Freight was always a key revenue source for NWA, and during World War II the company gained invaluable experience with dedicated cargo operations. Military lift contracts and charter flights contributed steady revenue, and from the mid 1960s Northwest ran its own scheduled freighter network. We have launched two resource pages to help enthusiasts and researchers better study this important part of the company:
First is a collection of cargo schedules – grids from passenger timetables as well as standalone publications, starting with the first published grid from October 5, 1964, and going all the way to the end of 2008. As our general timetable scanning project continues, this page will also keep growing.
Then we also have a library of route maps we have created based on the timetable data, again running from 1964 to 2008 with the aim for at least one map per year.
As more Cargo-related documents and stories come together, we intend to create a “discovery page” to thread the Museum’s materials together for easy reading and linking. If you worked with the Cargo division and have unique materials to share, please get in touch!
An abnormally warm winter this year in Minnesota has had the state’s inhabitants thinking of springtime two months early, and among the places Minnesotans have loved to visit on Spring Break, the islands of Hawaii have been a long time favorite. And NWA was taking Northlanders all the way there since the end of 1948:
Center fold illustration from Northwest’s December 1, 1948 system timetable.
Initial services started with just three weekly roundtrips using Douglas DC-4 equipment, but NWA would route the double-deck Boeing 377 Stratocruiser to Honolulu in the early 1950s, and the Douglas DC-6 in the late 1950s.
Northwest had already applied for Tokyo – Honolulu – Los Angeles route authority in the late 1940s, but it would take another twenty years for that dream to be realized.
We recently picked up this little gem of a brochure at an antique show, enticed by the images of its cover and back. The 46 pages inside are excerpted from the hotel guest magazine Here’s Hawaii, from the Tongg Publishing Company of Honolulu, with a copyright date of 1957. Subsequently we have seen a similar publication with a Pan Am cover, so it looks like Tongg Publishing ran custom runs of the same basic information.
Inside, there are segments for each of the main islands talking about what to see and do, where to eat and stay, and how to get around, with the most pages dedicated to Oahu. The resort destinations of Kona on the Big Island, and Wailea and Ka’anapali on Maui, were not even conceived of when this guide was published – and even on Oahu, most of the hotels and restaurants famous since the Jet Age had not yet been constructed. So the booklet is a window in time back before statehood and the Elvis films brought truly mass-tourism to the Islands, so hard to see today without getting well away from the main cities and beaches.
By Bruce Kitt, excerpted from the March 2023 issue of REFLECTIONS
Charles Dickinson inaugurated service on Contract Air Mail Route 9 (CAM-9) on June 7, 1926 and terminated his service on September 30, 1926. The next day, October 1, 1926, Northwest Airways’ 84-year history took off. Col. Brittin’s previous work on behalf of the Detroit Ford Motor Company’s selection of St. Paul as Ford’s second automobile plant, coupled with Brittin’s semi-official position as the St. Paul manager (along with William Kidder) of Dickinson’s effort, enabled him to quickly secure the financial backing of Detroit businessmen to get Northwest Airways into the air so quickly.
Through these Detroit connections, Brittin was introduced to Eddie Stinson, a successful aviation businessman (barnstorming, racing, and airplane design and construction), who was recently enticed to relocate from Wichita, Kansas, to Northville, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. At Northville, Stinson began the design and construction of an enclosed cabin airliner, subsequently designated the Stinson SB-1 Detroiter. This connection resulted in Northwest Airways purchasing three Detroiters, one month after Northwest inaugurated its Twin Cities-Chicago route with William Kidder’s rented biplanes.
Stinson Detroiter before July 1927.
Photo from the James Borden Collection at the NWAHC.
I was told by two early Northwest mechanics that the three Detroiters were referred to as “Blackbirds”, in reference to their all black fuselages (no mention of any color on their wings). The Blackbirds flew mail, packages, and an occasional un-official passenger, from their November 1, 1926 introduction until July 5, 1927, when Northwest Airways inaugurated revenue passenger service.
Stinson Detroiter before July 1927.
Photo from the James Borden Collection at the NWAHC.Reconstruction of the pre-passenger 1926 logo. “U.S.” text in white sits above the logo. We know the side of the fuselage was black, and we believe the logo to also be black, with only a subtle pin striping boundary. The logo might have been deep red or deep navy, but without a color photograph or artwork we just cannot tell. The gold accent is also a guess, but was a color used by other aircraft based in the Twin Cities at the time, including the leased aircraft in NWA’s initial fleet.
Photos show a striking change between the Stinson’s liveries before and after July 5, 1927. In aircraft photos from November 1926 to the spring 1927, the Blackbirds’ carried what is Northwest Airways’ unacknowledged first logo – colors unknown but likely gold or white, with white text. The logo was positioned aft of passenger doors 1 Left and 1 Right, and the central globe contained the aircraft’s company number (in this case with the above photos, ship “2”). By July 5, 1927, the Detroiters sported both a new, colorful livery, and Northwest Airways’ officially acknowledged “first” logo.
Stinson Detroiter with the passenger-era logo. Borden Collection at the NWAHC.
To date, any written explanation why the 1926 logo was replaced has not been located. My research at the archives of the Northwest Airlines History Center, the Minnesota Historical Society, the Michigan State archives (with fellow director Mike Vetter), and the National Archive and Record Administration in Washington, D.C., have not answered this question. Hoping the logo may have been registered as a trademark or service mark at the national level, I’ve searched the U.S. Patient and Trademark Office in Alexandria, Virginia…nothing.
On the off chance this first logo was registered as a trademark or service mark at the state level, the filing records for the Secretary of State for both Minnesota and Michigan were also searched, again with no success. The research for corporate commentary continues, as photographic proof clearly documents the existence of an insignia prior to the July 1927 logo.
A recent generous donation has netted the Museum 19 new fleet list issues we did not previously have in the collection. These have just been digitized and posted to our Fleet Lists page, bringing us up to 100 editions!
The break-out of issues by decade right now is:
2000s 34 entries
1990s 34 entries
1980s 5 entries
1970s 2 entries
1960s 25 entries
So we are missing very few issues in the ’90s and ’00s -specific issues from those decades we are still looking for are:
2007 – April
2006 – January and April
2005 – October
2003 – October
2000 – July
1998 – January, April, and October
1992 – September
1991 – December
1989 – December
We are really short in the 1980s and 1970s – with only one Republic-issued list, and no official lists from North Central, Southern, or Hughes Airwest.
And of course, while Captain James Borden kept his NWA lists from the 1960s, we really hope to uncover similar documents from all the other predecessor carriers. Als0 – outside of the 2009-2010 entries, we do not have lists from the Airlink / Express carriers – these would be of high interest to aviation fans and researchers!
Our collection depends on contributions from friends and families – if you’re going through your basements or attics, please keep an eye open for company documents! And when you have materials to contribute, please contact our collections manager at bruce.kitt@northwestairlineshistory.org.
Following up from our article in the June 2023 REFLECTIONS relating the memorial dedication in Washington State for those lost on NW293 in the North Pacific on June 3, 1963, we present additional photos:
Greg Barrowman, who was the driving force to establish a memorial, gives remarks at the Flight 293 dedication on June 3, 2023 at the Tahoma National Cemetery. Photo by Bruce Kitt of the NWAHC.Retired Northwest F/A Darlene Jevne gives remarks at the Flight 293 dedication on June 3, 2023 at the Tahoma National Cemetery. Photo by Bruce Kitt of the NWAHC.Honor flyover during the memorial dedication. Photo by Bruce Kitt of the NWAHC.The memorial plaque joins others on the grounds of the Tahoma National Cemetery. Photo by Bruce Kitt of the NWAHC.The memorial plaque joins others on the grounds of the Tahoma National Cemetery. Photo by Bruce Kitt of the NWAHC.Detail on the memorial plaque. Photo by Bruce Kitt of the NWAHC.
Conversations at the Museum brought up the memory of one of those who perished, Patricia Moran, who had been a flight attendant at North Central from 1955-1957, left to complete her degree in early childhood education at the University of Minnesota, and hired on at Northwest right after graduation in 1959. The sky was her home, and she even wrote a book of poetry with aviation themes, “Come Fly With Me,” published in 1962.
Pat Moran with James Wonsettler, a US Navy pilot, whom she married in March 1963. This would have disqualified her from flying with Northwest, if the company had known. Their family also knew that Pat was two months pregnant at the time of the crash – sadness compounded.
Our Museum’s first editor, Anne Kerr, had collected stories about Pat Moran, and published them in her “Lady Skywriter” blog ten years ago:
Northwest’s first 747 routes in 1970 allowed for plenty of resting time at MSP, but covered the key trunk routes that would define the carrier’s strategy for the next 15 years.By the mid-1970s, passenger 747s had effectively displaced the 707-320 fleet, and new all-cargo ships (noted in dashed lines) made Northwest the most important air-cargo player over the North Pacific well into the 1980s.While the new Atlantic routes were of course an entirely new line of business for Northwest, the better range of the -200 series was just being tested on NWA’s first “hub bypass” routes past Tokyo to Seoul and Osaka.Both passenger and cargo routes have experienced steady growth in the early 1980s. The Atlantic network has stabilized and a Seoul mini-hub is starting to form.Post-merger Northwest is adding trans-Pacific routes at a steady pace, while the Atlantic side has slimmed down and largely transitioned to DC-10 equipment. Los Angeles has 747 nonstops to Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul, and Taipei, and the Seoul hub is starting to approach Narita’s size. The first routes from Detroit give a hint of that hub’s potential.The brief and incredible foray to Australia in 1992 is well-illustrated here – while California is an expected gateway, NWA’s most audacious and controversial route is the real star of this map: New York JFK – Osaka Itami – Sydney. No other airline had tried this routing and the Japanese government was not happy with NWA’s reading of air service treaties. But without connecting feed at either end this was fated to be a brief experiment.By the mid-1990s the Seoul hub had been abandoned, but Detroit was spinning up with long-range nonstops to Asia, and the first 747s to the KLM hub at Amsterdam demonstrated how much traffic the new alliance could generate.The pre-9/11 map of 747 services shows how well NWA had tuned its operation to flow massive amounts of traffic through its key hubs. While Airbus equipment was starting to fill in on lower-density services, this is the 747’s high point.The post-9/11 environment and ramp-up of A330 equipment, plus the growing realization that Tokyo’s value as a premium traffic hub had waned, put the writing on the wall for the 747 even before Northwest’s bankruptcy and eventual merger with Delta.
While Northwest Cargo continued to pull in steady business and operate reliably, its aging 747-200Fs were going to need to be replaced – and it was facing much heavier competition from dedicated cargo lines like Polar, UPS, and FedEx, as well as much stronger Asian competitors. After the merger had been executed, NWA Cargo was terminated and its fleet retired.
Delta would radically redeploy the remaining 747-400 frames with heavy rotation out of Atlanta and JFK in addition to Detroit. Asian service would increasingly bypass Narita in favor of alliances with Korean Air and China Eastern. Delta’s 767-300 and 777-200 craft were initially better suited for Pacific service, and were able to completely replace the 747-400 before the pandemic.Last holdouts for the Queen of the Skies under the Red Tail.
Over 2023-2024 we intend to roughly double the size of our volunteer Board to fifteen members, as we dig into the work of business planning and making our case to government agencies, potential donors and partners, and the community at large to help us site and construct an exciting new facility in the middle part of this decade. Airline work experience is not necessary! And in fact, we are seeking a broad range of backgrounds, as we aim to serve an even broader range of visitors and students.
Photos and documents from Flight 98’s departure from Honolulu on January 7, 2007, contributed by “thezipper” from his archive on Flickr. As an enthusiast and moderator of the NWA board on FlyerTalk forums in the past decade, he flew a number of inaugural and final flights on NWA. These photos are reproduced with his permission.
Taxiing up to the gate along the main terminalThe famous 1970s aesthetic and equipment at Honolulu was on full display at the gateThere was cake!This flight shows that not all DC-10 frames were painted in the final livery. Many consider the “Bowling Shoe” arrangement one of the most handsome to grace the Ten.One last message from the Honolulu base on the jetwayCommemorative card handed out to all passengers with the crew’s signaturesCapt. Stewart also signed certificates for enthusiasts
Supplementing our illustrations in the September 2022 REFLECTIONS, here is a broader assortment of maps showing where Northwest flew its DC-10 fleet between its introduction at the beginning of 1973 until its retirement in early 2007. All these maps are copyright Northwest Airlines History Center / Scott Norris.
Northwest DC-10 network from the February 1, 1973 System Timetable. This was light duty for crew and ground training while the fleet built strength.Northwest DC-10 network from the October 28, 1973 System Timetable. In just a few months much of the initial fleet was already in service. The first of several intended trans-Pacific routes had begun, but range issues required stops at Anchorage. This would be the extent of NWA’s DC-10 flying to Asia until three decades later…Northwest DC-10 network from the June 1, 1974 System Timetable. Yes, you could fly a Ten on the Milwaukee – O’Hare run!Northwest DC-10 network from the June 1, 1976 System Timetable. Hawaiian flying was certainly in the Series 40’s comfortable range, and the stations and routes described on this map would be essentially the same for the rest of the 1970s.Northwest DC-10 network from the October 28, 1979 System Timetable. NWA was bringing muscle to its Seattle/Tacoma operation post-Deregulation with transcontinental service to Dulles and Boston, regional connections to LAX and SFO, and opening Fairbanks in Alaska. But – strikes at NW and in the control tower would take the puff out of this swagger…Northwest DC-10 network from the April 24, 1983 System Timetable. Post-Deregulation service patterns and a de-emphasis on Chicago-Great Lakes -East Coast flying allowed the Tens to reinforce the MSP and SEA operations. Note the pullout from smaller stations like Great Falls and Billings to open up bigger markets like Phoenix and San Diego. And the type had returned to Honolulu, a station which NWA would never stop serving with the DC-10 until its retirement.Northwest DC-10 network from the June 5, 1986 System Timetable. Retrenchment to core routes from Minneapolis in the lead-up to the Republic merger.Northwest DC-10 network from the May 2, 1988 System Timetable. 757-200s and the 727-200s from the Republic merger had assumed many domestic DC-10 routes, trading capacity per departure for extra frequency of departures on the trunk services. This let NWA stretch the Ten’s wings across the Atlantic from the Boston focus city.Northwest DC-10 network from the May 1, 1993 System Timetable. Nonstops from Detroit into Europe are starting to take shape, and the Ten is used to open new route authorities from Honolulu across the Pacific.Northwest DC-10 network from the September 10, 1996 System Timetable. The Ten features heavily on Japan sun-destination rotations, while Boston’s trans-Atlantic presence is cut to just the Amsterdam hub.Northwest DC-10 network from the September 1, 2001 System Timetable. This is a good example of how NWA and KLM cooperated at the Amsterdam hub – the Red Tail would reach India but also open up nonstops to places like Miami and Washington Dulles. The Atlantic routes from Boston shifted to the Detroit hub as that airport’s WorldGateway made international connections very convenient. Series 30 airframes brought on and their better range even allowed for Pacific flying – here we see the last of the short-lived Osaka Kansai hub.Northwest DC-10 network from the May 1, 2004 System Timetable. As the Ten fleet was being replaced by A330-300, A330-200, 757-300, and wingletted 757-200s, its reach was truly worldwide, from India all the way around to Singapore. Northwest DC-10 network from the May 2, 2006 System Timetable. With only a handful of frames left in service, enthusiasts made sure to get their last pictures taken and miles logged on the type. Northwest DC-10 network from the January 3, 2007 System Timetable. The type’s final flight left Honolulu January 7, 2007 arriving Minneapolis/St. Paul the morning of the 8th. This would be the last service with a DC-10 by a major passenger network carrier (Biman Bangladesh would fly the last flight in 2014.) FedEx still has a handful of updated MD-10s in freight service but these will be soon retired.
In the June 1997 issue of WorldTraveler magazine, a timeline and photo essay was included in addition to the WorldPlane feature – click on the image above to read the full piece.
In our celebration of 75 years since NWA began the first commercial flights using the Great Circle route across the North Pacific to connect East Asia with North America, we’ll be posting several features from the NWAHC archive in July. First up is a scan from the July 2007 NWA WorldTraveler magazine with interviews and history clips of the-then sixty years of service to Asia.
There was a time, long before Deregulation, when Herman and the NWA logo flew together in harmony. One of these moments is immortalized here in a hallway at the Duluth airport on February 10, 1952 – Northwest had long since ceased its seaplane connection from Duluth Harbor to Minneapolis and it wasn’t until this point when nonstop flights finally started to allow connections at MSP.
There were frequent passenger train routings between the Twin Ports and Twin Cities at the time, so the appeal of a flight was to allow for faster access to points beyond. Hence, WIS advertised the coast-to-coast reach of Northwest. By Fall 1952, WIS would be operating three DC-3 roundtrips daily on the route, with a flying time of one hour.
Present at the inaugural ceremony in Duluth for the start of DLH-MSP nonstops on Wisconsin Central were (from left) Otto Lachmund, Chair of the Duluth Airport Board; Francis Higgins, President-Wisconsin Central; Dorothy Good of the Pantour Travel Agency; Senators Gordon Butler and Julian Hagberg, both members of the Duluth Airport Board; and Earl Olson, manager of DLH.
Photo from the Hal Carr collection at the NWAHC.
