Airline of the Stars: National DC-7s and Connies

National Airlines had been at war with its much larger rival Eastern almost since it came into existence and the feud between the two airlines irascible larger than life leaders, George Theodore Baker and Eddie Vernon Rickenbacker was legendary. Baker loved nothing more to get one over on Rickenbacker and the two airlines competed heavily for traffic on the North-South routes between cities like New York and Miami. Speed was the name of the game in the 1940s and 50s and whoever was fastest had a clear advantage with passengers.

National had started operations with Douglas DC-6s in July 1, 1947 and they had proven effective against Eastern's Constellations. Unfortunately for National issues with the DC-6 in the late 40s led to its grounding and National was left flying obsolete DC-4s against Eastern's Connies until the DC-6s could be modified.

​Despite this, National kept the faith with Douglas and purchased seven DC-6Bs, delivered in late 1952 (to replace its DC-4s and four of its eight original DC-6s (two of which had crashed)). The DC-6B was perhaps the best piston engined airliner ever made. When Douglas created the DC-7 (effectively a modified DC-6 with new engines), largely at American Airlines beckoning, Baker was keen on the type which promised to be faster than Eastern's Connies.

One of National's Douglas DC-6Bs

Four DC-7s were bought (N8205H-8208H) arriving from November 1953. The DC-7s were not as reliable as the DC-6 due to its very temperamental engines and the type cost far more to operate than the DC-6.

​Baker himself piloted the first aircraft on delivery from Douglas's Santa Monica plant to Miami. He set a new speed record but in the process burnt out three of the aircraft's four engines. When he was told he said:

"What the hell. They are still faster than anything Rickenbacker's got."

They certainly were and gave Eastern a major problem which it eventually only resolved by purchasing its own DC-7s - see here for more info. National actually also purchased four more aircraft (upgraded DC-7Bs) in the late 50s which didn't begin delivery until October 1957. N6201B was the first to arrive. By 1965 she was with the Gulliver Society Inc. By 1967 she was with Carolina Aircraft Corp and she was scrapped in 1974.

One of the DC-7Bs - probably N6201B

Eastern also converted many of its Constellations into coach class configuration for which the Connie was ideally suited. Baker himself bought four of Lockheed's L-1049H Super Constellations (N7131C-7134C) which were used on the Havana service but later converted to coach class for night services between Miami and New York. ​

Obviously having a small sub-fleet of Connies alongside a larger fleet of DC-6s and DC-7s made little sense. Despite this however the Connies survived as long as the DC-7s. N7133C was sold, along with her three sisters, to Nordair Canada, where she became CF-NAL. She served with them until April 1969 when, again along with her sisters, she joined Canairelief Air. Withdrawn in Sao Tome by 1970, by 2007 she was being used as the restaurant "As Asas do Avião".

In 1962 Louis Bergman "Bud" Maytag bought National Airlines from Baker, convinced that it was capable of being run much better and making a lot more money. He successfully refinanced the company and this enabled him to replace the entire, now obsolete, piston fleet almost at once. The DC-6s left in 1963, followed by the DC-7s and Connies in early 1964. Two DC-7Bs were kept on until the end of the year to operate the interchange agreement with Panagra which stipulated the use of the DC-7s (they were the best aircraft when it was originally drawn up). To fill the hole in his fleet Maytag acquired four second-hand Electras from American and four DC-8s from Northwest.

The timetable image is taken from the collection of Björn Larsson at the excellent http://www.timetableimages.com