La Jetée Press

12/06/2025

11/26/2025

11/23/2025

Trans-Canada introduced the Douglas DC-8 Series 40 on its domestic routes on 1 April 1960 and on its trans-Atlantic routes on 1 June 1960.

The DC-8 Series 10 was powered by the Pratt & Whitney JT3C which was the civilian version of the J57 engine. The Series 20 used the P&W JT4A which was the civilian version of the J75 engine. The Series 30 combined the JT4A engines of the Series 20 with a strengthened airframe for higher gross weights, so you could sort of think of the Series 30 as a Series 20ER.

The Series 40 was unusual in that it used the Rolls Royce Conway turbofan.

At the time of its introduction, the Conway was more efficient than either the JT3C or the JT4A, but US airlines didn't get the Series 40 for two reasons- they didn't want a British engine and they were holding out for the JT3D engine (civilian version of the TF33). There were three versions of the Series 40- the standard Series 41, the increased gross weight Series 42, and the even further increased gross weight Series 43 which had a 4% leading edge extension on the wings which improved the aerodynamics as well as provide a bit more space for fuel tanks.

Only 32 of the Series 40s were built and only three airlines ordered the Conway DC-8s- TCA, Canadian Pacific, and Alitalia.

Trans-Canada took delivery of all three variants of the Series 40- four Series 41s, four Series 42s, and three Series 43s- DC-8-41s (CF-TJA, -TJB, -TJC, and TJD), four DC-8-42s (CF-TJE, -TJF, -TJG, and -TJH) and three DC-8-43s (CF-TJJ, -TJK, and -TJL) . They were all delivered 1960-1961 before TCA switched to the DC-8 Series 54 (1963 onward and it had the P&W JT3D engine) with the first Super 61 arriving in 1967.

Of course, 1965 is when Trans Canada was rebranded as Air Canada.

The Series 40s with their older engines were the first DC-8s to leave the airline being withdrawn from September 1975 to June 1979.

11/22/2025

The XA-38 began as in-house studies at Beech as a heavily armed bomber interceptor scaled up from a Beech 18. Beech showed the designs to the military in late 1941, but when it was realized that the enemy bomber threat wasn't materializing, the Army asked that the design be reoriented as a ground attack aircraft with the designation XA-38 and named the Grizzly.

The XA-38 was seen as a potential replacement for the Douglas A-20 Havoc which first flew in 1939.

For a company that was known for training aircraft and pleasant general aviation designs, the Grizzly was quite a departure, armed with 50-caliber guns in fixed nose mounts as well as in dorsal and ventral remote controlled turrets and a heavy hitting 75mm cannon with 20 rounds.

The XA-38 would have two crew- a pilot and an observer/gunner who used periscopic sights to aim the gun turrets.

Two Wright R-3350 18-cylinder Duplex Cyclone radial engines provided 2300 hp each (some references say 2700 hp). The XA-38 had the same maximum loaded weight as a B-25 Mitchell but with only two crew and more powerful engines (1700 hp R-2600s on the B-25).

Beech test pilot Vern Carstens made the Grizzly's first flight from Beech Field in Wichita on 7 May 1944 and the flight test program showed the aircraft to be reliable and easily maintained with good handling characteristics. Its powerful engines made it fast, there are accounts of it outrunning its P-51 Mustang chase planes.

However, despite the aircraft's strengths, by 1944 the ground attack role was well served by existing types in service and the B-29 Superfortress program had priority of the R-3350 engines.

The second prototype first flew on 22 September 1945, but the war was over.
Only two prototypes were built and flown. One was eventually scrapped, but the other, earmarked for the USAF Museum, was "lost" in the 1950s.

Images: USAF, National Museum of the USAF, San Diego Air & Space Museum

11/21/2025

TransBrasil flew its first airline services in 1956 with a single DC-3, connecting the meat packing regions to the economic center of Brazil, São Paulo. The airline steadily expanded through the 1960s, getting the BAC One-Eleven as its first jet aircraft in 1970.

In 1972, the head of TransBrasil, Omar Fontana, rebranded SADIA as TransBrasil and rolled out a bold colorful livery that consisted of six different color schemes, each reflecting some aspect of Brazil- each of the schemes was two tone and inspired by Braniff International's Flying Colors that had rolled out at that time.

The six colors were called Coffee, Amazon, Wheat, Sun, Wine, and Water.
The 727-100 in the ad on the bottom wears the Water livery.

In 1974, TransBrasil standardized its jet fleet on the Boeing 727-100. It was a sign that TransBrasil was becoming a major player in the Brazilian airline market.

It called for a new livery design that was equally colorful that was still two-toned and consisted of color variations called "Color Energy" (Energia Colorida) with each scheme reflecting an energy source in Brazil- some of the livery names were Solar Energy, Wind Energy, Oil Energy, etc. That's the livery in ad on the right.

At TransBrasil, the 727-100s were called "Trijatões" (trijets). The airline had looked at the larger 727-200, but the -100 was better suited to its route network.

11/20/2025

In the 1980s, the passenger capacity of regional aircraft was tied to FAA regulations. Over 9 passengers needed two pilots, over 19 you needed a flight attendant, over 30 and you operate under the same rules as mainline jets. As a result, aircraft for the commuter/regional market were sized for the regs.

In the 1980s, Beech restarted production of the Beech 99 to get back into the airline business, but it was an interim measure as the definitive aircraft for the company was the Beech 1900 which evolved as a stretched King Air. However, in 1986, the Department of Transportation updated the Essential Air Service rules as well as extending the EAS program when it was supposed to expire. Many routes in the US West were not just thinner, but also longer.

Beech developed the 1300 Commuter as a 13 passenger version of the King Air 200 that was in essence, a short 1900. It was tailored to the longer, thin EAS-type routes in the Western United States.

Mesa Airlines was the launch customer of the 1300 Commuter with an order for five aircraft. One of their runs suited for the 1300 was Roswell, NM, to DFW- at 390nm, it was longer than most other EAS routes and typically at the time averaged nine passengers. An aircraft like the 1900 was too big, the 99 didn't have the legs, so the 1300 fit the mission profile the best.

Compared to a King Air 200, the 1300 Commuter had twin ventral strakes under the tail and an underfuselage baggage pod.

There were King 200 conversions by third parties to airline configuration like the CatPass 250 that looked similar, but the 1300 was optimized from the start and had cockpit commonality with the 1900.

Unfortunately changes in the market in the 1990s meant that the 1300 Commuter didn't do as well as planned. Only 14 aircraft were built.

11/19/2025

You cannot deny the awesomeness of this! Just try! You would be kinda be a jerk if you tried.

11/19/2025

Even though Puerto Rico was a US territory, the air mail routes to the island were considered foreign air mail routes prior to the Second World War. Dennis Powelson, a company pilot for the Don Q rum distillery, established his own airline in 1938, Powelson Line, to get the air mail contract.

The following year he rebranded as Caribbean Atlantic Airways (CAA) Using Stinson Tri-Motors, the airline flew its first services in 1942 between San Juan and the Virgin Islands. Postwar, the airline was branded as Caribair and was purchased by Dionisio, Benigno and Juan Trigo, three brothers with their own import-export business.

Caribair's services proved popular and the workhorse DC-3s that replaced the Stinsons were joined by Convair 340/440s as international services to the other islands of the Caribbean were added (the first being the Dominican Republic in 1948). In 1965, some of the Convairs were converted 640s with the re-engining with Dart turboprops.

Also in 1965, Caribair ordered its first Douglas DC-9s and inaugurated services the following year. They were the first Puerto Rican airline to operate pure jets. By 1968, Caribair had phased out the DC-3s and the fleet consisted of the DC-9 Series 30 and the Convair 640s.

Ambitious expansion put a crunch on Caribair's finances and by 1970, the airline needed cash badly.

Wanting to expand its Caribbean network, Eastern offered to buy Caribair and moved to manage the airline starting in 1970 pending merger approval by the Civil Aeronautics Board. Oddly, the CAB voted against the merger in deference to Pan Am who opposed Eastern's expansion.

Things got weird in 1972 when President Nixon urged the merger take place to save Caribair jobs to help Puerto Rico's governor, Luis Ferre, who was facing a tough re-election fight against challenger Rafael Colón who ultimately won.
In 1973, the merger was approved and Caribair was absorbed into Eastern Air Lines.

Images: Ed Coates, Carlos M. Rivera-Cuesta, William Sierra, Francisco Rodriguez

11/19/2025

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