A unique supplemental carrier s practicing with
Ford Tri-Motor 1945 at
McCall, Idaho in 1952 at
Oakland 1953 s used to drop fire retardant:
Missoula 1967 in 2021. Compare to the picture of the Travel Air above Robert R. "Bob" Johnson started Johnson Flying Service as a
sole proprietorship in 1924, This pre-dated Missoula airport. Johnson would fly sightseeing customers over Missoula for a penny a pound. Most nonscheduled air carriers were founded immediately after World War II as former military pilots bought or leased cheap war surplus aircraft, often just one. By then, however, JFS had already been in business for over 20 years. JFS received its Letter of Registration (what the CAB gave irregular air carriers in lieu of a certificate) on 22 August 1947. On 31 March 1950, JFS owned two
Douglas DC-3s, three
Ford Tri-Motors and 26 smaller aircraft. Its charter flying was often to ranches or other isolated points, and besides air transportation JFS instructed pilots, trained "aerial fire-fighters" (smokejumpers), sprayed pesticides, maintained aircraft and operated under contract to the US Forest service. In temporarily certificating JFS in 1962, as required by new legislation, the CAB commended it for its robust financial health, its economical and efficient operation and excellent compliance disposition towards the CAB's regulations. The fleet comprised a
Douglas DC-2,
Curtiss Super C-46F, two
DC-3s, a
B-25, a
Douglas B-26 and 35 smaller aircraft, including helicopters. Johnson owned 76% of JFS. In 1963, revenue was $902,000, with 82% of that from the US Forest Service and only 7% from passenger air transportation (dominated by flying local college sports teams), zero from the US military, a substantial change from 1953, when 83% of revenue of $713,000 was from passenger air transportation, 26 percentage points of which was military. Military work abruptly ceased in 1955, coincident with the fatal year-end 1954 ditching of an aircraft near Pittsburgh that was transporting military personnel, the investigation of which exposed systemic flaws in JFS's transport program (see Accidents section below). EJA tried to mitigate the issue including a deal to sell itself to a partnership of
US Steel and
Burlington Industries (which fell through) before finally pulling out of the JFS deal in 1969.
US Steel US Steel then cut a deal directly with Bob Johnson to buy JFS on 18 April 1969, the purchase price now $2.25 million (over $19 million in 2024 terms). US Steel's near-term plans for JFS called for re-equipping with three
Douglas DC-8-63 jets, to fly mostly domestic cargo but also some passenger flights. First year revenues were projected at $25 million (over $180 million in 2024 dollars) as compared to JFS's annual revenues, which were about $1 million. US Steel owned some small industrial railroads near its steel plants and had barge and other shipping subsidiaries. However, the CAB's main concern was the impact of a substantial new charter competitor in the industry. The supplementals as a group significantly unprofitable, and the CAB found US Steel's revenue projections lack credibility—far too optimistic. In June 1971, the CAB blocked the deal.
Evergreen In the early 1970s JFS started to deteriorate. It lost money, it was rebuked by the CAB for failing to file required reports. Part of the issue was acquisition of two
Lockheed Electras in 1971, which by 1972, the airline admitted was "not altogether successful". But the bigger issue was age: Bob Johnson had diabetes, a bad hip and high blood pressure and wanted out of the business. In June 1974, Johnson finally appointed someone else president, while remaining chairman. In September, JFS adopted the trade name Johnson International Airlines for its air transport activities. In February 1974, Evergreen Helicopters made an offer for $1 million, which Johnson said was the first real offer he'd had in three years. The CAB application was accompanied by endorsements from five US senators, a governor, several US House representatives and the US Forest Service. It still took the CAB 18 months to approve the deal, which came in October 1975. Along the way, Evergreen extended interim loans, without which JFS could not have survived, and provided accounting and administrative support. The transaction closed 2 December 1975, thereby creating
Evergreen International Airlines. But serious damage had been done: in April 1975, for the first time in over 40 years, the US Forest Service awarded the local contract to a company other than JFS. ==Connections to national security==