North Central Airlines

North Central Airlines

Company type	Local service carrier
Industry	Airline
Predecessor	Wisconsin Central Airlines
Founded	1944 in Clintonville, Wisconsin, United States
Founder	FWD executives (Four Wheel Drive Auto Company)
Defunct	1979
Fate	Merged with Southern Airways to form Republic Airlines
Headquarters	Minneapolis–St. Paul , United States
Area served	Midwestern United States, expanded to other US and Canadian destinations
Key people	Hal Carr (president who restored profitability)
Products	Passenger air transport

North Central Airlines functioned as a local service carrier within the Midwestern United States. Originally established in 1944 as Wisconsin Central Airlines in Clintonville, Wisconsin, the airline moved its base to Madison in 1947. It was there, in 1948, that the company debuted its "Herman the duck" emblem on its inaugural Lockheed Electra 10A. In 1952, the airline shifted its headquarters once more, this time to Minneapolis–St. Paul.

Following a merger with Southern Airways in 1979, North Central transformed into Republic Airlines, which itself was later absorbed by Northwest Airlines in 1986. Northwest Airlines eventually became part of Delta Air Lines through an acquisition finalized in 2010.

Wisconsin Central Airlines

In 1939, the Four Wheel Drive Auto Company (FWD), located in Clintonville, Wisconsin, initiated a flight division by purchasing a Waco biplane for corporate use. Five years later, FWD executives founded Wisconsin Central Airlines, launching routes connecting six cities across Wisconsin by 1946. The initial fleet comprised two Cessna UC-78 Bobcats alongside three Lockheed Electra 10As. By February 1948, certified operations using Electras reached 19 airports, facilitating growth with additional Electra 10As and six Douglas DC-3 aircraft joining the fleet.

Post-Wisconsin Central developments

In 1952, the airline moved its headquarters from Wisconsin to Minneapolis, Minnesota, adopting the name North Central Airlines. After President Francis Higgins left, financial difficulties arose; however, under Hal Carr’s guidance, profitability and operational stability were swiftly regained. The fleet expanded to include 32 DC-3 airplanes.

Expansion of the airline

By October 1952, North Central was servicing 28 airports located west of Lake Michigan. The network extended with Detroit added in 1953; Omaha and the Dakotas joined in 1959; Denver was incorporated in 1969; and nonstop flights between Milwaukee and New York LaGuardia began in 1970. The airline acquired five Convair 340 aircraft from Continental Airlines in 1959 to enhance its fleet. Passenger traffic exceeded one million by 1960. By May 1968, service had expanded to cover 64 airports, including two destinations in Canada. Turbine-powered Convair 580 turboprops were introduced in April 1967, followed by jet service featuring McDonnell Douglas DC-9 series 30 aircraft starting that September.

As a government-subsidized local service carrier, North Central reported revenues of $27.2 million in 1962, with $8.5 million derived from public service subsidies.

The airline contributed to U.S. initiatives aimed at supporting financially troubled carriers in South America. It retired piston-engined Convair models by converting them into turboprop Convair 580s and augmented its DC-9 fleet to include five DC-9-31 jets by late 1967. The final DC-3 flight took place in early 1969, marking North Central as the last local service carrier operating this model.

In 1969, the headquarters relocated to the south side of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport; this site later became integrated into Northwest Airlines’ facilities and subsequently Delta Air Lines’ operations after their merger.

Designated as a "local service carrier" by the Civil Aeronautics Board, North Central primarily focused on regional markets while linking passengers to major trunk airlines. Over time, its route system expanded beyond the Midwest to include Washington National, New York LaGuardia, Boston Logan, Denver Stapleton, and Tucson airports. Following deregulation of the airline industry, North Central broadened its network further and incorporated larger McDonnell Douglas DC-9-50 jets into its fleet.

Mergers

In July 1979, North Central completed the acquisition of Atlanta-based Southern Airways, resulting in the creation of Republic Airlines, marking the first airline merger following deregulation. Subsequently, Republic expanded by purchasing San Francisco’s Hughes Airwest in October 1980 for $38.5 million. However, the financial strain from these takeovers and investments in new aircraft led Republic to face economic difficulties during the early 1980s, even launching a promotional campaign featuring a mascot version of Herman the Duck.

Republic continued to operate hubs established by North Central in Detroit and Minneapolis, as well as Southern's Memphis hub. Conversely, it shut down Hughes Airwest's Phoenix hub and significantly reduced its western U.S. route network. The airline also scaled back its presence at Chicago-O'Hare and Atlanta Hartsfield airports, concentrating fleet operations around Detroit and Minneapolis while diminishing North Central’s activities at smaller airports in the upper Midwest.

The year 1986 saw Republic merge with Northwest Orient Airlines, headquartered in Minneapolis with substantial operations in Detroit, thereby concluding the eras of Wisconsin Central and North Central. The combined airline was rebranded as Northwest Airlines, which later joined with Delta Air Lines in 2008. After finalizing the Delta-Northwest merger in 2010, the Northwest name was retired, with Delta assuming the legacy of North Central Airlines.

Codes

North Central originally utilized the ICAO code "NOR," which was later updated to "NCA," and eventually changed to "NC" when ICAO transitioned from three-letter to two-letter codes, aligning with its IATA designation.

Destinations in June 1979

As of June 8, 1979, shortly before merging with Southern Airways to form Republic Airlines in July that year, North Central operated a fleet comprising 130-seat McDonnell Douglas DC-9-50 jets, 100-seat DC-9-30 jets, and 48-seat Convair 580 turboprops. The airline’s route system covered significant U.S. and Canadian markets, underpinning its business development and market reach.

Domestic U.S. destinations included major hubs such as Chicago O'Hare (ORD), Detroit (DTW), Milwaukee (MKE), and Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP)—which also served as corporate headquarters—alongside numerous regional cities throughout the Midwest, South, and East Coast. Key markets encompassed Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Houston Intercontinental (IAH), Kansas City, Miami, New York LaGuardia (LGA), Philadelphia, Tampa/St. Petersburg, Washington National (DCA), among others.

Canadian destinations consisted of Thunder Bay (YQT), Toronto (YYZ), and Winnipeg (YWG).

North Central’s extensive network extended geographically from Tucson in the west to Boston in the east, and from Winnipeg in the north down to Miami in the south. This wide coverage reflected a strategic approach targeting varied regional markets to strengthen competitive positioning ahead of its forthcoming mergers.

Fleet

Historical Fleet of North Central Airlines

Aircraft	Quantity	Year Introduced	Year Retired	Notes
Cessna UC-78 Bobcat	2	1946	1946	Operated under Wisconsin Central Airlines
Lockheed Model 10 Electra	6	1948	1951	Operated under Wisconsin Central Airlines
Douglas DC-3	32	1951	1969
Convair CV-340 / Convair CV-440	34	1959	1969	32 units converted into Convair CV-580
Convair CV-580	35	1967	1979
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31	22	1967	1979
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51	19	1976	1979

Accidents and incidents

• On June 24, 1968, a North Central aircraft struck a guy wire supporting the KELO-TV tower in Rowena, South Dakota, resulting in the tower's collapse. The airplane landed safely without any injuries.
• August 4, 1968, saw Flight 261, operated by a Convair CV-580, collide midair with a Cessna 150F near Milwaukee. Despite sustaining damage, the Convair managed a safe landing; however, all three occupants of the Cessna were killed. The presence of insect remains on the Convair's windshield was identified as a contributing factor.
• Flight 458, a Convair CV-580, crashed into a hangar at Chicago O'Hare Airport on December 27, 1968, causing the deaths of 27 out of 45 passengers aboard and one individual on the ground.
• On April 23, 1970, Flight 945, a DC-9 hijacked shortly after departing Pellston Regional Airport, was successfully subdued with no loss of life.
• June 29, 1972, involved Flight 290, a Convair CV-580 that collided midair with an Air Wisconsin DHC-6 Twin Otter over Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin; fatalities occurred among all passengers on both aircraft.
• During takeoff in foggy conditions at O'Hare on December 20, 1972, Flight 575, a DC-9-31, clipped the tail of a Delta Convair CV-880. This incident resulted in ten passenger fatalities on the North Central flight while Delta passengers sustained minor injuries.
• Flight 801, departing Kalamazoo on July 25, 1978 under foggy weather conditions aboard a Convair CV-580, experienced engine failure following a bird strike and crash-landed. Among the 43 people onboard, three suffered serious injuries but there were no fatalities. The National Transportation Safety Board attributed the accident to pilot error during emergency response.

See also

• List of defunct airlines of the United States

Bibliography

• Gradidge, J.M., The Convairliners Story, 1997, Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd

External links

• Herman the Duck