Lake Central Airlines was an airline that served points in the midwestern United States from 1950 to 1968, when it merged into Allegheny Airlines.
History
The airline was founded as Roscoe Turner Airlines; it was based at Weir Cook Airport (now Indianapolis International Airport) in Indianapolis, Indiana. Lake Central's network in the 1950s extended from Chicago to Pittsburgh; in August 1953 it scheduled flights to 21 airports and in May 1968 to 39. It flew Douglas DC-3, Convair 340, Convair 580, Beechcraft Bonanza, and Nord 262 aircraft.
Like other Local Service airlines, Lake Central was subsidized; in 1962, its operating revenues of $10.8 million included $4.2 million of public service revenue.
In February 1955, Lake Central Airlines became the first employee-owned scheduled airline in the history of the air transport industry. 162 employees (65% of the total) bought 97.5% of the outstanding stock, 25% outright and the rest financed over 24 months.
Effective July 1, 1968, the airline was merged into Allegheny Airlines. Allegheny later closed the Indianapolis base and sold the Nord 262 aircraft, which had proven not to be reliable.
Accidents and incidents
- On March 5, 1967, Lake Central Flight 527, a Convair 580, crashed near Marseilles, Ohio, with the loss of all 38 passengers and crew.
References
External links
- Dan Tate's Blog
