 The Dutch Fokker 28 Fellowship proved to be a hardy design that after first flying in 1967 provided strong competition, at the lower end of the passenger scale, to the Douglas DC-9 and BAC One-Eleven. One feature of its design that was unusual was the split-section tailcone airbrake that enabled rapid descents - something no doubt of much use in a mountainous country like Peru. Accordingly, the Peruvian Army's airline SATCO came to be an early customer, but the type would soon be seen flying in more colourful liveries through the Peruvian Amazon.
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The relationship between the, principally white, settlers of Australia and the native Aboriginal population has been one of exploitation, theft and effective extermination. However, despite the lack of redress, and continuing marginalisation of Aboriginal populations, aspects of Aboriginal culture have become popular in the mainstream. Qantas, an important standard bearer for Australia's image abroad, has done much to this end by showcasing Aboriginal artwork on four of its fleet beginning with the most famous - Wunala Dreaming.
 From the mid-1970s the Boeing 737-200 Advanced model became the backbone of the fleets of the three major Brasilian airlines - VARIG, Cruzeiro do Sul and VASP. Only Transbrasil resisted the temptations of the baby Boeing - opting for BAC One-Elevens and then 727s instead. VARIG and Cruzeiro had become inextricably linked in 1975 and together they used the marketing name 'Super Advanced 737' to promote their Fat Alberts.
 It isn't often you see a company selling its competitor's products, especially when they are multi-million dollar airliners. However, when Emirates needed capacity quickly it was Boeing they turned to and Airbus A340-300s they acquired.
 Following Canadian's takeover of Wardair in 1989, Canada 3000 would quickly grow to become Canada's largest charter airline and one that was consistently profitable too. At the turn of the century the massive changes wrought by the takeover of Canadian Airlines, by Air Canada, appeared to open up a space for C3 to become Canada's no 2 airline. A big part of that strategy involved acquisitions. However, C3 would soon live to regret its purchases and desperately try to offload them as it hit the turbulence of 2001.
 Deregulation has brought its share of turbulence to the Canadian aviation scene as it has elsewhere. With Canadian Airlines on the ropes, as the new century arrived the charter airline Canada 3000 transformed itself into a new competitor for Air Canada. It stretched its reach to global destinations like India, as well as scheduled domestic ops. Sadly for Canada 3000 it overstretched itself dramatically, resulting in a bizarre and unexpected collapse.
 CP Air had been solidly profitable throughout the 1960s and first half of the 1970s, but in 1975 it recorded its first annual loss in 13 years. The carrier cut costs and focused on efficiencies, which included a fleet overhaul and rationalisation. In the long-haul department that would mean the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 would eventually become the only type in service. The big trijet would briefly take CP Air back into the Canadian Pacific era and then through to Canadian Airlines International.
 Ecuatoriana's cessation of operations in 1993 had been something of a shock as the airline's financial condition was unknown even though its service levels had been decreasing. Despite a lengthy period out of operation the Ecuatoriana brand wasn't finished however, and a white knight appeared in the form of the Brasilian airline VASP. VASP was keen to form a pan-South American VASP Air System including Ecuador's colourful national carrier.
 Ecuatoriana dazzled the aviation world with its amazing special livery variations during the 1970s, as discussed in part 1. From 1979 the airline began to standardise its colours, though it did it with style and plenty of colour producing one of the all time great liveries. However, despite the outward appearance of beauty, as with many other latin american national airlines, there was something rotten at the core of the airline, which would threaten its very survival into the 1990s.
 The A300 was an excellent product and yet Airbus really struggled to sell the type at first. Eventually, however, it gave them their break and also made a significant inroad into the Brasilian market, albeit one that was relatively short-lived. It wouldn't be until the 2000s that Airbuses would be seen in large numbers in Brasil and by then the last of the 'Silent Giants' was coming to the end of its service.
 I love the stories of the deregulated era US airline industry, and during the 1980s and 90s there were a large number of new startup airlines, most of which didn't last long. The economic downturn of the early 90s, caused partly by the Gulf War, killed off several startups, such as the first Midway, as well as grand old names like Eastern and Pan Am, but this clearout just opened the door for a second tranche of startups in the mid-90s. Mostly these failed to live up to expectations too. One of the less successful was a company called JetTrain.
Pacific Southwest had proven without a doubt during the 1950s and 60s that small well run airlines could compete against the large Trunk airlines and out compete the smaller CAB backed local service airlines. Of course it was only able to do this by keeping its operations intra-state and outside the CAB's regulated structure. By 1970 the airline had grown for 10 consecutive years and shown profits for the past 15. It was time for an audacious gamble and that meant widebodies.
 Within a decade PSA had gone from being a small piston airline operation to the major player in the Californian intrastate market flying a fleet of brand new trijets, with the transformational, but ultimately intermediary, prop-jet Electras on their way out after only 7-8 years. During the next 3 years PSA would continue to expand, but also attempt to diversify its business - an enterprise that wasn't entirely successful.
 By 1957 PSA had succeeded where hundreds of others had failed. By staying within California they had avoided the CAB's attention and this had allowed them to compete successfully against the big trunk airlines on their own terms. They could set their own prices and decide what routes they would fly. Combining that with reliable friendly service they had been rewarded by strong patronage. With the jet age on the horizon PSA was ready to take it to the next level.
 Pacific Southwest Airlines, or PSA for short, was one of the great postwar US airline stories and it is forever associated with the smiles that adorned its aircraft from the late 60s onwards. The grinningbirds, as they were known, made travel throughout California affordable for millions, but prior to the smiles PSA had already shook up the airline scene on the US West Coast.
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AuthorI'm Richard Stretton: a fan of classic airliners and airlines who enjoys exploring their history through my collection of die-cast airliners. If you enjoy the site please donate whatever you can to help keep it running: Archives
December 2025
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