250.000 hours special markings

Evidently Westates Airlines operated as a Trans World Express affiliate for a while. A press relese dated 11 October 1991 says flights would start on 27 October.

ex Lufthansa D-ABID

A Jetstar 8 when delivered to G T & E (General Telephone & Electronics Corporation), N5098G was converted to a Jetstar 731 in 1977. G T & E had a large interest in the British Columbia Telephone Company (later BC Tel) and the aircraft was a frequent visitor to Vancouver. Later registrations N417PJ, N199LA, N792AA, and N942Y. It was exported to Mexico in 2002 as XA-TVK.

A Convair 340 for United Airlines as N73129 Mainliner Toledo in March 1953. To Frontier Airlines in 1962, the aircraft was converted to a CV580 in 1964. Acquired by Gem State Airlines (N117GS) in 1979, merged with local carrier Air Pacific to form Golden Gate Airlines (N73129) in 1980 only to shut down in 1981. Next with ERA Helicopters / Jet Alaska / Era AViation 1981 - 2003. Bought via Kelowna Flightcraft, Conair converted it to an air tanker, finally retiring in 2021. Stored at Red Deer, AB for Buffalo Airways in August 2021, who bought three Conair CV580s for their engines and propellers.

On display at the exhibition "Reaching for the Sky: The History of Columbus Aviation" at the Columbus Historical Society's gallery at COSI. I'm reasonably confident this aircraft was formerly part of the collection of the Ohio History of Flight Museum at (then) Port Columbus, and had been put into storage there when the museum closed in 2000. Unfortunately I have not been able to determine if it was ever registered, or had a c/n assigned by its builder. After this exhibition, she was returned to the Historical Aircraft Squadron museum, at the nearby Fairfield County Airport in Lancaster.

Withdrawn from use in 2013. Bob Kerr photo

Sold in New Zealand as ZK-ELQ. Bob Kerr photo