Challenger Airlines was a United States airline incorporated in
Wyoming
Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...
, December 31, 1941, by Charles W. Hirsig II, as Summit Airways Inc., a non-scheduled carrier. In 1944, Hirsig filed an application with the
Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) Docket No. 1091, for a
Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity to engage in air transportation in Wyoming,
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
, and
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...
.
History
Mr. Hirsig was killed in an airplane accident on January 15, 1945. After Hirsig's death, George J. Forbes, president of the 1st National Bank of Laramie WY, a director and one of the original incorporators of Summit became president. At the annual stockholders meeting January 7, 1947, the airline company's name was changed from Summit Airways Inc., to Challenger Airlines Company, and George W. Snyder Jr. was elected President and General Manager.
On January 9, 1947, the ''
Laramie Republican and Boomerang'', reported that Summit Airways
hallengerhad purchased three
Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner
manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II.
It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version ...
planes from the Pennsylvania Airline Company. Snyder moved all operations to
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
, where a hangar was leased on the airport and the main office was located downtown in the Felt Building.
On January 27, 1947, Summit
hallengerpurchased a
C-47
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota (Royal Air Force, RAF, Royal Australian Air Force, RAAF, Royal Canadian Air Force, RCAF, Royal New Zealand Air Force, RNZAF, and South African Air Force, SAAF designation) is a airlift, military transport ai ...
, at
Hill Air Force Base
Hill Air Force Base is a major U.S. Air Force (USAF) base located in northern Utah, just south of the city of Ogden, and bordering the Cities of Layton, Clearfield, Riverdale, Roy, and Sunset with its largest border immediately adjacent to ...
, near
Ogden, Utah
Ogden is a city in and the county seat of Weber County, Utah, United States, approximately east of the Great Salt Lake and north of Salt Lake City. The population was 87,321 in 2020, according to the US Census Bureau, making it Utah's eighth ...
, from the
War Assets Administration
The War Assets Administration (WAA) was created to dispose of United States government-owned surplus material and property from World War II. The WAA was established in the Office for Emergency Management, effective March 25, 1946, by Executive Ord ...
which brought Challenger's fleet to four DC-3s. (The C-47 was the military version of the
Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner
manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II.
It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version ...
). An
AT-6 was also owned by the Company, which was used for pilot route familiarization, and occasionally to fly a mechanic and parts to a city where a DC-3 had a mechanical problem.
Challenger achieved full-scale operations on July 10, 1947, on all segments of Air Mail Route 74, with service between
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
,
Billings, Montana
Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Metrop ...
, and
Denver, Colorado
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
. Intermediate stops on the routes were
Vernal, Utah,
Evanston,
Kemmerer
Kemmerer may refer to:
Places in the United States
* Kemmerer, Wyoming, a city
* Kemmerer High School, a high school in Kemmerer, Wyoming
* Kemmerer House, a historic home in Emmaus, Pennsylvania
* Kemmerer Hotel, a former historic hotel in Ke ...
,
Powell
Powell may refer to:
People
* Powell (surname)
* Powell (given name)
* Powell baronets, several baronetcies
*Colonel Powell (disambiguation), several military officers
*General Powell (disambiguation), several military leaders
*Governor Powell (di ...
,
Cody
Cody may refer to:
People
*Cody (given name)
*Cody (surname)
* Cody (wrestler), a ring name of Cody Runnels
Places Canada
*Cody, British Columbia
United States
* Cody, Florida
*Cody (Duluth), Minnesota
*Cody, Missouri
*Cody, Nebraska
*Cody, Wyo ...
,
Lovell,
Greybull,
Worland,
Thermopolis
Thermopolis is the county seat and largest town in Hot Springs County, Wyoming, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the town population was 2,725.
Thermopolis is Greek for "hot city." It is home to numerous natural hot springs, in which m ...
,
Riverton,
Casper
Casper may refer to:
People
* Casper (given name)
* Casper (surname)
* Casper (Maya ruler) (422–487?), ruler of the Mayan city of Palenque
* Tok Casper, first known king of Maya city-state Quiriguá in Guatemala, ruling beginning in 426
* David ...
,
Rock Springs,
Rawlins,
Laramie and
Cheyenne
The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized nations: the Southern Cheyenne, who are enroll ...
WY, plus
Ft. Collins
Fort Collins is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Larimer County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 169,810 at the 2020 census, an increase of 17.94% since 2010. Fort Collins ...
and
Greeley in CO.
The real opportunity to prove its value to the people of Wyoming came with the paralyzing blizzard in the month of February, 1949. Challenger pilots flew thousands of passengers who had been immobilized by roof-high snow drifts which blocked highways and railroads over much of the state. Tons of fresh meat, bread, produce and Red Cross supplies filled practically every scheduled and shuttle flight to its gross weight capacity as Challenger's "Sunliners" roared off snow swept airports across Wyoming.
The airline was in financial trouble most of its existence and merged with
Monarch Airlines
Monarch Airlines, also known as Monarch, was a British Air charter, charter and scheduled airline founded by Bill Hodgson and Don Peacock and financed by the Switzerland, Swiss Sergio Mantegazza family. The company later became a low-cost air ...
and
Arizona Airways
Rocky Nelson, an Arizona entrepreneur, formed Arizona Airways in 1942, using Douglas DC-3 aircraft to fly passengers from Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, to other, nearby destinations, including Prescott Municipal Airport in Pre ...
on June 1, 1950, to form
Frontier Airlines
Frontier Airlines is a major ultra-low-cost U.S. airline headquartered in Denver, Colorado. It operates flights to over 100 destinations throughout the United States and 31 international destinations, and employs more than 3,000 staff. The ca ...
, headquartered in
Denver, Colorado
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
.
See also
*
List of defunct airlines of the United States
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
References
*Schultz, Ken "Challenger Airlines Company". Wheat Ridge, Colorado: Self-published essay, 2001–2001.
*Lamkins, Jake "Challenger Airlines website". http://Jakeroo.tripod.com/Challenger.html
External links
Old Frontier Airlinesa website about the history of the old Frontier Airlines and its predecessor airlines.
Defunct airlines of the United States
Airlines established in 1941
Companies based in Wyoming
Companies based in Salt Lake City
Defunct companies based in Utah
1941 establishments in Wyoming
1950 disestablishments in Utah
1950 mergers and acquisitions
Airlines disestablished in 1950
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