Originally Posted by
treadigraph
As I recall, that visit in '84 fielded a respectable number of surviving 404s, all the PBA and Marco Island Airways aircraft at Miami, Naples and Marco Island. It was exactly 40 years ago, arrived at Miami on 24th February -
Drove down to Key West a couple of times and also later flew down in a C152 with a friend, with a brief stop at Marathon on the way back. Beautiful. Got a photo of sunset with a vintage sailing vessel heading out of the harbour area - what you can't see is the DC-6 rumbling overhead SW towards Central America...
Awesome days...
My Martin 404 flight was when Air Florida (QH) was still around and we still got very good Staff Travel Standby deals with them on their Gatwick-MIA run.
Air Florida would go under by summer 1984, so I think my PBA 404 flight was around between Feb and April 1984, or possibly one year earlier...1983.
My last holiday to Key West some years later, I recall going on a
Bandeirante.
Provincetown-Boston Airlines (PBA) was founded in 1949 by John C. Van Arsdale in Provincetown, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod.
Seasonal expansion at PBA and contraction was the norm, but with year-round service to all locations.
The larger aircraft were flown in New England during the busy summer months, with the smaller aircraft operating in Florida.
In the winter months, the fleet would be swapped, with the DC-3s and Martin 404s migrating to Florida.
This expansion and the integration of all the new routes, aircraft and personnel, along with the purchase of Marco Airways in 1984 where PBA expanded into the Bahamas, but this brought about technical, safety and administrative shortcomings, which culminated in 2 crashes in July and September 1984.
One pilot was killed when a PBA C402 went down in the sea near Boston Logan, and then the crash of another C402 after take off at Naples FL where one passenger was killed.
An investigation revealed that the aircraft had been refuelled with Jet-A fuel rather than Avgas.
In November 1984, the FAA grounded the airline for this and many other safety violations.
In December 1984, the airline was allowed to return to the skies, but then days later came another fatal crash, when on December 6, 1984, 13 people were killed when a PBA Bandeirante crashed shortly after takeoff from Jacksonville FL. Mechanical problems were to blame for this crash.
Confidence in the airline was lost, the Company was losing money, which then saw the airline in big trouble, and PBA filed for bankruptcy.
PBA clung on with various bail out buyers, eventually merging with Bar Harbor Airlines and operating flights as Eastern Express before closing down in 1988.
The demise of the Airline that had boasted the Nation's oldest continuously operating airliner with a DC-3 N38PB built for American Airlines in 1939.
PBA also flew a DC-3 N136PB that was delivered to Eastern in 1937, she was the pride of the PBA fleet and was then the highest time airliner in the world.
PBA was one of the last U.S. airlines to operate the classic 40-passenger Martin 404 built in 1951 for TWA.
A great shame was when Air Florida went under and so another airline was lost on the Gatwick-Miami run (Laker had gone in 1982).
At their peak of 4 x DC-10 30's, QH would be busy at LGW with often 3 of their DC-10 aircraft seen a day at peak times.
I recall the chaotic scenes at Miami check-in just after the New Year holiday
when I was trying to get home to London on Staff Standby, maybe 1982?
Laker had 3 DC-10 flights to Gatwick and all were chock full, so no chance there, and Air Florida had 2 to LGW and 1 to MAN
but again no joy!
So I had to go back to my accommodation, and repeat the process
on the next two evenings ----
Both GK and QH by now only had one flight each to LGW and again all were full - UGH!
So on night 3, I was running around like a maniac at MIA Terminal E trying to find an airline to get home on...
GK had just one flight, and the QH was delayed 12 hours.
BA and Pan Am were going to LHR but both their check-ins were at ''close-out''.
PAA said Yes we have a seat, but we cannot take your bag here, you have 5 minutes, so you will have to run like hell and take your bag with you to the gate
and you may have a chance....Oh!
So, I thought
I'm not gonna make that.
A nice lady at BA was just taking down the ''Heathrow'' signs (sigh) above the BA check-in desks and I ran up to her, where she said
''You were here last night!''
I replied Er Yes,
and the night before...She said ''Hang on a minute''...
By now the Terminal and check-in areas were almost empty as all the Europe departures were leaving
or had left already.
The nice BA lady came back with a Boarding Card and said ''There you go, I can take your bag here,
but you do have to run!''
It was a Boarding Card for a seat in Super Club!
I've never run so fast before LOL.
The Fillet Steak was rather nice.