OZARK AIRLINES FOLLOWS 'ROUTE OF THE SWALLOWS'

Even after being out of business for the past 13 years, Ozark Airlines is still remembered as a St. Louis-based regional airline that serviced Southeast Missouri for most of its 36 years in operation.

The airline that was known as the "Route of the Swallows" finally took off after two failed start-up attempts during the Depression. Its first flight departed St. Louis for Chicago on Sept. 26, 1950, with one passenger. Ozark had established local routes that served 42 cities in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Iowa and Illinois.

In 1954, under the management of Laddie Hamilton, the company reported a

profit of $48,000, ranking it twelfth of 13 local service airlines in the nation. Milwaukee was added to the flight schedule in 1953; Minneapolis in 1957; and Omaha, Neb., in 1959. By the end of the 50s, Ozark served 10 states and 52 cities and towns in America's breadbasket, while covering 26,930 scheduled route miles daily.

Ozark steadily continued its growth as several bigger cities and states in the region joined the schedule: Sioux Falls, S.D., in 1962, and Tulsa, Okla., in 1963. Some low-traffic small towns lost service in the same period, including Danville, Ill., and Cairo, Ill. In April 1969, the line was authorized to begin flights to New York/LaGuardia and Washington National from Peoria, Ill., and Champaign, Ill.

On Dec. 27, 1967, Ozark suffered its first major mishap when a two-year-old DC-9 crashed at Sioux City, Iowa. Flight 982 to Chicago was departing in freezing rain and crashed into the trees and snow immediately after take off. Although the starboard wing was sheared off on impact, the four crewmembers and 62 passengers escaped with no serious injuries.

By the 1970s, America had seen a president resign, the emergence of discos, a man walk on the moon and Ozark Airlines shine. It was perhaps most famous for its outside work, which included Ozark's St. Louis maintenance base maintaining Hugh Hefner's personal DC-9. The glossy black aircraft with its trademark Playboy symbols was a familiar sight on the Ozark ramp at Lambert.

In 1978, the federal government decided to deregulate the domestic airline industry. Deregulation meant that airlines could adjust service and rates as competition allowed and owners saw fit. The act meant that competition would be much fiercer, and that smaller lines like Ozark would have to scramble to survive.

New states were added to the timetable, as Ozark began flights to Detroit, Philadelphia, Atlanta and New Orleans. Florida became an Ozark state in 1979 when Miami, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, and Orlando were added as destinations. In time, Ozark served eight different locations in the "Sunshine State."

Tragedy struck Ozark on July 23, 1973, when Fairchild N4215 crashed on approach to Lambert-St Louis Airfield during a severe thunderstorm. The aircraft was scheduled as flight 809, from Nashville, Clarksville, Paducah, Cape Girardeau and Marion. Thirty-nine of the 45 people on board lost their lives in the accident, the first fatal crash in the airline's 25-year history.

As Ozark Airlines entered its fourth decade of service, it served 20 states with 54 aircrafts. By 1983, total route-miles exceeded 35,000, with 109 departures a day from St. Louis.

A machinist strike shut down the airline for 28 days in May 1980, but the route rebounded strongly, gaining it a favorable article on Oct. 20, 1981, in the "Wall Street Journal" The strike also marked the end of propeller aircraft in Ozark's inventory, as the final few were sold off, many to European second-level airlines.

Over a 35-year span, Ozark had expanded from a weak local airline.

It was not destined to survive the decade however, and in early 1986 an agreement was made to merge Ozark into TWA for $224 million. The merger was approved, and 4,000 employees and 50 aircraft joined TWA in St. Louis on Oct. 26, 1986. One of the more colorful local airlines in America had come to an end.

Ozark Airline travelers have shared pleasant memories of the airline and its staff and many have been posted on the Ozark Airlines Website.

"On December 23, 1971, I was returning home from the Army and a tour in Vietnam," wrote Greg Ohl of Foley, Minn. "My final destination was Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and I had a United ticket that would not have gotten me in until late that evening. I was walking past an Ozark counter when one of the employees inquired if I needed any assistance. I showed them my ticket and the two people at the desk did some checking and said they could get me into Waterloo, Iowa, earlier in the afternoon with a few stops along the way. On each flight I was treated with first class service. I have always had a great deal of admiration for Ozark Airlines and appreciated their efforts of getting me home."

Local resident Greg Lincoln has posted his memories on the Internet site.

"Ozark served my city faithfully from the early 50's (I think we were one of Ozark's first destinations) until 1982. They flew everything in here from DC-3s to DC-9s. I have a modest collection of Ozark memorabilia. I have photos -- mostly taken at St. Louis and Cape Girardeau. I have timetables from the early 70's through the early 80's. I also have tickets and boarding passes with in-flight menus on the back."