Anyone remember Conquest or Lone Star?

[PTinbound]

Anyone remember Conquest or Lone Star airlines?

I used to work for the Texas regionals (I know, why not post on the "regional" section? I figured most everyone who was there six or seven + years ago would be reading the "Majors" boards by now).

Anyway, I'm trying to find some old Metro pictures from these places on the internet, and there's none that I could find on Airliners.net as both airlines have been out of business for many years now. Are there any websites with pictures of defunct airliners?

 

[B190Captain]

http://airliners.net/search/photo.search?airlinesearch=Lone Star Airlines&distinct_entry=true

 

[PTinbound]

Thanks!

Sure do miss the old tube...

 

[jetexas]

Conquest was a good airline. I sure wish Texas had an airline like that now. You could get all over the state with them.
Best of all, they were HQ'd in Austin. It sure would s*ck to 'have' to live there!

 

[414Flyer]

And then there was Rio airlines too, in the early 80s. Metro Airlines too

 

[SilentDave]

Don't forget Big Sky. The Metro lives on! PT check your email. I sent some Lone Star pics. I don't have any Conquest pics. I'll ask some of the other guys.
Love,
SilentDave

 

[Snakum]

Rio? Didn't they used to fly Emb120s out of Killeen and all around central Texas?

Minh

 

[flyhi92]

I have one of you landing a Conquest Metro on your first flight. Let me know if you want me to scan a copy for you.

 

[flx757]

Rio? Didn't they used to fly Emb120s out of Killeen and all around central Texas?

Minh

I don't remember Rio ever having EMB120s (although that could have been after I left...but they weren't around too much longer after I left).

Before I started there, they had BE-99s. While I was there, they had Metros and Twin Otters, then got Dash 7s. They were headquartered in Killeen, but flew a route structure that reached far more than central Texas. The even had a Memphis hub, with service from there to places like TXK, Hot Springs and Jonesboro, AR; Jackson, TN; Greenville, MS....as well as the Texas stuff..ILE, DFW, SJT, SPS, VCT, CLL, IAH, TPL, ACT....and a few that I'm sure I have left out.

That was my first "commuter" job. I got my ATP courtesy of Rio in the Twin Otter, and my first type rating in the Metro..then later was typed in the Dash 7. It wasn't the greatest place to work, but certainly not the worst. No PFT, or anything like that. And I got hired into the right seat of the Metro initially with about 1200TT and 100 multi. This was in 1981. I was based in TXK and flew the stuff to the East, in and out of MEM, with only the occasional trip to DFW. That way we hardly saw any of the folks from the head shed in ILE. We had our own little world there in Texarkana.

The time I spent there served me well, particualrly getting the type in the Dash 7. I wound up flying that aircraft for several different companies, including ERA in Anchorage and Rocky Mtn in Denver. Flying the Dash 7 for those companies was some of the best flying and most fun I have ever had.

 

[Snakum]

Was the Dash7 two + one seating? It's been a long time and I may not be remembering correctly. We used to take them from Killeen to DFW, and I think it was 2+1 seating, and yes, possibly high-wing. I duuno ...

Minh "Gett'n Old" Thong

 

[enigma]

. I got my ATP courtesy of Rio in the Twin Otter, and my first type rating in the Metro..then later was typed in the Dash 7.

Any of you Connell boys remember Will Kilgore?

enigma

 

[flx757]

Any of you Connell boys remember Will Kilgore?

enigma

Absolutely. He was a Rio legend. Evidently, he was fairly well-off money wise, but flew at Rio well past his mid 60s just to have something to do. I remember he used to bid the morning schedule always, month after month. But one month, I guess since he had something he needed to do (he was senior enough to bid whatever he wanted), he bid an afternoon schedule. He'd start to nod off late in the afternoon (I guess that was nap time). You know how it is in most all of the 19-seaters. No door...just a curtain (sometimes). Well, he'd start to nod off, and the plane would start to bank a little. I'd reach up and correct it. Then it'd happen again. No big deal. I'd just reach up and put in a little aileron, and it'd straighten back out. Then once, he nodded off pretty good. Sort of leaned out into the area between the seats. You could obviously see from the back.....then he opened his eyes, realized what was happening, then without missing a beat, just reached up and pretended he was flipping some swith on the overhead panel. Classic.

And Minh..

The Dash 7s were 2x2 seating. 48 seats (or some had 50 depending on the galley configuration).

 

[Snakum]

It musta been Dash7s then. I do seem to remember it being wider than the ERJ, and I also remember sitting side-by-side with my combat buddy heading out for a weekend of debauchery, so I knew it couldn't be a Metro or Beech.

BTW ... Carvin fan?

Minh

 

[flx757]

BTW ... Carvin fan?

Minh

I am definitely a Carvin fan. I don't even think fan is a strong enough word. I own a C980 acoustic, an all mahogany SC90S(which is simialr to the one in the avatar, except it has gold hardware and zebra (one cream and one black coil in each) humbuckers, a Bel Air Vintage 212 all tube amp, and I just ordered a couple of days ago a Bolt Plus Kit with a maple neck and Koa body, twin humbuckers and an AP11 singlecoil in the center position. I can't wait to begin this project. I am going to keep a running diary and photos of the construction process on my website . Check it out from time to time (I expect to begin construction in about 4-5 weeks.

If you ever visit the "Discussion Boards" at www.carvin.com I am "mge80".

 

[Snakum]

Oddly enough, I was over there a few times while I was looking at an old script-logo Carvin 1x12 combo amp. I later saw that some nimrod had modified the tube sockets and associated circuitry to take a weird tube (not the stock 6L6s or even the EL34s on later models) so I passed on it and bought another Peavey Heritage combo (I've owned a couple Mace and Deuce models).

I still keep my eyes out for an old 6L6-tubed Carvin combo. I played one once and it was like a poor man's Boogie. Just awesome!

Minh