Veterans Air

A “gathering” of all Footnoted Posts.

1945 express delivery of perishable produce

1945-09-13

Bellman_Gordon_E, Brenner_Arthur, Brenner_Nellie, FOOTNOTES, Gravely_Lydia_Amadio, Gravely_Saunie_B, Paroly_Bernard_LaVerne, Rowland_W._Thaddeus, Stevenson_Harvey_G., Teterboro Airport, The 1943-1945 Era, Veterans Air Line

Saunie considers C-60 Lockheed Lodestar. That will change. But Newark Evening News reporter gives extensive Air Express details.

1945 photo of Captain Robert Montanarella seat to the left of Copilot Harold Chaplain discussing aircraft instrument panel in background.

KY journalist covers people, plans, glider, turkeys.

1945-11-11

Brenner Produce Co., Brenner_Arthur, Chambers_Robert_C., Chaplin_Harold_C., DC-3 Gaye Lyn, FOOTNOTES, Gravely_Saunie_B, Haag_Walter, Kauffman_Laister, Montanarella_Robert, Stevenson_Harvey_G., Stoker's Poultry, The 1943-1945 Era, Veterans Air, Veterans Air Express, Veterans Air glider

DC-3 Captain Robert Montanarello, left seat, is first hire of the Veterans Air Flight Crews.

The DC-3 intended to tow Veterans Air first cargo glider

Glider on the horizon

1945-11-30

Brenner_Arthur, Chambers_Robert_C., FOOTNOTES, Gravely_Saunie_B, Haag_Walter, Montanarella_Robert, The 1943-1945 Era, Veterans Air, Veterans Air Line

A scheduled cargo flight of ice-packed turkeys in a DC-3-towed-glider. A historic flight?

Greenleaf Sr. saves CAB worldwide route filing

1946-03-18

Civil Aeronautics Board, FOOTNOTES, Gravely_Saunie_B, Greenleaf_Sr._John_W., Matson Navigation Co, Operations, Stevenson_Harvey_G., The Early 1946 Era, The Late 1946 Era, Veterans Air Express

Veterans Air Express prepared a CAB route app – for permanent, scheduled service, worldwide authority. It reveals hopes & intentions of the Vets & their…

Veterans Air glistening DC-3, props turning awaits approaching company founder on ramp at Sebring, FL

Florida ideal secondary maintenance location

1946-03-28

Altvater_Allen_C., Collins_R._B., FOOTNOTES, Gravely_Saunie_B, Gries_Marilyn, Krohm_Robert, Sebring Florida Maintenance Base, Taylor_J._R., The Early 1946 Era, The Eighth Air Depot

Growing business. VAE’s 2nd ops base. WWII Hendricks Field to transition to Sebring Air Terminal. Archives tell the story.

“Experimental” DC-4 expedited for UNRRA war relief flights

1946-04-01

Brenner_Arthur, Brenner_Nellie, Evans_Paul, FOOTNOTES, GLOBETROTTER_NX58003, Gravely_Saunie_B, Gries_Marilyn, Historic flight, Jakeman_William, Noll_John_J., Novotna_Jarmila, Stettner_Jack_Z., Stevenson_Harvey_G., The Early 1946 Era, Veterans Air DC-4, Veterans Air Express, Warsaw

An “experimental” DC-4. A high-energy group of hardworking ex-servicemen. A Veterans Air Express UNRRA contract for cargo flights behind the iron curtain. And…

DC-4 converted at Sebring FL ops base

1946-06-04

Altvater Sr._Allen, Brenner_Nellie, Collins_R._B., FOOTNOTES, Gravely_Saunie_B, Harris_Opal, Maxcy_Guignard_Groves, McGee_M.F._Mayor, Murphy_Vincent_Mayor, Sebring Florida Maintenance Base, The Early 1946 Era, The Late 1946 Era, Veterans Air DC-4, Veterans Air Line

Company techs convert an Army C-54 to second cargo DC-4 in just 13 days. But too slow military-to-civilian airfield negotiations hinder FL ops plans.

Small news clip of Michael Frome's By-line and Editor's Note on "last of five uncensored articles, " June 6, 1946, The Washington Post.

1946 Warsaw 5-Part series by Michael Frome

1946-06-06

FOOTNOTES, Frome_Michael, Warsaw

A gathering of 1946 Warsaw By-line headlines by Michael Frome – Washington Post Staff Writer and Veterans Air DC-4 Navigator.

1946 Veterans Air Crew Manifests for UNRRA War-Relief Flights

1946-09-10

Athens, Berlin Tempelhof, Broughton_Richard_(Dick), Cannock_George_Edwin, Cowart_Thomas_Edwin, DC-3 Gaye Lyn, Fagan_William_(Bill), FOOTNOTES, Freeman_Charles, Freeman_Charles_R., Frome_Michael, Jakeman_William, Keloss_Constentine_J., Lynnes_Roy_M., Margeson_Donald_Royal, Martz_Jr._Edward_Francis, Michatowski_John, Moroz_William_(Bill), Neigel_Joseph_Andrew, O'Conner_W. J., Prague, Rowland_Gerald_A., Stettner_Jack_Z., Turnbull_Don_M, UNRRA Manifest, Veterans Air, Veterans Air Express, Veterans Air Lines, Walker_Morgan_Cooper, Warsaw

In 1946, contracted by United Nations Relief & Rehabilitation Administration, Veterans Air flew five war-relief cargos of fertilized hatching eggs to Prague and Warsaw and…

CAB single-page document dismissing two Veterans Air Express Co's applications for Certificates to operate as a non-sked service.

CAB 1948 “Order Dismissing Applications” turns up

1948-03-24

Civil Aeronautics Board, Don M. Turnbull, FOOTNOTES, Greenleaf Family, Greenleaf_Sr._John_W., Matson Navigation Co, Prague, Stettner_Jack_Z., Stringer_David, The 1947-1948 Era, The Borden Company, UNRRA Veterans Air Contract, Veterans Air Express, Warsaw

Ironic Proof of CAB Applications – and no CAB responses In October 2015, an undated Civil Aeronautics Board Application for worldwide routes surfaced and created…

Founded in 1945 by a few now grown 62 by April '46, this non-sked brims with talent and determination.

1945 Crew list grows from 22 to 62

2016-03-16

Broughton_Richard_(Dick), Chambers_Robert_C., Chaplin_Harold_C., Cowart_Thomas_Edwin, Eason_Charles_F., FOOTNOTES, Foster_Frederick_B., Gravely_Saunie_B, Greenleaf_Sr._John_W., Gries_Marilyn, Gries_Robert_F., Historic flight, Martin_Al, Martz_Jr._Edward_Francis, McFall_Charlotte, Montanarella_Robert, Moroz_William_(Bill), Noll_John_J., Prague, Shmanske_Bernard, Stettner_Jack_Z., Stevenson_Harvey_G.

Researching the airline in April 2015, the list of men who flew, crewed and managed this non-sked airline was 22. Within months, it grew…

New information invaluable to 2017 research as 1946 images and clippings surface

2017-07-28

Athens, Broughton_Richard_(Dick), Carlonza_Salvatore_(Sal), DC-3 Gaye Lyn, Fazzone_Samuel, FOOTNOTES, Glass_Abraham, Gravely_Saunie_B, Hounsell_William_S., Kaloss_Constantine_J._(Gus), United Nations, Walker_Morgan_Cooper

A spectacular batch of 1946 Veterans Air Line images and press clippings ignited lively conversation. I was in Florida to meet Craig Broughton and his…

Elusive documents. Missing or gone?

2018-10-24

Bobinsky_Steve_ERAU, Cope_Hal, Cox_Dr._Ralph, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, ERAU Hazy Library, FOOTNOTES, Non-sked, Non-sked era, Roth_Suzie ERAU Librarian, San Diego Air and Space Museum, The Non-sked History Project, Video, Weiss_Stan

Elusive Veterans Air records are hopefully not non-existent. Pursuit of new non-sked airline era research sources prompted a June/July 2018 journey. Come see the…

A map depicts destinatiions and route of a Veterans Air research trip in 2019.

Research continues in 2019

2019-07-19

Airliners International, Carvair ATL-98, Carvair Hull #5, Chambers_Robert_C., DC-3 Gaye Lyn, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, FOOTNOTES, GLOBETROTTER_NX58003, Gries_Robert_F., Noll_John_J., Stringer_David, Veterans Air DC-3, Veterans Air DC-4, Veterans Air Express, Veterans Air RV

Amazing how 4,872 miles can roll by without boredom. Meeting special people and continuing non-sked research spread out over 33 days.

Footnotes