Aircraft – Travelaire 6000 - Northwest Airlines History Center

In 1929-1930, as Northwest awaited the delivery of new Lockheed equipment, it purchased four secondhand Travelaire A-6000 aircraft, manufactured by the Travelaire Company of Wichita, Kansas. These high-wing monoplanes were powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp engine and cruised at 120 miles per hour, carrying up to eight passengers.

Northwest flew the Travelaire from Minneapolis/St. Paul on the Chicago run, as well as westbound to Fargo and Bismarck, North Dakota.

NC8122 (ship number 47) over downtown Chicago in 1929. James Borden collection at the NWAHC.

Another view of NC8122 (ship number 47) over downtown Chicago in 1929. James Borden collection at the NWAHC.

NC9933 (ship 46) posing with puddles in St. Paul, 1930. James Borden collection at the NWAHC.

If you use these photos, please credit the Northwest Airlines History Center – please also contact us to let us know how you’re using them and if we can be of further help!

Back to the “Aircraft” main page

Visit our museum:

Visit us at the Crowne Plaza AiRE Hotel in Bloomington, MN! Regular museum hours are Thursdays and Fridays 11 am – 5 pm and Saturdays 10 am – 2 pm (check our Facebook, Bluesky, or Instagram feeds for notice of temporary schedule changes). And consider joining our crew as a volunteer docent to help us continue to maintain and extend our open hours.

Building Interior Directions and Accessibility:

Please see our photo guide for navigating the Crowne Plaza AiRE Hotel to reach our museum, located on the third floor, across from the exercise studio.

For patrons with mobility concerns, access to the elevators to reach the 3rd floor is controlled by the hotel’s front desk for guests’ and residents’ security. Museum staff are not able to operate the elevators. The hotel’s front desk telephone is (952) 854-9000 if Crowne Plaza staff are not on hand to assist.

The street address for the hotel is 3 Appletree Square, Bloomington MN 55425. It is located just south of MSP Airport, off Interstate 494 at the 34th Avenue Exit, intersection of American Boulevard.

Metro Transit Blue Line light rail stops just outside the hotel at the American Boulevard station, offering direct service to the airport, Mall of America, and Downtown Minneapolis. It is also served by the #54 bus line (toward Downtown St. Paul and Maplewood) and #345 (toward Woodbury).

Share this:

Like this: