AIRWAYS HISTORY Pacific Air Lines – Part 2 : Route of the Jethawks
7 Pacific ’ s ticket counter at Portland International Airport ( PDX ). // PACIFIC AIR LINES PORTFOLIO VIA DAN VEENSTRA
8 Martin 2-0-2 N93047 at SFO between assignments . // PROCTOR / LIVESEY / THOMAS COLLECTION
9 A rare shot of a Pacific DC-3 at the Santa Catalina Island Airport ( SXC ). Pacific served Catalina for less than seven months . // J . DREW VAN HORNE COLLECTION
10 Four more California cities - along with Reno , Nevada - were added to Pacific ’ s system in 1962 . // DAVID H . STRINGER COLLECTION
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It seemed that a merger of Pacific and West Coast might once again be considered , this time with West Coast as the stronger of the two carriers . The Civil Aeronautics Board launched an investigation into West Coast ’ s acquisition of Pacific stock , which had been accomplished without permission from the CAB . Making even more money now than either West Coast or Pacific was Bonanza Air Lines , which had once lagged behind with a weak network stretching through the Desert Southwest . But the rapid growth of Bonanza ’ s two hub cities – Las Vegas and Phoenix – had helped to turn the airline around .
The prospect of a merger between Pacific and West Coast , or between Pacific and Bonanza , loomed in the background as it had years before .
THE JET AGE
Just a few years after spending millions of dollars upgrading their fleets from DC-3s to more modern piston-engine and turboprop equipment , the local service carriers faced the prospect of gearing up for the jet age .
In order to offer a flight experience similar to that provided by the trunk carriers with which many of their passengers were connecting , local airline managements decided they had to add turbojets to their fleets . Those same managers also knew that the CAB would have to allow them to fly longer distances
11 F-27 N2770R was photographed at San Francisco . // PROCTOR / LIVESEY / THOMAS COLLECTION
12 Pressurized Martin 4-0- 4s , purchased second-hand from TWA , replaced the company ’ s unpressurized 2-0-2s . In this scene at SFO in 1962 , two Lockheed L-188 Electras belonging to competitor PSA ( Pacific Southwest Airlines ) can be seen in the background . // PROCTOR / LIVESEY / THOMAS COLLECTION
13 Pacific operated its final DC-3 service in late 1962 . // CLINT GROVES PHOTO VIA PROCTOR / LIVESEY / THOMAS COLLECTION
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