Piemont Airlines - A Complete History, 1948-1989

Founded by Thomas H. Davis in 1948, Piedmont Airlines was one of the most respected regional airlines of its time. This exhaustive history follows the airline from its humble beginnings at Smith Reynolds Airport in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to its 1989 absorption into USAir after a buyout at the highest price ever commanded by a regional airline.
Drawing upon corporate documents, local news stories, and countless personal interviews with former Piedmont employees, the author tells the airline's history in detail. Nearly 100 photographs show the airline's development, and two appendices provide comprehensive lists of its fleet and service destinations. Fully indexed.

List of contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     

Preface     

Introduction: Speedbird     

1. Winston-Salem Air, 1918-1944     

2. First Flight, 1944-1948     

3. Puddle Jumping, 1948-1958     

4. Speedy Petey, 1958-1968     

5. Experience Comes with Age, 1968-1977     

6. The Hazards of Flight, 1959-1988     

7. The Great Outfit, 1978-1984     

8. The Last Virgin, 1985-1987     

9. Another Airline, 1987-1989     

Afterword: Last Flight Out     

Epilogue: Flying West     

Appendix A: The Piedmont Fleet, 1948-1989     

Appendix B: Piedmont Destinations, 1948-1989     

Chapter Notes     

Bibliography     

Index     

About the author

Richard E. Eller is a history professor at Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, North Carolina.

Product details

• Authors: Richard E. Eller
• Publisher: McFarland
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 30.04.2012
• EAN: 9780786469147
• ISBN: 978-0-7864-6914-7
• No. of pages: 317
• Subjects: Guides > Motor vehicles, aircraft, ships, space travel > Aircraft, space travel; Humanities, art, music > History; Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Technology > Aviation and space engineering