Los Angeles Airways

Los Angeles Airways (LAA) was a helicopter airline founded in October 1947 and based in Westchester, California, which offered service to area airports throughout Southern California.[1]

Los Angeles Airways
Commenced operations1947
Ceased operations1971
HubsWestchester, Los Angeles
DestinationsDisneyland
Newporter Resort
Los Angeles area airports
HeadquartersLos Angeles, California
Key peopleClarence Belinn (president)
Boyd Kesselring (operations)

History
A LAA Sikorsky S-51 departs from the Terminal Annex Post office roof on its inaugurate airmail flight, 1947.
A LAA Sikorsky S-61 landing at the Disneyland Resort

Los Angeles Airways commenced airmail service on October 1, 1947 followed by scheduled passenger service in November 1954, making it the world's first scheduled helicopter airline. The main hub was Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) where passengers were flown to and from local area heliports, including Disneyland Resort in Anaheim and the Newporter Resort in Newport Beach, service was expanded to Ontario and San Bernardino.[2][3][4] LAA's fleet grew with the acquisition of four Sikorsky S-61's in March 1962, becoming the first civil operator of the type at a purchased price of $650,000 each.[5] On October 25, 1965, the Civil Aeronautics Board granted LAA a permanent certificate, to continue scheduled passenger airline operations over the greater Los Angeles area, this in conjunction with their authority from the Federal Aviation Administration to conduct flights under instrument flight rules (IFR), gave the company more flexibility to operate at night and in poor weather. The company had considered obtaining the Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane, with detachable passenger sections, but failed to secure financing for the acquisition.[6] In the following years the company had suffered two fatal accidents, and with the failure to consummate a contract with Golden West Airlines in which it would have been purchased, Los Angeles Airways ceased operations in 1971.[7]

Aircraft operated

Accidents

See also

References
  1. "World Airline Directory." Flight International. April 10, 1969. 581.
  2. Staff, "First Helicopter Express Lands At Ontario Field", San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Friday 18 December 1953, Volume LX, Number 94, page 19.
  3. Staff, "S.B. Terminal For 'Copter Air Express in U.S.", San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Friday 18 December 1953, Volume LX, Number 94, page 13.
  4. Freeman, Paul. "Disneyland Heliport, Anaheim, CA". Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields.
  5. "The Self-Supporting Helicopter" Time Magazine December 26, 1960
  6. "Los Angeles Airways Inc". flightglobal.com. April 1965. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  7. Ed Coates Collection
  8. Staff, “Crash of Helicopter Kills Mail Pilot From Inglewood”, ‘’The San Bernardino Daily Sun’’, San Bernardino, California, Tuesday 28 August 1951, Volume LVII, Number 310, page 11.
  9. Staff, “Crash of Helicopter Kills Mail Pilot From Inglewood”, ‘’The San Bernardino Daily Sun’’, San Bernardino, California, Volume LVII, Number 310, pages 1, 11.

[[Category:Airlines based in California

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