Mackey Airlines (until 1953 Mackey Air Transport) was a small United States scheduled international airline flying from Florida to the Bahamas certificated in 1952 by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), the now defunct Federal agency that, at the time, tightly regulated almost all US commercial air transport. The airline was founded by Joseph C. Mackey. Mackey also flew to Cuba prior to the Cuban Revolution. In 1956, Mackey absorbed Midet Aviation, an even smaller CAB-certificated airline also flying between Florida and the Bahamas. Mackey merged into Eastern Air Lines in 1967.
| |||||||
| Founded | September 30, 1946 incorporated in Florida as Mackey Air Transport | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commenced operations | January 2, 1953 | ||||||
| Ceased operations | January 8, 1967 | ||||||
| Fleet size | See Fleet below | ||||||
| Destinations | See Destinations below | ||||||
| Headquarters | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States | ||||||
| Founder | Joseph C. Mackey | ||||||
| Employees | 230 | ||||||
| Notes | |||||||
(1) IATA, ICAO codes were the same until the 1980s | |||||||
Joseph C. Mackey
editJoseph C. Mackey learned to fly as a teenager in Cleveland, flew liquor across Lake Erie during Prohibition and partnered with Roscoe Turner in air races in the 1930s. In 1940, delivering aircraft to the UK for the Royal Air Force, engine trouble forced his aircraft down in Newfoundland. Mackey, the only survivor, was left with a scarred depression in his forehead. Two others died on impact, a third, Canadian Nobel Prize winner (for co-discovery of insulin) Frederick Banting, died of injuries and exposure later. Mackey flew for the United States Army Air Force Air Transport Command during World War II and emerged a colonel.[2] Mackey died February 1982, age 72, only a few months after his second eponymous carrier, Mackey International, ceased operations.[3]
In 1965, the airline had 230 employees.[4]
History
editMackey Air Transport was incorporated in Florida 30 September 1946.[5] The airline's first flight was 2 January 1953.[6] In June, the airline changed its name to Mackey Airlines, the CAB reissued the certificate in that name in October. Flights flew primarily out of its Fort Lauderdale base and from West Palm Beach and Miami. On 3 December 1956, Mackey acquired Midet Aviation, another CAB-certificated scheduled airline flying from Florida to Bahamas.[7] The original Mackey Airlines certificate was transferred to Eastern Air Lines on 8 January 1967.[8]
Destinations
editAs of November 1966 (same order as the timetable):[9]
Fleet
editIn March 1955, Aviation Week said Mackey Air Transport had four Douglas DC-3s.[10]
As of September 1961:[11]
The following types were operated by Mackey Airlines:[12]
| Type | Total | Introduced | Retired | Type | Total | Introduced | Retired | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beechcraft 18 | 1 | 1960 | 1966 | Douglas DC-4 | 3 | 1959 | 1966 | |
| Douglas DC-3 | 5 | 1953 | 1964 | Douglas DC-6 | 7 | 1961 | 1967 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Airport Activity Statistics of Certificated Route Carriers (Report). Air Transport Association of America. 31 December 1959. p. iv.
- ^ Col. Mackey: A Man Who Has Done It All, Palm Beach (FL) Post, 11 January 1970
- ^ Col. Joseph C. Mackey, airline president, aviator, Miami Herald, 15 February 1982
- ^ Merger Approved, But Col. Mackey Isn't Retiring, Miami Herald, 16 October 1965
- ^ "opencorporates Florida incorporation record for Mackey". opencorporates.com. opencorporates. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ^ Mackey Line Launches Air Service to Nassau, Palm Beach Post, 3 January 1953
- ^ Handbook of Airline Statistics, United States Certificated Air Carriers, Calendar Years 1949–1956 (Report). Civil Aeronautics Board. June 1960. p. 187. hdl:2027/mdp.39015024399167.
- ^ International Jet Trends (Report). Civil Aeronautics Board. October 1980. p. 29. hdl:2027/uiug.30112105053968.
- ^ "Mackey Airlines Flight Schedule". timetableimages.com. Mackey Airlines. 6 November 1966. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- ^ "United States Aircraft Engaged in Air Transportation". Aviation Week. 62 (11): 131. 14 March 1955. ISSN 0005-2175.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ "Aircraft Engaged in U.S. Air Transportation". Aviation Week. 76 (11): 153. 12 March 1962. ISSN 0005-2175.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ "Mackey Airlines". Aerobernie.bplaced.net. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
External links
edit
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