Piedmont Airlines: A Complete History, 1948-1989

by Richard E. Eller

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786491810
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	12/14/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	317
Sales rank:	881,274
File size:	11 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

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

Table 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     

Editorial Reviews

Eller has documented the birth, life, and demise of Piedmont Airlines”—The North Carolina Historical Review; “very detailed”—Journal of Southern History.

From the Publisher

"very detailed"

Journal of Southern History

Eller has documented the birth, life, and demise of Piedmont Airlines

The North Carolina Historical Review