Wheeler Airlines
Commenced operations | 1969 |
---|---|
Ceased operations | 1986 |
Operating bases | Raleigh–Durham International Airport |
Fleet size | 7 |
Key people | Warren Hervey Wheeler |
Wheeler Airlines was the operating name of Wheeler Flying Service (WHAA), the first black-owned airline certificated in the US by the
History
Wheeler Flying Service was started by Warren Wheeler in 1969, who at the time was a
Wheeler Flying Service provided flight training, charter services, aircraft maintenance and courier services for banks using Piper PA-28, PA-24 and PA-32,
In August 1973, Wheeler Flying Service received a grant from the North Carolina Economic Authority to provide scheduled passenger air service from Raleigh/Durham, NC to Morehead City, NC and Elizabeth City, NC using Cessna 402 commuter twin prop aircraft. No other flying company in North Carolina wanted the contract. This was the beginning of Wheeler Airlines.[3]
In 1974, Wheeler Airlines began scheduled passenger flights to Greenville, NC, Asheville, NC and Norfolk, VA. The flights to and from Greenville were requested by the Burroughs-Welcome Drug Company based in the Research Triangle Park and included passengers and a sample box delivered each day to the headquarters from their factory in Greenville. The airline switched to Piper PA-31 Navajo aircraft.
In 1975, Wheeler Airlines briefly operated a
The airline experienced significant growth during the early 1980s as major airlines assigned their jet aircraft to major markets. At its peak in 1984, Wheeler Airlines operated a fleet of five Beechcraft 99's. The routes expanded to Wilmington, Delaware, Washington, DC and Tri Cities, Tennessee. The airline hired a relatively large proportion of black pilots with low flight time, including two black women pilots, the first hired at major airlines.[6][7] Many of the pilots were trained at Wheeler Flying Service under the Federal CEDA Program. Low time pilots started as copilots in the Beech 99. When they reached 1,200 hours flight time they were assigned to fly courier routes in piston airplanes. Upon the completion of 2,000 hours the pilot could check out as a Beech 99 captain if they could pass an aircraft "check ride" conducted by Wheeler himself. All of the pilots gained valuable turbine time while employed at Wheeler Airlines and the vast majority of Wheeler Airline co-pilots black and white were or still are employed as pilots at major air carriers.
Wheeler introduced a number of firsts in the commuter industry, including one engine turn arounds and engine trend monitoring for turbine powered aircraft.[8]
In the 1980s the airline experienced competition from other commuter air carriers. Wheeler suffered a major blow when
Destinations
According to Wheeler Airlines route maps over the years, the following destinations were served at one time or another, as the carrier added and dropped a number of destinations during its existence:[10]
- Asheville, NC
- Atlantic City, NJ
- Augusta, GA
- Charleston, WV
- Charlotte, NC
- Danville, VA
- Elizabeth City, NC
- Greensboro, NC
- Greenville, NC
- Huntington, WV
- Kinston, NC
- Beaufort, NC
- Newport News, VA
- New York City, NY - served via LaGuardia Airport
- Norfolk, VA
- Parkersburg, WV
- Durham, NC
- Richmond, VA
- Rocky Mount, NC
- Tri-Cities area - Johnson City, TN - served via Tri-Cities Regional Airport
- Reagan National Airport
- Wilmington, DE
- Wilmington, NC
See also
References
- ISBN 9781573562461.
- ISBN 9781560984047.
- Time Magazine. Jul 21, 1975.
- ^ February 1, 1976 Official Airline Guide (OAG)
- ^ Wheeler airlines schedule. 1977, 1978, 1983 and 1984.
- ^ Weston, Martin (April 1976). "First Black Airline Gets Off The Ground". Ebony. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
- Ebony Magazine. April 1991.
- ^ "Increasing PT-6 Hot Section Life". Aviation Mechanics Journal. January 1982.
- ^ "Wheeler Airlines—An American First". Tar Heel Junior Historian. North Carolina Museum of History. Fall 2003.
- ^ http://www.departedflights.com, Wheeler Airlines route maps, April 15, 1975 through Nov. 1, 1986