National Airlines (1934–1980)

This article is about one of the airlines that have shared this name. For other uses of the name, see National Airlines (disambiguation). For 'national airlines', see Flag carrier.

National Airlines

IATA ICAO Call sign NA [1] NAL NATIONAL
Founded	August 2, 1934; 90 years ago (1934-08-02) signed post office contract
Commenced operations	October 15, 1934; 90 years ago (1934-10-15)
Ceased operations	January 7, 1980; 44 years ago (1980-01-07) (acquired by Pan Am)
Hubs	Miami
Focus cities	Jacksonville (FL) New Orleans New York–JFK Tampa
Parent company	Pan Am Corporation
Headquarters	Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States
Key people	Louis "Bud" Maytag (CEO, 1962–1980)
Founder	George T. Baker (CEO, 1934–1962)

National Airlines was a trunk carrier, a scheduled airline in the United States that operated from 1934 until it merged with Pan Am in 1980. ^[2] For most of its existence the company was headquartered at Miami International Airport, Florida. ^[3] At its height, National Airlines had a network of "Coast-to-Coast-to-Coast" flights, linking Florida and Gulf Coast destinations such as New Orleans and Houston with cities along the East Coast as far north as Boston as well as with large cities on the West Coast including Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. ^[4] From 1970 to 1978, National, Braniff International Airways, Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) and Trans World Airlines (TWA) were the only U.S. airlines permitted to operate scheduled passenger flights to Europe. ^[5]

History

1930s

George T. Baker and D. K. Franklin created a partnership called National Airlines Taxi System to fly an airmail route from Daytona Beach to St. Petersburg, Florida, pursuant to a contract with the Post Office dated August 2, 1934. The route was operated continuously from October 15, 1934. On January 6, 1935, Franklin signed over his rights to Baker and on March 1, 1935, Baker took over the contract as a sole proprietor, operating under the name National Airlines System until September 30, 1937. On that day, Baker's rights to the airmail contract and all property used to operate the contract were transferred to National Airlines, Inc., under a contract signed July 12, 1937. ^[6] The new entity, National Airlines, was incorporated in Florida on 8 July 1937. ^[7]

National Airlines was founded by George T. Baker (1899–1963) in 1934. Its headquarters were in St. Petersburg, Florida and it was based at the city's Albert Whitted Airport. ^[8] On October 15 of that year, revenue flights were launched, transporting passengers and mail from St. Petersburg to a few destinations within Florida using a fleet of two Ryan ST monoplanes. ^{[8] [9]} In 1935, the Stinson Trimotor was introduced with National Airlines, ^[10] which were soon replaced by the Lockheed Model 10 Electra. ^[11] In 1939, the company headquarters were moved to Jacksonville. ^[8] By the end of the decade, the National Airlines network spanned from Miami to New Orleans, ^[12] on what it called the Buccaneer Route. ^[5]

1940s

Revenue passenger miles for years ending June 30: ^[13]

• 1936: 249,799
• 1938: 653,688
• 1939: 1,340,050
• 1940: 3,465,316
• 1941: 7,264,322
• 1946: 108,760,267

In 1940 the Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar became the backbone of National's fleet. ^[14] National was awarded rights from Florida to New York City and other cities along the East Coast in 1944, with flights starting in 1945. ^[15] In 1946 National got approval to fly to Havana, Cuba, which coincided with the introduction of the Douglas DC-4. ^[8] The DC-4 allowed non-stop flights between Miami and New York ^[16] that started on February 14, 1946. Later that year National relocated its headquarters to Miami International Airport; a maintenance base opened at Miami in 1950. ^{[8] [17]}

The Douglas DC-6, National's first pressurized airliner, began flights on July 1, 1947 ^[8] and reduced New York to Miami flight time from five to four hours. ^[8] Flights on the DC-6 were marketed as Star Service. ^[5] National ran the Piggy Bank Vacations campaign, promoting low-fare flights to Florida during the off-peak summer season. ^[18]

1950s

This decade saw the introduction of the Convair 340/440, the Douglas DC-7, ^[18] and the Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation. ^[19] On December 10, 1958, National became the first airline to operate domestic jet flights, using a Boeing 707 leased from Pan American World Airways between Miami and New York. ^[8] In 1959 the Lockheed L-188 Electra was introduced into the fleet. It was the only turboprop aircraft type ever operated by the airline. ^[20] At the end of the decade Houston and Boston were the ends of the network with heavy emphasis on service between Florida and the U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast. ^[19]

1960s

With the award of traffic rights on the southern transcontinental route on March 11, 1961, National Airlines gained access to California and began operating new Douglas DC-8s between Florida and Los Angeles and San Francisco with a number of flights stopping in Houston and/or New Orleans ^{[8] [21]} (previously, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and National had together operated Douglas DC-6s and DC-7s through between Miami and California). ^[18] In March 1962, National scheduled one round trip transcontinental nonstop: National flights 34 and 35 between Miami and Los Angeles on DC-8s. ^[21] Concerning international destinations in Central and South America, a cooperation involving interchange flights with Pan Am was set up. ^[22]

In the early 1960s National started new service with the Lockheed Electra propjet to Las Vegas and San Diego. ^[21] Eastbound coast to coast routes flown with the Electra included San Diego-Los Angeles-Houston-New Orleans-Miami and San Francisco-Las Vegas-Houston-New Orleans-Tampa-Orlando-Jacksonville. ^[21] National had other long, multistop routings with the Electra such as Boston-New York City-Jacksonville-Orlando-Tampa-New Orleans-Houston-Las Vegas-San Francisco. National flight 223 departed Boston at 7:30am and arrived in San Francisco at 8:42pm. ^[21]

In 1962 Louis Bergman "Bud" Maytag, Jr. (grandson of Maytag Corporation founder Frederick Louis Maytag I), who had previously led Frontier Airlines ^[23] bought a majority share in National Airlines and replaced George T. Baker as CEO. ^[8] In 1960 the airline modernized its fleet with new Douglas DC-8s, followed by ten new Boeing 727-100 trijets, ^[15] the first of which was delivered in 1964.

After the retirement of the Electras in 1968, National became an all-jet airline with the DC-8 and 727. ^[8] The airline introduced the first jet service into Key West, FL in 1968 with the Boeing 727-100. The Douglas DC-8 fleet included the stretched Super DC-8-61 which was the largest aircraft type operated by the airline until the introduction of new wide body jetliners such as the Boeing 747 and McDonnell Douglas DC-10. In 1969 National flew the Super DC-8 nonstop between Miami and New York JFK airport and nonstop between Miami and Los Angeles, flights having names such as "The Royal Biscayne", "The Royal Dolphin", "The Gotham" and "The Manhattan" between Miami and New York, and "The Californian" and "The Caribbean" between Miami and Los Angeles. ^[24]

On July 26, 1969, the Atlanta-San Francisco nonstop route was awarded to National and service began on October 1, 1969. It was National's only route out of Atlanta.

1970s

Revenue passenger traffic, in millions of passenger-miles (scheduled flights only, domestic and international) ^{[25] [ full citation needed ]}

Year	Pax-Miles
1951	432
1955	905
1960	1041
1965	2663
1970	2643
1975	3865

A $17 million IBM electronic computer reservation system, called Res-A-Vision, was completed and put into operation in 1970.

On June 16, 1970, National Airlines reintroduced international flights, when their Miami-London route opened (flights to Cuba were suspended in 1961 due to the Cuban Revolution). ^[15] With the London route, they became the third U.S. transatlantic passenger carrier, after Pan Am and TWA.

In the fall of 1970, the Boeing 747-100 jumbo jet, at that time the largest commercial airliner, entered service with National on the Miami-New York nonstop route on October 1, 1970, and the Miami-Los Angeles transcontinental nonstop route on October 25, 1970. ^[8] National sold its 747s in May 1976. Also in 1970, National Airlines opened their own terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport, which was dubbed the Sundrome . ^[26]

Following an order for ten aircraft in 1969, ^[15] the wide body McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 was put in service on the Miami-New York route on December 15, 1971. ^[8] A 1971 publicity campaign designed by F. William Free promoting National's flight attendants was criticized by the National Organization for Women as being sexist due to the slogan "I'm (flight attendant's name). Fly me.", or similar. ^{[27] [28]} Seeing one of these posters in Manchester inspired Eric Stewart of 10cc to write the band's 1976 hit song "I'm Mandy Fly Me".

In May 1973, the front cover of the airline's system timetable proudly proclaimed, "National has daily nonstop 747s from Miami to London". ^[29] By early 1976, the airline was operating scheduled wide body DC-10 service to Houston (IAH), Las Vegas (LAS), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), New Orleans (MSY), Orlando (MCO), San Diego (SAN), San Francisco (SFO), Tampa (TPA), West Palm Beach (PBI) and all three airports in the New York City area: John F. Kennedy (JFK), LaGuardia (LGA) and Newark (EWR). ^[30] With the advent of the intercontinental McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30, National Airlines then expanded their European network by adding Paris (inaugurated on June 22, 1977), as well as Frankfurt, Amsterdam (both in 1978) ^[8] and Zürich (in 1979). ^[9] National began the very first nonstop flights from New Orleans to Europe (to Amsterdam) on July 2, 1978. National then began nonstop New York Kennedy (JFK)-Amsterdam flights on December 13, 1978, taking the route over from Pan Am.

In 1975, National was forced to shut down for several months due to a strike by flight attendants. ^[31]

In the late 1970s, several airlines attempted to take over National Airlines, which had become a major player in the southern transcontinental and Florida-East Coast airline markets. ^[32] In 1978, Texas International Airlines (which was led by Frank Lorenzo at that time) acquired 24.6 percent of the shares, ^[2] but did not succeed in the subsequent tender offer takeover bid. A similar attempt was made by Eastern Air Lines in 1979. ^[2] At the same time, the shares held by Texas International were sold to Pan American World Airways, who emerged as a white knight and succeeded in accumulating a controlling majority.

Acquisition by Pan Am

On January 7, 1980, the acquisition of National was completed, ^[2] with Pan Am taking over the National Airlines fleet and route network. Pan Am continued to utilize the former National Miami maintenance base and headquarters building until Pan Am itself ceased operations in December 1991. ^[32] Much later, National's "Sun King" logo was sold and "repackaged" much like Pan Am's to appear upon the branding of start up "low cost carrier" Southeast Airlines aircraft.

Most industry analysts believe that Pan Am paid too high a price for National, and was ill-prepared to integrate National's domestic route network with Pan Am's own globe-girdling international network. The cultures of National and Pan Am also proved to be incompatible, making workforce integration difficult. ^[33] Texas International walked away from their foiled attempt with a multi-million dollar stock profit and was poised for Lorenzo's next ventures—a startup airline in the high-density East Coast corridor (New York Air), and subsequent acquisition of Continental Airlines. ^[32]

Route network

National Douglas DC-8 at Los Angeles International Airport (1971)

National Boeing 747-100 at London Heathrow Airport (1973)

National McDonnell Douglas DC-10 at Heathrow in 1974. This aircraft would later be written off in 1993

National Airlines operated scheduled flights to the following U.S. cities:

Location	State	Airport(s)	Began	Ended	Notes
Mobile	Alabama	Mobile Municipal Airport Mobile Regional Airport	November 1, 1938 [12]	1980
Los Angeles	California	Los Angeles International Airport	June 11, 1961 [8] [34]	1980
San Diego	California	San Diego International Airport	June 11, 1961 [8] [34]	1980
San Francisco	California	San Francisco International Airport	June 11, 1961 [8] [34]	1980
San Jose	California	San Jose International Airport	July 1, 1976	1979
Daytona Beach	Florida	Daytona Beach Airport Daytona Beach International Airport	October 15, 1934 [35]	1980
Fort Lauderdale	Florida	Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport	October 19, 1959	1980
Fort Myers	Florida	Page Field	July 16, 1937 [11]	1980
Jacksonville	Florida	Jacksonville Municipal Airport Imeson Field	November 19, 1934 [9]	1980	focus city
Key West	Florida	Key West International Airport	March 1, 1944 [36]	ca. 1970 [37]
Lakeland	Florida	Lakeland Municipal Airport (Drane Field)	1934 [11] [8]	1962 [22]
Marathon	Florida	Florida Keys Marathon Airport	1959	1961 [22]
Marianna	Florida	Marianna Municipal Airport	1938 [12]	1961 [22]
Melbourne	Florida	Melbourne Airport	April 26, 1959 [22]	1980
Miami	Florida	Miami Municipal Airport Miami International Airport	July 16, 1937 [11]	1980	main base
Orlando	Florida	Orlando Municipal Airport Orlando International Airport	October 15, 1934 [11] [8]	1980
Palm Beach	Florida	Morrison Field	August 1, 1944 [36]	1980
Panama City	Florida	Panama City-Bay County Airport	September 1, 1948 [16]	1980
Pensacola	Florida	Pensacola Municipal Airport	November 1, 1938 [12]	1980
Sarasota	Florida	Sarasota-Brandenton Airport	July 16, 1937 [11]	1980
St. Petersburg	Florida	Albert Whitted Airport St. Petersburg–Clearwater International Airport	October 15, 1934 [11] [8]	1961 [22]
Tallahassee	Florida	Tallahassee Municipal Airport	November 1, 1938 [12]	1980
Tampa	Florida	Davis Islands Airport Tampa International Airport	October 15, 1934 [11] [8]	1980	focus city
Atlanta	Georgia	William B. Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport	October 1, 1969	1978
Savannah	Georgia	Savannah Airport	July 15, 1946 [36]	1980
Valdosta	Georgia	Valdosta Regional Airport	1946 [16]	1960 [22]
New Orleans	Louisiana	Shushan Airport New Orleans International Airport	November 1, 1938 [12]	1980	focus city
Baltimore	Maryland	Friendship Airport	September 1, 1948 (Harbor Field 1948) [17]	1980
Boston	Massachusetts	Boston Logan International Airport	December 14, 1956 [19]	1980
Gulfport	Mississippi	Gulfport-Biloxi Airport	1938 [12]	1959-60 [22]
Las Vegas	Nevada	McCarran International Airport	June 11, 1961 [22]	1980
Newark	New Jersey	Newark Airport	February 12, 1946 [22]	1980
New York City	New York	Idlewild/Kennedy Airport	October 1, 1944 [15] [36]	1980	focus city
New York City	New York	LaGuardia Airport	October 1, 1944, end 1947 resume 1966 [15] [36]	1980
Fayetteville	North Carolina	Fayetteville Municipal Airport	1956-57 [19]	1962 [4]
New Bern	North Carolina	Simmons-Nott Airport	1946 [16]	1962 [4]
Wilmington	North Carolina	Bluethenthal Field	1945-46 [36]	1962 [4]
Philadelphia	Pennsylvania	Philadelphia International Airport	July 1, 1945 [36]	1980
Providence	Rhode Island	T. F. Green Airport	December 14, 1956 [19]	1980
Charleston	South Carolina	Charleston Airport	July 1, 1945 [36]	1980
Houston	Texas	William P. Hobby Airport followed by Houston Intercontinental Airport	November 20, 1956 [19]	1980
Newport News	Virginia	Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport	1955 [19]	1980
Norfolk	Virginia	Norfolk Airport	December 1, 1945 [36]	1980
Richmond	Virginia	Richmond International Airport	1948 [17]	1971 [38]
Seattle	Washington	Seattle–Tacoma International Airport	April 1, 1979 [5]	1980
Washington, D.C.	Virginia	Washington National Airport	February 25, 1948 [17]	1980

National also operated scheduled flights to the following destinations in Europe and the Caribbean:

Location	Country	Airport	Commenced	Ceased
Havana	Cuba	José Martí International Airport	1946 [17]	1961 [15]
Paris	France	Orly Airport	June 22, 1977 [37]	1980
Amsterdam	Netherlands	Amsterdam Airport Schiphol	May 4, 1978 [37]	1980
San Juan	Puerto Rico	Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport	April 1, 1979 [39]	1980
Zürich	Switzerland	Zurich Airport	July 22, 1979 [9]	1980
London	United Kingdom	Heathrow Airport	June 16, 1970 [37]	1980
Frankfurt	West Germany	Frankfurt Airport	May 1, 1978 [37]	1980

Fleet

A Boeing 727 in the livery of National Airlines landing at Miami International Airport (1980). The airline had already been taken over by Pan Am.

When National Airlines was acquired by Pan Am in 1980, the fleet consisted of 43 Boeing 727 aircraft (19 of the original series 100 model and 24 of the stretched series 200 variant), as well as 16 McDonnell Douglas DC-10 airliners (11 of the series 10 model used in domestic service and five of the intercontinental series 30 model used for service to Europe). ^[40]

Over the years, National owned the following aircraft types: ^[2]

National Airlines historical fleet

Aircraft	Total	Introduced	Retired	Remark
Boeing 707-120	1	1958	1958	N710PA leased from Pan Am [41]
Boeing 727-100	21	1964 [42]	1980	[43]
Boeing 727-200	27	1967	1980	[43]
Boeing 747-100	2	1970	1976	N77772, N77773 [44]
Convair CV-340	1	1954	1960	N11136 [45]
Convair CV-440	1	1953	1960	N8415H [46]
Curtiss C-46F Commando	2	1948	1954	N1661M, N1662M [47]
Douglas C-54	3	1949	1950	N88444, N88852, N95490 [48]
Douglas DC-4-1009	7	1946	1952	[49]
Douglas DC-6	8	1947	1963	[50]
Douglas DC-6B	13	1952	1963	[51]
Douglas DC-7	9	1953	1964	[52]
Douglas DC-8-20	3	1960	1974	N6571B, N6572C, N6573C [53]
Douglas DC-8-30	5	1963	1978	[53]
Douglas DC-8-50	9	1961	1973	[53]
Douglas DC-8-61	2	1967	1975	N45090, N45191 [53]
Lockheed C-60	4	1940	1956	[54]
Lockheed L-188 Electra	17	1959	1968	[55]
Lockheed L-1049H Super Constellation	4	1957	1964	N7131C, N7132C, N7133C, N7134C [56] [57]
Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar	4	1940	1956	[54]
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10	11	1971	1980	[58]
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30	4	1971	1980	N80NA, N81NA, N82NA, N83NA [58]
Ryan B-5 Brougham	2	1934	n/a	NC9234, NC545N [59]
Ryan B-7 Brougham	1	1934	n/a	NC723M [60]
Sikorsky S-55	1	1953	1954	N423A [61]
Stinson U Tri-Motor	n/a	1935	n/a	NC432M [62]

Sun King Club

Domestic

• Fort Lauderdale
• Houston
• Miami
• Jacksonville
• Los Angeles
• New Orleans
• New York (Kennedy)
• New York (LaGuardia)
• Newark
• Orlando
• San Francisco
• Tampa
• Washington (National)
• West Palm Beach

International

• Amsterdam
• Frankfurt
• London (Heathrow)
• Paris (Orly)

Accidents and incidents

Fatal

• On October 5, 1945, National Airlines Flight 16 , a Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar (registered NC18199) crashed into a lake near Lakeland, Florida at 01:05 local time. The scheduled passenger flight had originated in Tampa, when the pilots encountered technical problems during approach of Lakeland Airport, which led to a failed go-around attempt. Of the 15 people on board, two passengers died. ^[63]
• On January 14, 1951, 6 of the 28 passengers on board Flight 83 died when the aircraft, a Douglas DC-4 (registered N74685), overshot the runway and crashed into a ditch at Philadelphia International Airport. The pilots of the flight from New York City had tried to land the aircraft too far down the runway, instead of aborting the approach. ^[64] Frankie Housley, the only stewardess, also died. She has been regarded as a hero, as she had returned to the burning wreckage to lead passengers to safety. ^[65]
• On February 11, 1952, Flight 101 , a Douglas DC-6, crashed shortly after take-off from Newark Airport due to a failure of a propeller and subsequent loss of control. Of the 59 passengers on board, 26 died, as well as three of the four crew members. Four people on the ground were killed.
• With 46 fatalities (5 crew and 41 passengers, among them Billy DeBeck's widow), the disaster of Flight 470 on February 14, 1953, marks the worst accident in the history of National Airlines. The aircraft, a DC-6 registered N90893, crashed into the Gulf of Mexico 20 mi (32 km) off Mobile Point en route from Tampa to New Orleans, after having encountered severe turbulence.
• On November 16, 1959, at 00:55 local time, a Douglas DC-7 (registered N4891C) crashed into the Gulf of Mexico, the cause of which could not be determined. The 36 passengers and six crew aboard Flight 967 from Tampa to New Orleans died in the accident 35.6 mi (57.3 km) off the coast of Pilottown, Louisiana. ^[66]
• On January 6, 1960, a bomb exploded aboard the DC-6 registered N8225H Flight 2511 en route from New York to Miami. In the subsequent crash near Bolivia, North Carolina, all 29 passengers and five crew died. One of the passengers, who was under criminal investigation, is suspected of committing a suicide bombing. ^[67]
• On November 3, 1973, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10 (registered N60NA) suffered an uncontained engine failure over Datil, New Mexico while operating as Flight 27 from Houston to Las Vegas. Pieces of the turbine penetrated the fuselage, breaking a window in the passenger cabin and causing subsequent decompression. One passenger was sucked out of the aircraft and died. The flight made a successful emergency landing at Albuquerque. ^[68]

The wreckage of Flight 193 (1978).

• On May 8, 1978, at 21:20 local time, Flight 193 went down in Escambia Bay near Pensacola, in 12 ft (3.7 m) deep water. Of the 52 passengers aboard the Boeing 727 registered N4744, three died. The pilots had attempted to land the aircraft at Pensacola International Airport. ^[69]

Non-fatal

• On September 13, 1945, a National Airlines Lockheed Lodestar (registered NC33349) overshot the runway at Peter O. Knight Airport near Tampa in rainy weather and came to a rest in the water of Hillsborough Bay. There were eleven passengers and three crew members on board the scheduled flight from Miami. ^[70]
• On October 11, 1945, another Lodestar (NC15555) was involved in a hull-loss accident. The pilots of Flight 23 from Jacksonville to Miami with 14 passengers aboard experienced an engine fire and attempted an emergency landing at Melbourne Airport. The approach was missed, but the pilots did not manage to pull the aircraft up, so it impacted the ground. ^[71]
• On October 2, 1950, a cargo-configured Curtiss C-46 Commando (registered N1661M) was substantially damaged in a belly landing at Washington National Airport. ^[72]
• On January 10, 1955, at 09:38, Flight 1 with ten passengers and three crew veered off the runway during a takeoff attempt at St. Petersburg-Clearwater Airport. The copilot had lost control of the Lockheed Lodestar (registered N33369) that had been bound for Sarasota. ^[73]
• On November 15, 1961, at 17:10, National Airlines Flight 429 (a DC-6 registered N8228H) collided with Northeast Airlines Flight 120 (a Vickers Viscount) on the ground at Logan International Airport in Boston. The pilots of the National aircraft with 25 passengers aboard had commenced with the takeoff run without having been cleared to do so, hitting the landing Northeast plane. ^[74]

Hijackings

Between 1961 and 1980, 22 (attempted) hijackings on board National Airlines occurred, which involved the aircraft being demanded to be flown to Cuba. In 1969 alone, there were nine such occurrences. ^[75] These events can be partly attributed to the tense Cuba–United States relations at that time, and the many flights of National Airlines in and to the southeastern United States, near Cuba. See List of Cuba – United States aircraft hijackings for more information.

There were several other criminal acts involving National Airlines aircraft:

• On March 8, 1971, a hijacker on board Flight 745, a Boeing 727 with 46 occupants en route from Mobile to New Orleans, demanded the aircraft be flown to Canada instead. ^[76]
• On July 12, 1972, Michael Stanley Green and Ethiopian national Lulseged Tesfa hijacked National Airlines Flight 496 (a Boeing 727) while en route to New York from Philadelphia. ^[77]
• On March 30, 1974, following a hostage taking in Sarasota, the perpetrator tried to hijack a parked National Airlines 727 at Sarasota-Brandenton Airport, but was prevented from doing so by a flight engineer. ^[78] A similar hijacking attempt happened on January 3, 1975, at Pensacola Airport. ^[79]

See also

• List of defunct airlines of the United States
• WPST-TV, a defunct television station in Miami, Florida, owned and operated by the airline from 1957 to 1961

References

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54. "Lockheed Lodestar". rzjets. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
55. "Lockheed L-188 Electra". rzjets. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
56. "Lockheed L-1049H Super Constellation" . Retrieved August 14, 2019.
57. "National Airlines Lockheed L1049H Super Constellation N7131C". Ed Coates Collection. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
58. "National Airlines Fleet Details". Planespotters. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
59. "National Airlines Ryan B-5 Brougham". Ed Coates Collection. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
60. "National Airlines Ryan B-7 Brougham". Ed Coates Collection. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
61. "National Airlines". Helis.com. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
62. "National Airlines System Stinson U Tri-Motor". Ed Coates Collection. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
63. Accident report of National Airlines Flight 16 at the Aviation Safety Network>
64. Accident report of National Airlines Flight 83 at the Aviation Safety Network
65. "Take Your Time". Time . January 22, 1951. Archived from the original on January 27, 2008. Retrieved January 24, 2008.
66. Accident report of National Airlines Flight 967 at the Aviation Safety Network
67. Accident report of National Airlines Flight 2511 at the Aviation Safety Network
68. Accident report of National Airlines Flight 27 at the Aviation Safety Network
69. Accident report of National Airlines Flight 193 at the Aviation Safety Network
70. September 1945 National Airlines accident at the Aviation Safety Network
71. Accident report of National Airlines Flight 23 at the Aviation Safety Network
72. 1950 landing accident at the Aviation Safety Network
73. Accident report of National Airlines Flight 1 at the Aviation Safety Network
74. Accident report of National Airlines Flight 429 at the Aviation Safety Network
75. List of accidents and incidents involving National Airlines, at the Aviation Safety Network
76. Report of the hijacking of National Airlines Flight 745 at the Aviation Safety Network
77. 40 years later: The day a 727 landed at Lake Jackson, at chron.com
78. Report of the 1974 National Airlines hijacking at the Aviation Safety Network
79. Report of the 1975 National Airlines hijacking at the Aviation Safety Network

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