Wien Air Alaska

Former Wien Air Alaska hangar in Fairbanks, Alaska

Wien Air Alaska (IATA: WC) was formed from Northern Consolidated Airlines and Wien Alaska Airways. The company was famous for being the first airline in Alaska, and one of the first in the United States.

History

Noel Wien flew an open cockpit biplane, a Hisso Standard J1 from Anchorage, Alaska's "Park Strip" to Fairbanks Alaska on July 6, 1924.

In 1925 Noel Wien purchased a Fokker F-3 Monoplane with cabin built in 1921 in Amsterdam for the Fairbanks Airplane and it was shipped to Seward, Alaska via boat. Then shipped in pieces via the Alaska Railroad to Fairbanks. Ralph Wien, Noel's brother came with him, to work as a mechanic. They assembled the Fokker F-3 Monoplane in Fairbanks.

Noel taught Ralph how to fly.Ralph was killed on October 12, 1930 while flying a diesel powered Bellanca Bush plane.

The airline was started in June 1927 by Noel Wien in Nome, Alaska, but traces its roots back to Noel's 1924 to 1926 flights out of Fairbanks with Bennett Rodebaugh's Fairbanks Airplane company which was later absorbed into Wien Alaska Airways.

The company pioneered jet service to gravel runways and developed the B737 Combi configuration which allowed a maximization of freight and passenger loads on the upper deck of jet aircraft. Wien Air Alaska at one time flew to more places in the world than any other airline excluding Aeroflot. By the early 1980s their route network extended from Point Barrow and dozens of Alaskan towns all the way down to Phoenix, Oakland, and Denver. Their main bases were in Anchorage and Seattle.

His brother Sigurd Wien was a mechanic 1935 to 1937 as a mechanic. Noel taught Sig how to fly. Starting in 1937, Sig was also a bush pilot. Sig managed the Nome, Alaska Office and flew the North Slope bush flights. Sig Wien, as a bush pilot, flew contracts for [USGS] geologic exploration activities including geologist Marvin Mangus. Sieg Wien became CEO of Wien Airlines after his brother Noel Wien retired from management activities [1940 to 1969].

Expansion came at a price as Wien was pushed to the brink of bankruptcy. Household Finance then dumped its investment in the airline and sold the company to Wien’s President, Jim J. Flood. He shut down the airline and on November 23, 1984 Wien was liquidated for profit. Noel's son, Merrill, said the end of his family's airline came when it "was bought by a corporate raider on a leveraged buyout and was liquidated for about twice what the stock was selling for. The Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 made this possible." in an interview with Avweb.[2]

Before Wien Air folded in 1985, they were known as the second oldest airline in the United States.

Noel Wien's son flew in an open cockpit biplane from Anchorage, Alaska's Park Strip to Fairbanks Alaska on July 6, 1999 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of his father's solo flight in a Hisso Standard J1. The municipality of Anchorage allowed the reenactment plane to take off from the grass park, which was used as a runway in 1924.

Due to the rapid increase in Alaska's population of about 160,000 in 1962 to the current population, the Wien brothers have faded into history.

Timeline

• Wien Alaska Airways 1927-1930
• Northern Air Transport 1930
• Wien Alaska Airways 1930-194?
• Wien Alaska Airlines 194?-196?
• Wien Air Alaska 196?-April 1968
• Wien Consolidated April 1968-1974
• Wien Air Alaska 1974 -1984
• Wien Airlines 1985

Incidents

On December 2, 1968, Wien Consolidated Airlines Flight 55, a Fairchild F-27B, crashed into Spotsy Lake, Pedro Bay, Alaska. All 39 people on board were killed.

On August 30, 1975, Wien Air Alaska Flight 99, A Fairchild F-27B, crashed on approach to Gambell, Alaska. 10 of the 32 passengers and crew on board were killed.

List of aircraft operated

1920s

• Standard J-1
• Fokker F.III (operated by Noel Wien at the Fairbanks Airplane Company)
• Stearman C3
• Stinson SB-1 "Detroiter" (the 1926 biplane version of the Detroiter)
• Hamilton Metal Plane

1930s

• Bellanca
• Stinson SM-2 Junior
• Ford Trimotor
• Fokker Universal

1940s

• Fairchild Pilgrim
• Bellanca Skyrocket^{[disambiguation needed ]}
• Travel Air 6000
• Noorduyn Norseman
• Republic Seabee
• Stinson SR-9 "Gull Wing"
• Boeing 247
• Douglas DC-3
• Curtiss C-46
• Cessna 165 Airmaster

1950s

A Wien Alaska Airlines Cessna 170 met by a M29C weasel at Oliktok Point, Alaska (North Slope), Summer 1951

• Douglas DC-3
• Curtiss C-46
• Noorduyn Norseman
• Cessna 170, 180, 195
• Beech 18

1960s and 1970s

• Cessna 185
• de Havilland Beaver
• Beech 18
• Pilatus Porter
• Douglas DC-4
• Lockheed L-749 Constellation
• de Havilland Twin Otter
• Fairchild C-82
• Douglas DC-3
• Curtis C-46
• Shorts Skyvan
• Fokker F-27

A Boeing 737-200 Combi aircraft of Wien Air Alaska

• Boeing 737 – Wien was the launch customer for the 737-200 Combi passenger-freight aircraft, and one of the first U.S. operators starting in May 1968 with aircraft N461GB. One aircraft was later delivered to First Air and crashed operating as First Air Flight 6560

1980s

• Boeing 737
• Boeing 727
• McDonnell Douglas DC-8 Freighter (contract for UPS)

External links

• Wien television commercials
• KentWien.com - Founder's grandson has a few bits of Wien nostalgia on his site
• Wien N-number fleet lists by time period
• Timetable Images.com - Wien Air Alaska

Sources

• Ira B. Harkey Jr., Noel Wien - Pioneer Alaska Bush Pilot, and discussions in 2005 with Merrill and Richard Wien, sons of the founder.
• [1] Merrill Wien interview, by Joe Godfrey Avweb 2002
• [2] Wien Airlines, a good example of how to bankrupt a company by Charlie Dexter, U. of Alaska, Fairbanks

CHAPTER FOUR - The Wien Brothers The Last of the Bush Pilots (Mass Market Paperback - Bantam Air and Space Series) by Harmon Helmericks, copyright 1969, pages 43 to 58 ISBN 0-553-28556-4