributors

Eastern's first service at Columbus, GA 1944

9/26/2020

Comments

 
Picture
David H. Stringer contributed four photos of Eastern Air Lines' inaugural service at Columbus, GA which took place on August 1, 1944. They are old press photos and really capture the moment. With this additional material, I have split the CSG history into three pages. Enjoy!
Columbus - Part 1: 1920s-1950s
 
Columbus - Part 2: 1960s-1970s

Columbus - Part 3: 1980s-2020s
Comments

New AAT and Aerosun photos

9/24/2020

Comments

 
New photos on the website today sent in by readers. David Silvera sent a photo of an AeroSun / Red Carpet Convair 440 at St. Petersburg. Peter Tyson sent four photos taken of American Air Taxi's Heron N510FW on the ramp at Miami in 1972. Thanks guys! If you'd like to share material on the website, you can reach me (David) through the CONTACT page or the email icon at the bottom of every page.

​These photos are linked to the respective pages. Just click or tap on them.
Picture
AeroSun 440 at St. Petersburg, courtesy of David Silvera.
Picture
AAT Heron at Miami in 1972. Courtesy of Peter Tyson.
Comments

Atlanta's Midfield Terminal Turns 40 Today

9/21/2020

Comments

 
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport's terminal opened 40 years ago this morning. In honor of this occasion, and because overkill is sometimes a good thing, the ATL History section of the Sunshine Skies website has undergone a major update and expansion with 22 new pages and 292 additional images. Tap or click the Eastern advertisement to begin your journey.
Picture
Comments

History of Airline Service at Chattanooga

7/6/2020

Comments

 
Picture
Six new pages on the history of airline service at Chattanooga spanning nearly a century from 1928 to the present day. Over 130 images! While my intention for the website has been to focus on Florida and Georgia, I was sent such a wealth of great material that I couldn't let the opportunity pass. (Besides, CHA is only two and a half miles from the Georgia state line.) Thanks to Bill Peterson for prompting me to do this. The links for the individual pages are listed below.

Part 1: 1920s-1940s
Part 2: 1950s-1964
Part 3: 1964 Jet Age Terminal
Part 4: 1970s-1980s
Part 5: The old terminal in 1990
Part 6: The new terminal 1992-2000s
Comments

Waycross, GA - History of airline service

6/6/2020

Comments

 
A new page about the history of airline service at Waycross, GA. Eastern Air Lines pioneered air service at this south Georgia city in 1948 and was followed by Air South in 1969 and Atlantis Airlines in 1983. 
Picture
Comments

Major website update! 6 new airport pages!

5/26/2020

Comments

 
Picture
Loads of new material added this morning: 4 new Georgia airports, 6 new pages, 129 new images, 2 new videos! Vintage photos, old postcards, timetables, route maps, newspaper articles. Dig in and geek out.

Here are the links:

Albany, GA - History of Airline Service 1930s - 2020s

Atlanta PDK - History of Airline Service

Augusta, GA - Part 1: 1930s - 1960s

Augusta, GA - Part 2: 1970s - 1980s

Rome, GA - History of Airline Service


The history of airline service at Columbus, GA has been split into 2 pages. New material has been added to both.

Columbus, GA - Part 1: 1920s - 1970s

Columbus, GA - Part 2: 1980s - 2020s


Comments

More Columbus, GA photos

5/2/2020

Comments

 
New material has been added to the history of airline service at Columbus, GA including this early 1950s photo of Delta DC-3 ship 42, NC28342 (s/n 3279).
Picture
Comments

Commutaire International Airways Islander

5/1/2020

Comments

 
Commutaire International Airways operated shuttle flights between points in south Florida during their brief 4 month existence in 1976. New material has been added to the Commutaire page on the Sunshine Skies website including this beautiful photo of N856JA on the gravel ramp of the long closed Port Largo Airport in Key Largo.
Picture
Comments

Aero Coach photos

4/30/2020

Comments

 
Don Faber sent in a half dozen photos from a flight aboard an Aero Coach Cessna 402 between Ft. Lauderdale and North Eleuthera in 1989. Don asked if anyone can identify the pilot. "I’m sure he would appreciate the pic!" These and the other photos have been added to the website.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Comments

Panhandle Airways

4/29/2020

Comments

 
​Lots of new material on the Panhandle Airways page including several photos and a timetable courtesy of former Panhandle pilot Tony Diez. Tony sent in this photo of DC-3 N4996E in action along with some shots of the airline's Beech 18s.
Picture
Comments

Timetables added February 24, 2020

2/25/2020

Comments

 
AeroSun International
November 15, 1981
January 1, 1982
June 28, 1982

Air Miami
March 15, 1980
​May 1, 1980

Skybus Express
July 15, 1991
October 17, 1991
 
Skyway Commuter
​Undated circa Summer 1984
 
Slocum Air
Undated circa Fall 1981
December 15, 1981







Comments

Slides, slides... More new photos added

2/24/2020

Comments

 
Busily scanning slides. Here are some of the photos added to the website this week. Each photo links to its respective page.

AeroSun International Convair 440 N920RC at Miami in 1982.
Picture
Skybus Express GAF Nomad N418NE at Atlanta in 1991.
Picture
Slocum Air Britten Norman BN-2 Islander N67HA at the gate in Miami circa 1984.
Picture
GP Express Beechcraft C99 N113GP at Atlanta in 1992.
Picture
Comments

New photos!

2/11/2020

Comments

 
I'm finally getting around to scanning and uploading over a hundred new slides and photos I've accumulated in the last year and a half. Lots of great stuff on the way.

Very excited to have finally found a color photo of Vero Monmouth's DH-114 Heron N14146, which was later re-registered N6VM  (msn 14146). Here she is pictured at  Miami in February 1974. Check out the Vero Monmouth page.
Picture
Comments

History of ATL Lecture and Slide Show on June 22

5/28/2019

Comments

 
I'll be presenting an hour-long journey through the history of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport at 10am on June 22 at the Delta Flight Museum as part of the Airliners International 2019 event. I'll cover 9 decades in 60 minutes with 100 photos showing the transformation from dirt race track to world's busiest airport. Museum admission will be $7. More details in this snazzy poster below. Hope to see you there!
Airliners International 2019 David Henderson
Comments

The latest additions

12/17/2018

Comments

 
Timetables from Cape Air, Florida Air Lines, Mackey International, Marco Island Airways and State Airlines have been added to the site as well as a few Mackey International airline issued postcards. Much more on the way!
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Comments

Treasures from the Slide Box & More Timetable Gems

11/26/2018

Comments

 
I have been adding images from my slide collection in the past couple of weeks. A few favorites:

Pinehurst Airlines YS-11 N112PH at Atlanta in 1981. Beautiful!
Picture
Southeastern Commuter Airlines Riley Dove N808RH at Atlanta circa 1982.
Picture
Atlantic Gulf Airlines Vickers Viscount N140RA at St. Petersburg circa 1983-84.
Picture
The "timetable a day" continues. Here are some of the recent additions to the website.
Dolphin Airlines - May 1, 1983
Executive Airlines - October 26, 1969
Pinehurst Airlines (4 timetables)
Phoenix Airlines - April 8, 1980
Shawnee Airlines (3 timetables)
​Southeastern Commuter Airlines (7 timetables)
Sunbird Airlines - April 1, 1985
Many of these timetables are filled with great aircraft photos, route maps, vintage terminal diagrams and advertisements in addition to the flight schedules. These are a few highlights. The photos link to the corresponding pages.

Shawnee Airlines fleet overview from the February 1, 1972 timetable. 
Picture
Pinehurst Airlines - 1960s airplanes, 1980s hair!
Picture
An ATL terminal map from the August 14, 1981 Pinehurst timetable showing the original layout with 4 1/2 concourses.
Picture
A wonderful air-to-air photo of Phoenix Airlines' de Havilland DH-114 Heron, an odd and beautiful 4-engine beast.
Picture
Picture
Route map hidden away in the back of a Dolphin Airlines timetable from May 1, 1983 showing the airline at its peak. The airline began to rapidly downsize after this and went out of business eight months later in January 1984.
Picture
And finally, from the same Dolphin timetable, something you're unlikely to ever see published by an airline again.
Picture
Comments

New Pages

11/8/2018

Comments

 
November 8, 2018
Timetable pages for Air South , Florida Air Lines and Sunbird Airlines

November 2, 2018
Curbside at Atlanta's Temporary Terminal 1958-1960

October 29, 2018
Macon, GA - History of Airline Service, part 1

October 24, 2018
Athens, GA - History of Airline Service
Comments

Macon, GA 1920s-1970s, Curbside at ATL, 1000 Likes, Naples Airlines timetables and more timetables...

11/2/2018

Comments

 
Lots of new material on the website this week! There is a huge backlog that has been sitting untouched on my hard drive for over a year and I'm finally getting around to all of it.

The first of a 2-part look at the history of airline service at Macon is finished. It covers the first 5 decades and includes some great photos such as this one of a Delta Convair 440 at the brand new terminal in 1959.
Picture
Also new this week: a curbside look at Atlanta's "Temporary Terminal" which served the city from 1948 to 1961. Some great photos here too including this rare color shot. There are also a few current photos for comparison.
Picture
We surpassed 1000 likes on Facebook this week. Thanks!
I continue to upload timetables to the website on the average of one a day. That may sound slow but there'll be over 400 this time next year!  Among this week's additions: Nationwide Southeast Airlines, Cherokee Airways and a 1972 Naples Airlines timetable that features this DC-3 illustration.
Picture
Jacksonville International Airport turned 50 this week so I took the opportunity to add more photos on all of the JAX pages.
Picture
More on the way!
Comments

History of airline service at Athens, GA, N137PB gets a makeover and more timetables!

10/25/2018

Comments

 
A brand new page about the history of airline service at Athens, GA. including this great William Sierra photo of Southern Airways' Martin 404 N258S at AHN in 1973.
Picture
Former Provincetown - Boston Airline / Naples Airlines DC-3 N137PB has just been repainted in the basic 1970s colors of PBA minus the titles and logo. This gorgeous photo shows "37" at Cape Cod Airfield on October 24, 2018 after having the right side of the aircraft repainted. Also posted new photos of former N136PB and N39PB on the PBA DC-3s - Where Are They Now? page. Photo credit: Chris Siderwicz Jr. via Pete Johnson.
Picture
Last but not least, complete timetables are being added to the website almost daily. The latest additions include Aero Coach, Aerosun and Air Carolina. You can find the complete list in progress on the TIMETABLES page. Many of these include terminal maps, company histories and aircraft photos including one of my personal favorites, this Air Carolina Twin Otter photo which was obviously cut and pasted by hand. (Check out the tires!)
Picture
P.S. - The Airline Collectibles Show at the Delta Flight Museum in Atlanta was great fun. The setting can't be beat. Photographer Joey Appie has posted an entertaining collection of photos of the event.
Comments

ASA timetables, National Lodestar, Flagship Detroit

10/16/2018

Comments

 
Picture
Hello there! It's been a busy couple of weeks. The collectibles show in Atlanta on October 6th was a lot of fun. I shared a table with Dale Hartsfield, the man who is largely responsible for convincing the city of Atlanta to retain "Hartsfield" as part of the airport name. (I highly recommend his book What's In A Name?.) It was great to see old friends and to meet many of you in person for the first time. Your support, enthusiasm and suggestions for the website are much appreciated. Also picked up several dozen photos and slides which will find their way to the site in coming weeks. Here's a really cool panorama of the show that was sent through facebook. Our table was in the corner just to the left of the DC-9 tail. Not sure of the photographer's name.
Picture
Picture
NEW ON THE WEBSITE THIS WEEK: A dozen complete Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA) timetables from 1979 - 1984. This is part of an ongoing effort to digitize my entire Georgia and Florida-based commuter airline timetable collection for easy reference and posterity. One never knows when that random flash flood or falling tree will wipe out 50+ years worth of history. It will be nice to have them online.
NATIONAL AIRLINES LODESTAR AT VALDOSTA, GA
Picture
Robert Winter III sent in this fantastic photo of a National Airlines Lockheed Lodestar at Valdosta, Georgia. National served Valdosta during the 1940s and early 50s as one of many stops between Jacksonville and New Orleans.

Robert wrote, "We are digitizing about 23,000 images from slides and negatives made by the Lucian Holtzendorff and Robert Winter photographers.  This picture by Major L.C. Holtzendorff in the US Army Dental Corps shows his wife, Ruth Holtzendorff at left, and sons Lewis, 4 and Lucian III, 9, and grandmother Lilla Holtzendorff."
FLAGSHIP DETROIT AT COLLEGEDALE, TENNESSEE, OCTOBER 7, 2018
We were very excited to finally ride aboard the world's oldest flying DC-3, Flagship Detroit, which was delivered to American Airlines in 1937. Here are a few photos...
Flagship Detroit DC-3 at Collegedale
Flagship Detroit DC-3 at Collegedale
Flagship Detroit DC-3 at Collegedale
Flagship Detroit DC-3 at Collegedale
Flagship Detroit DC-3 at Collegedale
The DC-3 still seems so modern that we had to "age" this in Photoshop to make the point that this aircraft is EIGHTY ONE years old!
Picture
Comments

A busy week! VQ, PBA, SRQ, Old 36, Flagship Detroit

9/24/2018

Comments

 
Last week I began adding pages dedicated to individual timetables of commuter airlines of Georgia and Florida starting with Chalk's and PBA. The response was great and I received many encouraging comments. I plan to continue to scan and upload more at the slow but realistic pace of one or two a day, so by this time next year we'll have a large online archive. 
As always, thanks to the many contributors who continue to send photos, scans, videos and their stories. Their material keeps the website alive and growing and I sincerely appreciate their time and effort. 

ADDED TO THE WEBSITE IN THE LAST WEEK:
A new page about VQ Airlines which operated flights to Walt Disney World via Maguire Airport, a 2,400 grass airstrip located 9 miles from the Magic Kingdom. Thanks to Don Henchel for scanning his rare VQ timetable for this page.

Four new photos added to the Naples Airlines page including two from Karl Innes and a DC-3 print mailed by William Moriaty.

Shea Oakley sent an amazing treasure trove of photos from Sarasota Airport and I added another batch to the history of SRQ. They are spread across three pages: parts one, two, and three. This photo of an Executive Airlines Beech B99 is a particular standout.
Picture
The PBA timetable from December 1985 commemorates the Golden Anniversary of the first flight of the Douglas DC-3 in 1935 and mentions an upcoming episode of the PBS program NOVA about the venerable "Gooney Bird". The program happens to be on YouTube so I added a link.
PBA DC-3 N136PB UPDATE
Jimmy Vach shared these recollections and N136PB update: 
"I grew up with PBA, Naples Airlines and the Van Arsdales. My father was Vice President of PBA for many years, Capt. Jim Vach. He is 71 now and very active living in Oviedo, Fl. I flew in these DC-3's almost every day as a young child with all the pilots, all summer long and have the greatest memories of the airline and the planes. I even remember the old Aztec and Lockheeds, Martin 404's, Bandierantes, YS-11s and world's largest fleet of Cessna 402's. 

Oh... I forgot to mention I filmed [former PBA DC-3 N136PB] flying around my hotel today! 

It may be a bit blurry but it's great to see "Old 36" still in action after all these decades.
"Old 36 was up buzzing around again today. Got some more great video of her flyin’ low over the hotel (in Wilsonville, Oregon). I think she might be getting ready to participate in the Oregon INTL Air Show next weekend!" ​
FLAGSHIP DETROIT
My family went to see the gorgeous 1937-vintage American Airlines Flagship Detroit DC-3 in LaFayette, GA on September 22. Didn't have the time (or cash!) to take a ride but was able to stand near the edge of the runway as she took off and got the see the interior when it returned. Hoping to catch a flight when she visits Collegedale near Chattanooga next week.

​Here's a slow motion video my son took of the takeoff.
Picture
And... don't forget!
The 32nd Annual Atlanta Airline Collectibles Show & Sale at the Delta Flight Museum
October 6, 2018
Time: 9am - 4pm
​Admission $7     Kids under 12 are free

I'll be selling books, postcards and other items at this year's collectible show at the Delta Museum. Please stop by and say hello!
Picture
Comments

New Timetable Pages

9/18/2018

Comments

 
Many readers have suggested that I add pages dedicated to timetables of the various commuter airlines on this site and I have taken these comments to heart. For starters, I've added 22 pages of timetables from the two most popular airlines on the site: Chalk's and PBA. You can peruse the timetable list HERE.
Picture
This week I also added a few images to the Chalk's International Airlines page including this fantastic poster-sized route map from 1993 painted in the style of an antique pirate treasure map. 
Picture
Comments

2 New Airline Pages: Walker's Cay and Winnipesaukee Airlines

9/1/2018

Comments

 
Two new airline pages have been added to the site: Fort Lauderdale-based Walker's Cay / Walker's International and Winnipesaukee, which flew a very short-lived service between Punta Gorda and Tampa in 1976-77.
Picture
Picture
Comments

More Sarasota, Marathon and JAX photos!

8/28/2018

Comments

 
Picture
Thanks to our generous contributors, I have recently received a wealth of vintage airport photos from around the Sunshine State. In fact, so many new photos have come in that I have divided the Sarasota and Jacksonville Airport histories into additional pages covering smaller time frames, splitting decades into 5 year periods, etc. There are nearly 20 new photos spread among these pages and more are on the way.
Some highlights:
Tony Daiuto sent in a photo showing the construction of Marathon Airport in 1943 and a shot of National's first flight to the airport in 1959. Tony is currently working on a documentary to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the airport opening.

Marshall Massengale shared several photos from his time as a summer temporary Delta ramp employee at JAX in 1971-72.  

Shea Oakley sent a treasure trove of late 1960s - early 1970s SRQ photos and postcard views. There are several that show National's short-lived DC-8 service to the airport.

Photos from the JAX archives showing the dedication and opening of Jacksonville international Airport in 1968.

PLEASE CONTRIBUTE!
I'm currently putting together additional histories of airports in Georgia and Florida and can use your help. I am looking for photos from Augusta, Albany, Athens, Macon, St. Simons, Waycross, Rome, Key West, Ocean Reef, Naples and others. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated! Even if the photos are blurry or grainy or the composition is a little "off", they can still help illustrate a particular time or event. Please help us preserve the commercial aviation history of Florida and Georgia.
Comments

Atlanta's old 1961 terminal after closing

8/13/2018

Comments

 
Added over a dozen photos showing Atlanta's empty 1961 terminal six months after it closed.
Picture
Comments
<<Previous

    Updates

    The latest  news  and additions to the Sunshine Skies website.

    Archives

    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020
    May 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    October 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Buy me a coffeeBuy me a coffee
SUPPORT SUNSHINE SKIES! If you enjoy this website and appreciate what I have created and shared, please consider a small financial contribution by "buying a cup of coffee". Thanks!

 © 2005-2020 David P. Henderson

If you would like to contribute photos, scans, stories or additional information about any of the airlines, airports or aircraft on this site, please contact me, David Henderson, using the mail icon above. Help preserve the colorful history of aviation in Florida and Georgia! 
  • Home
  • Airlines
  • Airports
  • ATL history
  • Planes, etc
  • Timetables
  • Updates
  • About
    • The Book
    • Press
  • Contact
    • Mail Bag May-July 2018
  • Contributors