Western Airlines Liveries
The intention of this page is to describe and show all the Western Airlines liveries from 1941, when it changed its name from Western Air Express, until the takeover by Delta in 1987. Schemes prior to 1941 are not covered.
1941-1957: ARROWLINER
Western's initial postwar scheme featured the indianhead figure with an arrow passing through it. The cheatline was an unusual red band with a white oblong inside it. The tail featured a red band with a large W and two white stripes trailing behind it. The model below is way too yellow in the white sections. The scheme was worn by the Douglas DC-3s, DC-4s, Convair 240s and even some North American AT-6 Texans used on the Inland Division for air mail carriage. Although some Boeing 247s did wear Western Airlines titles none wore this scheme as far as I can tell.
Around 1952 Western, as with most US airlines, adopted a white crown to the scheme. This was worn by the first DC-6Bs that arrived that year as well as the DC-3s, DC-4s and Convairs.
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1957?: WESTERN TAIL
During 1957 (maybe slightly earlier or later) Western modified their postwar livery slightly. The biggest change was the replacement of the striped W on the tail with WESTERN titles inside a red band. The other change was that the cheatline no longer extended down onto the nosecone and kept to a straight line under the cockpit.
The below images are from the awesome site of Ed Coates. Check it out here.
The below images are from the awesome site of Ed Coates. Check it out here.
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1957-1959: CHIEFTAIN
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This was the first scheme to wear the large indian-head chieftain figure as part of the cheatline. As in later scheme the chief's headdress formed lines alongside the fuselage but in this first version the entire chief was inside a thick red band with an unusual curving lower surface. The tail featured a red rounded section, with a white stripe in its lower portion, and WESTERN titles inside it.
This livery was worn by the Convair 240s and Douglas DC-6Bs, as well as the remaining Douglas DC-3s. |
In 1958 Western began advertising using their famous Wallybird character. I believe he was meant to be an owl, but he looks more like a parrot to me. He never appeared on the aircraft but was a major factor in Western's ad campaigns. The shots below are from 1960s campaigns:
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1959-1961: FOUR STRIPE CHIEFTAIN
The first Lockheed Electra's introduced, in May 1959, the jet age livery was a major update of the first chieftain livery. This would be applied to both the Electras and initial pair of 707-139s, delievered in May 1960, but would be modified afterwards into a new indian-head scheme. This version introduced a four stripe cheatline above a natural metal belly. The cheatline finished forwards in the large indian head whose headdress formed the four stripes of the cheatline. A red stripe came down from the Indian delineating the natural metal from the white nose region. Large widely spaced red WESTERN titles were sited midway along the fuselage. The tail had a rounded crescent of red with WESTERN titles inside it.
1961-1971: THREE STRIPE CHIEFTAIN
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The first Boeing 720s, delivered in April 1961, wore a new version of the indian-head scheme. The cheatline/headdress was simplified with only three thin stripes and the red line at the forward edge now extended forward to the nosecone. On the tail the rounded red region became squarer turning it into a wedge.
This scheme was worn for a decade by the DC-6Bs, Electras, Boeing 707s, 720s, 727-200s and 737-200s. It was also worn by the pair of Lockheed Constellations acquired in the 1967 purchase of Pacific Northern. The 727s were unique in having the red wedge high on the tail above the centre engine. |
1970-1985: FLYING W / SWIZZLESTICK
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Designed by Lippincott and Margulies Inc of New York the scheme featured and almost all white fuselage, with just a small patch of natural metal running under the belly. Simple diagonal 'Western' titles feature on the tail and are repeated above the red cheatline which ends prior to the L1 passenger door in a large red W. The scheme was called the 'Flying W' but gained the nickname the 'Swizzlestick' thanks to the chatlines similarity to the stirring sticks used in hot drinks. Western actually made a swizzlestick version itself.
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1985-1987: BUD LITE
In 1985 Western introduced its last livery - an update of the Flying W quickly nicknamed 'Bud Lite' after the beer. The fuselage and tail was now all natural metal but the nosecone, rudder (and other non-metal parts) were painted light grey. The W cheatline was retained but gained a dark blue shadow 3D effect.
This livery was worn by the Boeing 727-200s, 737-200/300s and McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10s. Western merged with Delta on April 1, 1987 and this scheme could be seen as a selection of Delta hybrids thereafter.
This livery was worn by the Boeing 727-200s, 737-200/300s and McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10s. Western merged with Delta on April 1, 1987 and this scheme could be seen as a selection of Delta hybrids thereafter.