My First Airline Job – The Wild West!

Air Freight by Truck, Motivated Stock Sales, Flying in Canyons, Collecting Rents, by Dennis Heap        

I was very tired of labor jobs and after several unsuccessful try’s at college I enrolled in the new, Metropolitan State College of Denver’s Data Processing program.?After riffling IBM data cards, I was concluding that college wasn’t for me, but then the college offered a new program, Aerospace Technology, which was a fancy way of saying professional pilot.

The Aerospace Technology program immediately clicked with me and I went from being a poor student scholastically to a very good student. I received a B.S. in Aerospace Technology from Metropolitan State College of Denver (MSCD) in 1969, becoming the first aviation graduate with a double Major in Aerospace Technology and Business Management.?I also earned a Commercial Pilot License, Instrument and Multi-Engine Ratings.

I was a typical MSCD student as I worked about 30-hours a week as a tow truck driver for the Penn Garage and used my time waiting for auto accident to happen, by sitting under streetlights and studying. I continued my tow trucker driver job until my wife Bonnie who worked in the MSCD Placement Office came across a job opening at Trans Central Airlines for a ticket agent, I got the job and began my airline career February 15,1969.

Robert Maupin a retired USAF Colonel was the president of Trans Central Airlines (TCA) and he had very big plans.?Utilizing five unpressurized Cessna 402 aircraft he used Denver (DEN) and?Albuquerque (ABQ) as departure/destination points and April 15, 1968 began scheduled service to Pueblo (PUB), Trinidad (TAD), and Raton (RTN).?June 15, 1969 service began Las Vegas NM (LVS) and to Greeley (RYE)August 15, 1969.?By the end of 1970 Amarillo (AMA), Artesia, Carlsbad, Clovis, El Paso (ELP), Hobbs, Lubbock (LBB) and Tucumcari had been added to the route system.?

The airline flew a linear route system with an aircraft leaving DEN & ABQ and making stops until both aircraft met in Raton, then the pilots would swap aircraft and return to their departure point.?Through passengers stayed on the aircraft.?By way of example a DEN passenger destined for ABQ would stop at PUB, TAD, RTN and LVS before arriving at their destination.

?This was post Deregulation meaning interstate service was regulated by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) and interstate service was regulated by the Colorado P.U.C. (Public Utilities Commission).?Schedules and fares were regulated.

Part 298 of the Economic Regulation of the CAB granted a blanket authorization for operators using equipment under 12,500 pounds to operate in interstate Air Transportation without holding?a Certificate of Convenience & Necessity.?Within this group known by the CAB as Air Taxis.?There were two important distinctions 1. Air Taxis and 2. Commuter Carriers.?Air Taxis operated anywhere, anytime to meet the needs of customers while Commuter Carriers performed at least 5 round trips per week between two or more points and published flight schedules which specified times, day of week and places between which flights were performed.

Trans Central Airlines (TCA) offered me more than just learning how to process airline passengers.?TCA?flew 9-place Cessna 402 A aircraft with a single-pilot.?The aircraft had 7 seats for passengers, but the right seat (co-pilot) could be used as a passenger seat.?This was a common practice of the day for all such airlines.

?TCA was going to be one of the lead customers to operate the Fairchild Metro turboprop aircraft.?The Metro was designed for the 70s and boasted a pressurized, comfortable cabin and cruise at more than 300 mph!?TCA had Fifteen Fairchild-Sweringen FS 226 aircraft on order with the first delivery scheduled for July 1970.?And, I was promised a first officer position when TCA began flying the aircraft.?Interestingly, TCA had one 402 Co-Pilot, Don Reese.?He didn’t get paid he was just flying to build hours and he went on the fly as a Captain for Rocky Mountain Airways.

I was 26 years old, eager and determined to make a difference.?My boss Ed Parker, V.P. Sales & Service, a Continental Airlines veteran taught me what I needed to know, but did not micromanage me, in fact he let me take as much responsibility as I wanted.?Soon I was developing Policies & Procedures for station agents and began developing an Air Freight program.?I soon became the Assistant Director of Stations, responsible for opening new stations and training the station agents.?

My youth and eager determination worked well for TCA as I would go to a community like La Junta, CO, attend a chamber meeting and spool the folks up on scheduled airline service, then the TCA stock salesmen would follow me and sell TCA stocks!

My responsibility of opening new stations happened at a rapid pace as the 5 original stations grew to 14 stations.?Although young and eager I was beginning to understand it was more about selling stocks then operating an airline!

TCA was an extended classroom for my studies at MSCD.?I wrote a paper as a proposal for the creation of a Marketing Department for TCA and earned a B-.?I also developed a very successful Air Fright program using our ramp truck.?A rule in the CAB Part 298 Economic Regulation gave me the opportunity: air freight that had prior or subsequent transportation by air, across state lines could be picked up or delivered by truck!?Prior to deregulation the airlines were one big happy family and major carriers treated me like a favored kid-brother.?I received training, copies of manuals and had instant access to questions.?And, I developed a good working relationship with REA (Railway Express Agency), the primary mover of air freight and mail before UPS took to the skies and the birth of FedEx!?The Cessna 402 did not have the cube to carry freight unless you removed the seats and that was a big job.?So, I built the TCA freight business by interlining with major carries and transporting the freight by truck, primarily to Greeley.

Another Significant benefit was flying right-seat on empty flights and logging twin-engine time.?Unfortunately for the airline, but fortunately for me there were a lot of flights that had no paying passengers.?

All TCA Captains were highly qualified as they were ex-military pilots.?However, my favorite captain to fly with was Thom McQuade.?Captain McQuade was a retired Navy pilot and could he fly!?He let me fly takeoffs, landings and enroute, except when we went in the canyon and that was one of the biggest adrenaline rushes I have ever had!?As I remember the canyon it was between PUB and TAD.?We would fly low over the plains, then drop down into the canyon, the speed of the twin-engine aircraft was vividly apparent as you watched the canyon walls flash by.?But, things really got exciting when Captain McQuade had to roll the aircraft on its side to maneuver through a narrow section of the canyon.?I realized I could have died, but what a way to go!???

?Bob Maupin’s plans included an Institute of Airline Science and System Training Facility at Pueblo, Colorado.?And he had big dreams for Denver.?During 1970 he bought a two-square-block of residential housing west of Stapleton International Airport (SIA).?His plan was to demolish the houses and build an office and medical complex.?The parcel was west of SIA between Pontiac and Quebec and 30th Avenue and 32nd Avenue.?This is when I really questioned my decision of an aviation career because the duty of rent collecting fell to me!?I have never had so many doors slammed in my face, dogs turned on me and cursed out as I was during that fiasco – it really made me question my dedication to aviation!

?February 10, 1971 I wrote a memo to the TCA leadership:

I did not receive a positive answer to my memo, so after two years of learning, with a lot of enthusiasm and the “Airline Bug”,?I left Trans Central Airlines February 15, 1971 and joined Rocky Mountain Airways and then my aviation career really took off!