Central Airlines was a passenger airline (the

Civil Aeronautics Board The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) was an agency of the federal government of the United States, formed in 1938 and abolished in 1985, that regulated aviation services including scheduled passenger airline serviceStringer, David H."Non-Skeds: T ...

(CAB) called it a "local service" air carrier) in

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, 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 wes ...

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

, Oklahoma, and

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

from 1949 to 1967. It was founded by Keith Kahle in 1944 to operate charter and fixed base services in Oklahoma, but was not granted an

air operator's certificate An air operator's certificate (AOC) is the approval granted by a civil aviation authority (CAA) to an aircraft operator to allow it to use aircraft for commercial purposes. This requires the operator to have personnel, assets, and system in plac ...

until 1946 and did not begin scheduled flights until , just before the certificate expired. Central was then headquartered at

Meacham Field Fort Worth Meacham International Airport (Meacham Field) is a general aviation airport located near the intersection of Interstate 820 and Business U.S. Highway 287 in Fort Worth, Texas, United States. It is named after former Fort Worth Mayor ...

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. Accord ...

. The airline was eventually acquired by and merged into the original Frontier Airlines which continued and expanded its network.

History

Early backers and members of the board of directors included Fort Worth oilman F. Kirk Johnson, former City Councilman R.E. Harding, Jr., Don Earhart, and actor James Stewart; Stewart remained on the board for many years. Lamar Muse was president before going to Universal Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and then founding

Muse Air In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...

. On , the CAB awarded Central Airlines an operating certificate for commercial service in Oklahoma and Texas. Despite this, flights still had not started in March 1949, and the CAB gave the airline until July 1 of that year to start service or lose its certificate. On 10 August, Kahle announced that Central had purchased eight Beechcraft Bonanzas, and that service would start soon. The airline's inaugural flight finally occurred on 15 September 1949 from Fort Worth to

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

with intermediate stops in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

and Gainesville. By the end of its first year of service, Central had carried 8,122 passengers. In November 1950, Central began operating three Douglas DC-3s, and announced that its fleet of eleven Bonanzas would be phased out as more DC-3s were acquired.

Convair CV-240 The Convair CV-240 is an American airliner that Convair manufactured from 1947 to 1954, initially as a possible replacement for the ubiquitous Douglas DC-3. Featuring a more modern design with cabin pressurization, the 240 series made some inro ...

s were added in the 1960s; beginning in 1965 the CV-240s were converted to

Convair CV-600 Convair, previously Consolidated Vultee, was an American aircraft manufacturing company that later expanded into rockets and spacecraft. The company was formed in 1943 by the merger of Consolidated Aircraft and Vultee Aircraft. In 1953, it ...

s, their piston engines being replaced with

Rolls-Royce Dart The Rolls-Royce RB.53 Dart is a turboprop engine designed and manufactured by Rolls-Royce Limited. First run in 1946, it powered the Vickers Viscount on its maiden flight in 1948. A flight on July 29 of that year, which carried 14 paying passe ...

turboprop engines. In August 1953 Central scheduled flights to 19 airports. Central's 1955 network blanketed Oklahoma and extended to Amarillo, Dallas-Fort Worth, Little Rock and Kansas City; in April 1957 it served 29 airports. When the airline merged into Frontier in October 1967, Central routes served 40 cities from

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 ...

to Kansas City and

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

and south to Oklahoma City,

Tulsa Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

, Dallas and Fort Worth. In 1961 the head office moved to Amon Carter Field (later renamed

Greater Southwest International Airport Greater Southwest International Airport , originally Amon Carter Field, was the commercial airport serving Fort Worth, Texas, from 1953 until 1974. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport opened in 1974 a few miles north to replace Greater Southw ...

) in Fort Worth. That same year, Central carried its millionth passenger; in 1962, Central was operating six Convairs and eighteen DC-3s, and carrying about 24,000 passengers a month. Like other "local service" airlines regulated by the federal CAB, Central was subsidized; in 1963, its operating revenues of million (equivalent to million in ) included a million federal subsidy (equivalent to million in ). On 20 September 1966, Central filed a petition with the CAB to merge with

Ozark Air Lines Ozark Air Lines was an airline that operated in the United States from 1950 until 1986 when it was purchased by Trans World Airlines (TWA). In 2001, TWA was merged into American Airlines. A smaller regional airline that used the Ozark name ( ...

, which would have created one of the largest local service carriers in the United States. Central cited financial difficulties as the reason for seeking a merger. The merged company would use the Ozark name. However, on 9 November 1966, the two airlines announced that merger talks had ended by mutual consent due to financine difficulties. When it was acquired by and merged into the original Frontier Airlines on October 1, 1967, Central was operating a fleet of Convair CV-600 turboprops as well as sixteen Douglas piston-powered DC-3s. Central was planning to introduce new

Douglas DC-9-10 The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 is an American five-abreast single-aisle aircraft designed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It was initially produced by the developer company as the Douglas DC-9 until August 1967 and then by McDonnell Douglas. After ...

jets with the airline running a print ad in the

Official Airline Guide OAG is a global travel data provider with headquarters in the UK. The company was founded in 1929 and operates in the USA, Singapore, Japan, Lithuania and China. It has a large network of flight information data including schedules, flight st ...

announcing this upcoming DC-9 service; however, the DC-9s were never delivered due to the merger. Frontier continued to operate the Convair CV-600s for a time but then retired them in favor of

Convair CV-580 Convair, previously Consolidated Vultee, was an American aircraft manufacturing company that later expanded into rockets and spacecraft. The company was formed in 1943 by the merger of Consolidated Aircraft and Vultee Aircraft. In 1953, i ...

turboprops which were the backbone of Frontier's fleet in the late 1960s. Frontier would eventually introduce

Boeing 737-200 The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Renton Factory in Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the 707 fuselage width and six abreast seating with two u ...

jet service to smaller cities previously served by Central including Fort Smith, AR;

Joplin, MO Joplin is a city in Jasper and Newton counties in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Missouri. The bulk of the city is in Jasper County, while the southern portion is in Newton County. Joplin is the largest city located within both Jas ...

; Lawton, OK;

Manhattan, KS Manhattan is a city and county seat of Riley County, Kansas, United States, although the city extends into Pottawatomie County. It is located in northeastern Kansas at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. As of the 2020 cen ...

; Pueblo, CO; Salina, KS; and

Topeka, KS Topeka ( ; Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeast Kansas, in the Central Un ...

. In 1986 Frontier Airlines (1950-1986) was merged into Continental Airlines. In 2010 Continental was merged into

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.

. Central Airlines received four consecutive National Safety Council aviation safety awards from 1950 to 1953 for operating without a single accident or injury to passengers or crew. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) records indicate that no passenger was ever seriously injured or killed aboard a Central Airlines flight from 1962 to 1968.

Destinations

On inauguration of service in late 1949 and early 1950, Central served the following destinations: *

Ada Ada may refer to: Places Africa * Ada Foah, a town in Ghana * Ada (Ghana parliament constituency) * Ada, Osun, a town in Nigeria Asia * Ada, Urmia, a village in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Ada, Karaman, a village in Karaman Province, ...

, OK *

Amarillo Amarillo ( ; Spanish for " yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Potter County. It is the 14th-most populous city in Texas and the largest city in the Texas Panhandle. A portion of the city extends into Randall Cou ...

, TX * Ardmore, OK * Arkansas City, KS *

Bartlesville Bartlesville is a city mostly in Washington County in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 37,290 at the 2020 census. Bartlesville is north of Tulsa and south of the Kansas border. It is the county seat of Washington County. The Can ...

, OK *

, TX - Dallas Love Field * Durant, OK * Enid, OK * Fort Worth, TX -

* Gainesville, TX * Greenville, TX * Holdenville, OK *

, OK * Okmulgee, OK * Pampa, TX *

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, TX *

Ponca City Ponca City ( iow, Chína Uhánⁿdhe) is a city in Kay County in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The city was named after the Ponca tribe. Ponca City had a population of 25,387 at the time of the 2010 census- and a population of 24,424 in the 2020 ...

, OK *

Shawnee The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky a ...

, OK *

Sherman Sherman most commonly refers to: *Sherman (name), a surname and given name (and list of persons with the name) ** William Tecumseh Sherman (1820–1891), American Civil War General *M4 Sherman, a tank Sherman may also refer to: Places United St ...

, TX -

Sherman Municipal Airport Sherman Municipal Airport is a city-owned public airport located mile southeast of the central business district of Sherman, Texas, Sherman, in Grayson County, Texas, Grayson County, Texas. Many U.S. airports use the same three-letter location ...

* Texarkana, AR/TX *

, OK * Wichita, KS * Woodward, OK According to its July 1, 1967 timetable, Central was serving the following destinations shortly before the merger with Frontier: * Ada, OK * Amarillo, TX * Bartlesville, OK * Borger, TX * Colorado Springs, CO * Dallas, TX - Dallas Love Field (DAL) * Denver, CO * Dodge City, KS * Duncan, OK * Enid, OK * Fayetteville, AR * Fort Leonard Wood, MO * Fort Smith, AR * Fort Worth, TX -

(GSW) - no longer in existence * Garden City, KS * Goodland, KS * Great Bend, KS * Guymon, OK * Harrison, AR * Hays, KS * Hot Springs, AR * Hutchinson, KS * Joplin, MO * Kansas City - Kansas City Municipal Airport (MKC) * Lamar, CO * Lawton, OK * Liberal, KS * Little Rock, AR * Manhattan, KS * McAlester, OK * Muskogee, OK * Paris, TX * Parsons, KS * Ponca City, OK * Pueblo, CO * St. Louis, MO * Salina, KS * Stillwater, OK * Topeka, KS * Tulsa, OK * Wichita Falls, TX The timetable states that Central was operating

Convair 600 The Convair CV-240 is an American airliner that Convair manufactured from 1947 to 1954, initially as a possible replacement for the ubiquitous Douglas DC-3. Featuring a more modern design with cabin pressurization, the 240 series made some inroa ...

s and Douglas DC-3s at this time.

Fleet

Convair CV-600, Central Airlines JP6936719

Central Airlines operated the following: * Beechcraft Bonanza (model A35) *

Convair 240 The Convair CV-240 is an American airliner that Convair manufactured from 1947 to 1954, initially as a possible replacement for the ubiquitous Douglas DC-3. Featuring a more modern design with cabin pressurization, the 240 series made some inro ...

(Convair 240 converted to

turboprop engines) * Douglas DC-3 The airline announced it was planning to operate

jets, but none were delivered before the merger with Frontier.

Accidents and incidents

* 20 July 1964: A flight attendant on a scheduled passenger flight suffered serious injuries when she was thrown against the cabin structure in a Douglas DC-3, registration number ''N91003'', due to clear-air

turbulence In fluid dynamics, turbulence or turbulent flow is fluid motion characterized by chaotic changes in pressure and flow velocity. It is in contrast to a laminar flow, which occurs when a fluid flows in parallel layers, with no disruption between ...

over

Pueblo, Colorado Pueblo () is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 111,876 at the 2020 United States Census, making Pueblo the ninth most populo ...

. Eleven passengers and two pilots suffered minor or no injuries and the aircraft was not damaged. * 8 January 1965: The pilots of Flight 168 to

Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ; Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeast Kansas, in the Central U ...

, a Convair CV-240, registration number ''N74850'', diverted to

Tulsa International Airport Tulsa International Airport is a civil-military airport five miles (8 km) northeast of downtown Tulsa, in Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States. It was named Tulsa Municipal Airport when the city acquired it in 1929;belly landing after several unsuccessful attempts to lower the jammed

landing gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for takeoff or landing. For aircraft it is generally needed for both. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, such as the Glenn L. Martin ...

. The aircraft was substantially damaged but the nine passengers and three crew were not significantly injured. * 27 June 1966: Pilots in a Convair CV-600, registration number ''N74856'', had to perform evasive maneuvers near

Hot Springs, Arkansas Hot Springs is a resort city in the state of Arkansas and the county seat of Garland County. The city is located in the Ouachita Mountains among the U.S. Interior Highlands, and is set among several natural hot springs for which the city is n ...

to avoid a

mid-air collision In aviation, a mid-air collision is an accident in which two or more aircraft come into unplanned contact during flight. Owing to the relatively high velocities involved and the likelihood of subsequent impact with the ground or sea, very sever ...

with an unidentified light aircraft. One crew member suffered serious injuries while two crew and fourteen passengers suffered minor or no injuries; the Convair was not damaged.

References

External links

Central Airlines website

Old Frontier Airlines
a website about the history of the old Frontier Airlines and its predecessor airlines.

{{Airlines of the United States, state=collapsed Defunct airlines of the United States Airlines established in 1949 Airlines disestablished in 1967 Companies based in Fort Worth, Texas Defunct companies based in Texas American companies established in 1949 Airlines based in Texas

History

Destinations

Fleet

Accidents and incidents

See also

References

External links