Reeve Aleutian Airways was an airline headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska, United States. It ceased operations on December 5, 2000. Reeve Aleutian was named, possibly as a pun on the word revolution, by combining founder Robert C. Reeve's surname and the Aleutian Islands, its primary destination.

History

Founding

In February 1946, Bob Reeve received a call informing him that some ex-USAAF C-47s and Douglas DC-3s were for sale (the C-47 being the military version of the DC-3). Reeve bought his first DC-3 for $20,000 with $3,000 down and the balance payable over 3 years. The cost of conversion to civilian standard was quoted at $50,000, but Reeve did the work himself at a cost of $5,000.

A strike by sailors on steamships operating between Seattle and Anchorage started on April 6, 1946. Reeve, along with Merritt Boyle and Bill Borland began flying between Seattle and Anchorage, with stops at Juneau, Yakutat or Annette Island. Each trip carried a full load of 21 passengers and took an average of hours. In 53 days, 26 round trips were made. Reeve would work all night on inspections and maintenance of the plane at Spokane, and then fly back to Anchorage having had very little sleep. Reeve earned $93,000 from this activity, enough to pay for the DC-3 and buy three more.

In 1952, the new Anchorage International Airport opened and all the other airlines moved there. The CAA was going to close Merrill Field, but it was retained for use by Reeve Aleutian and private operators. In 1953, final military deactivation of the Aleutian airfields occurred. Reeve obtained leases on Shemya and Cold Bay. Shemya closed in 1954 and all flights were switched to Cold Bay. In January 1957, A Douglas DC-3 registered N49363 was sold to Twentieth Century Aircraft. During the 1950s, St. George and Chernofski were served by airdrop, Reeve installing salvaged bomb releases in his DC-3s to enable this.

In 1957, the Distant Early Warning line was being constructed, bringing a boom to Reeve Aleutian. In 1957, an S-43 was traded in, two Curtiss C-46 Commandos were purchased from Cordova Airlines and Grumman G-21 Goose was leased from Interior Airways. Merrill Field proved too small for the DC-4, so Reeve Aleutian moved to Anchorage International in 1958. By the early 1960s, the DC-4 was proving outdated, and therefore a Douglas DC-6B was purchased in January 1962.

1970s

thumb|left|Reeve Aleutian L-188C Electra

The late 1960s saw the emergence of the Lockheed L-188 Electra turboprop airliner, which was to be backbone of Reeve Aleutian's business until Boeing 727-100 jets joined the fleet in later years. The first was purchased from California Airmotive in February 1968. With the acquisition of the Electras, the DC-6s were phased out of passenger service.

Reeve Aleutian still had DC-3s in service, and a replacement was sought. The NAMC YS-11A was decided on and the first aircraft was purchased new in 1972. In 1973, the Electra was certified by the CAA to land on gravel runways.

The jet age

In December 1983, Reeve Aleutian purchased two Boeing 727-22QC combi aircraft from Wien Air Alaska. During the Christmas 1985 holiday, there was a large backlog of mail at Seattle–Tacoma, and Reeve Aleutian contracted with the USPS to relieve the backlog.

The airline entered the 1990s on a relatively tight budget, with three aircraft mothballed and one leased out. In August 1999, Reeve Aleutian entered into a codeshare agreement with Alaska Airlines on the route between Seattle, Anchorage and Russian cities Petropavlovsk and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

End of operations

Reeve Aleutian ceased operations on December 5, 2000, and about 250 people were laid off. Reasons given for the situation included increased competition and high fuel prices. At the end, only one Lockheed Electra propjet and one Boeing 727 jetliner were in service.

Accidents

Several aircraft belonging to Reeve Aleutian were involved in accidents.

  • late 1940s. Douglas DC-3 N46567 damaged in a take-off accident at Merrill Field, Anchorage.
  • May 31, 1958. Curtiss C-46 Commando N1302N written off at Driftwood Bay, Alaska.
  • September 24, 1959. Douglas DC-4 N63396 crashed on Great Sitkin Island, Alaska, 16 killed.
  • May 29, 1965. Douglas DC-3 N91016 damaged beyond repair at Nikolski, Alaska.
  • February 17, 1966. Curtiss C-46 Commando N10012 accident at Homer, Alaska, repaired and returned to service.
  • February 10, 1971. Curtiss C-46 Commando N10012 written off at Nondalton, Alaska.
  • June 22, 1972. Grumman G-21 Goose N1513V written off at False Pass, Alaska.
  • November 6, 1974. Lockheed L-188 Electra N7140C destroyed by fire at Anchorage, Alaska.
  • November 6, 1974. NAMC YS-11A N172RV destroyed by fire at Anchorage, Alaska.
  • June 8, 1983. Lockheed L-188 Electra N1968R, Reeve Aleutian Airways Flight 8 emergency landing at Anchorage, Alaska, after a propeller separation. Subsequently repaired and returned to service.

Destinations

Reeve Aleutian Airways served the following destinations during its existence. * Denotes air drop only.

  • Alaska
  • ;Scheduled service:
  • :Adak Is., Amchitka Is., Anchorage, Atka Is., Attu Is., Nikolski, Sand Point, Port Moller, Shemya Island, Cape Sarichef, King Cove, False Pass, Akutan Island, Chignik, Chignik Lagoon, Chignik Lake, Ivanof Bay, Sanak Island, Perryville, Chernofski*, Cold Bay, Dutch Harbor, King Salmon, Kodiak, Port Heiden, Shemya Is., St. George Is.,* St. Paul Is., Seattle/Tacoma International Airport (SEA), Umnak Is.,
  • ;Charter service:
  • : Aniak, Aufeis, Awuna, Barrow, Beluga, Bethel, Bettles, Big Delta, Big Mountain, Cape Lisburne, Cape Newenham, Cape Romanzof, Cape Sarichef, Cathedral River, Clear, Coldfoot, Collinsville, Colorado Creek, Colville River, Cordova, Crow Creek, David River, Deadhorse, Deitrich Pass, Delta Junction, Dillingham, Drift River, Driftwood Bay, East Teshekpuk Lake, Eight Mile Lake, Eielson AFB, Fairbanks, Farewell, Flat, Fort Greely, Fort Richardson, Fort Yukon, Franklin Bluffs, Franks Cabin, Galbraith Lake, Galena, Gamble, Glacier Bay (Gustavus), Granite Mountain, Granite Point, GP-1, Happy Valley, Helmrick Strip, Herendeen Bay, Homer, Ice Island, Icy Bay, Iliamna, Ikpikpuk, Iniskin Bay, Ivotuk, Jade Mountain (Kobuk), Juneau, Kalakatek Creek, Kalubik Creek, Kenai, Ketchikan, King Cove, Kotzebue, Kulik, Lake Louise, Lake Minchumina, Lonely, McCarthy, McGrath, Minchumina, Nenana, Nikolski, Nome, Nondalton, Northeast Cape, Northway, Nyac, Ophir, Oliktok, Painter Creek, Pilot Point, Platinum, Pontilia Lake, Poorman, Port Barrow, Port Clarence, Port Moller, Pribilof Islands, Prospect Creek, Prudhoe Bay, Purkeypile, Rainy Pass, Red Devil, Roberta's Lake, Ruby, Sagwon, Sand Point, Sandy River, Sarichef-Scotch Cape, Savoonga, Sennett Point, Sitka, Sitkinak Is., Skwentna, Stephan Lake, Sleetmute, Soldotna, Sparrevohn, St. Mary's, Talkeetna, Tanalian Point (Port Alsworth), Tanana, Tatalina, Tin City, Trinity, Tunalik, Tungak, Tyonek, Ugashik, Umiat, Unalakleet, Ungalik, Utopia Creek (Indian Mountain), Valdez, Wainwright, Walakpa, West Forlands, Wide Bay, Wind River, Yakataga, Yakutat, Yakutat Bay
  • Continental US and Hawaii
  • :Everett, Honolulu, Houston, Portland, Seattle–Tacoma
  • Canada
  • :Dawson, Edmonton, Fort St. John, Hay River, Inuvik, Peery Point, Norman Wells, Whitefish Lake, Whitehorse, Yellowknife, Vancouver
  • USSR
  • :Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

Fleet

thumb|Reeve Aleutian Airways Boeing 727-22C

The following aircraft served with Reeve Aleutian.