Alaska Coastal Airlines

Alaska Air Transport was formed by Sheldon Bruce "Shell" Simmons (October 8, 1908 – November 16, 1994)[4] at Juneau in the summer of 1935 with one Stinson SM-2AC aircraft named Patco. Alaska Air Transport bought out Irving Airways in September 1936. Irving Airways had been started by Wilbur Irving at Juneau in the spring of 1936.[5]

Marine Airways was formed by Alex Holden, Jim Davis and M E Monagle in Juneau in July 1936. Holden bought a Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker NC196N in August 1936.[6] In 1938, Simmons used Bellanca NC47M in the rescue of survivors of the Patterson, an oceangoing freighter which had run aground at Cape Fairweather, 150 miles northwest of Juneau.[4][7][8] In 1939, Simmons and Holden joined forces, forming Alaskan Coastal Airways.[6]

Ellis Air Lines was formed in Ketchikan in 1936 by Robert Edmund "Bob" Ellis[9] (January 2, 1903 – May 8, 1994). At the time of the merger his fleet consisted of ten Grumman G-21 Goose amphibian aircraft.[10]

In 1945, Simmons went to Vancouver, BC, and purchased a Grumman G-21 Goose, formerly in the service of the Royal Canadian Air Force[7] On one occasion in the late 1960s, a woman had a baby in flight between Gustavus and Juneau.[11]

Alaska Island Airways was acquired by Alaska Coastal Airlines in 1954.[12]

• 1948 - Kingbird NC622V written off at Tulsequah, BC.[13]
• November 14, 1952 - Vega NC49M destroyed by fire at Sitka.[14]
• January 5, 1958 - Vega NC47M written off near Tanakee. Pilot killed, two passengers injured.[5]
• January 20, 1964 - Goose N79914 accident at Petersburg.[15]
• October 2, 1964 - Catalina N4936V written off at Otter Lake, flight attendant killed.[16][17]
• August 21, 1966 - Goose N88820 written off near Juneau. Nine killed.[18]
• August 30, 1967 - Goose N74588 accident at Prince Rupert, Canada.[19]

Former Alaska Coastal Airlines Bellanca Pacemaker CF-ATN preserved in Canada

Alaska Coastal Airlines CV-240 N196N taken in 1972.

• Aeronca PC-3 NC16250 bought new from Aeronca 1 May 36 and sold after two accidents in Juneau and subsequent repairs on 30 Sep 39 to Mary Joyce of Taku Lodge, cancelled in CAA records 4 Aug 48 after letter from Miss Joyce that it was unlikely to fly again (Source; FAA file for NC16250)
• Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker - one operated now preserved in the National Aviation Museum, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.[6][20][21]
• Cessna 180
• Cessna 185D - one operated[22]
• Convair 240-5 - one operated[6][23][24]
• Consolidated PBY Catalina- five operated [5][22]
• Curtiss Kingbird D-3 - one operated[2][13][20]
• Fairchild 24 - one operated[25]
• Howard DGA
• Grumman G-21 Goose - 24 operated[26] including aircraft converted to turboprop power ("Turbo-Goose")
• Lockheed Vega - two operated[27][28][29]
• Piper J-3C-65 Cub - one operated in 1948[30][31]
• Stinson SM2A - one operated[20]
• Waco

• List of defunct airlines of the United States

• Cohen, Stan (1988). Flying Beats Work. The Story of Reeve Aleutian Airways. Missoula: Pictorial Histories Publishing Company. ISBN 0-933126-98-0.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alaska Coastal Airlines.

• Photo of CF-ATN (NC196N) in Canada National Aviation Museum.
• Photo of CF-ATN (NC196N) in Canada National Aviation Museum.
• Photos of NC196N at Juneau in 1939.
• Video documentary about Simmons