Airways Magazine April 2024 | Page 25

SPECIAL EDITION TWA – What ’ s in a Name ?
aircraft that TWA required . These letters and conversations were the catalyst for creation of the DC-1 , which led to the production model DC-2 .
With introduction of its Douglas Sleeper Transports ( DST ) and DC-3s in the late 1930s , ‘ The Lindbergh Line ’ title gave way to ‘ The Transcontinental Line ’.
Meanwhile , TWA Pilot Tommy Tomlinson was using a Northrop Gamma aircraft to experiment with the possibilities of highaltitude flying . TWA finally got its over-the-weather aircraft in the form of the Boeing 307 Stratoliner , the world ’ s first successful pressurized airliner .
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By the time that the Stratoliner was introduced in 1940 , Howard Hughes had taken financial control of the airline and he had his sights set on the next advancement in airliner design : the aircraft type that would eventually be designated ‘ Constellation ’.
During World War II , ‘ The Transcontinental Line ’ titles on DC-3 fuselages was temporarily retired in favor of the patriotic slogan , ‘ Victory is in the Air , Buy Bonds ’.
THE TRANS WORLD AIRLINE
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With the postwar award of transatlantic routes to TWA by the Civil Aeronautics Board ( CAB ), and introduction of the Constellations into service , the company ’ s initials were cleverly used to impart another message : Transcontinental & Western Air ( TWA ) now referred to itself as the Trans World Airline . Note the lack of an ‘ s ’ after ‘ airline ’.
Yes , TWA could now take you to other parts of the world – Europe , Africa , the Middle East –
not just on transcontinental trips across the USA . The company ’ s aircraft were now painted with the legend : Trans World Airline .
TRANS WORLD AIRLINES ( TWA )
How could such a catchy tagline – the Trans World Airline – be improved upon ? Only by making it the official name of the company . On May 17 , 1950 , Transcontinental & Western Air underwent a
corporate title change . Keeping the initials TWA , the carrier adopted the powerful yet elegant title of Trans World Airlines . This new corporate name and its initials would become recognized and respected around the world for excellent service .
It was the name that the company would be known by until its demise as the result of acquisition by American Airlines in 2001 .
11 In 1950 , the company officially changed its name from Transcontinental & Western Air to Trans World Airlines . The new name is displayed on this Martin 4-0- 4 , photographed at San Francisco ( SFO ) by Bill Larkins . // PROCTOR- LIVESEY-THOMAS COLLECTION
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