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Isaac Isaacs

Sir Isaac Alfred Isaacs, (6 August 1855 – 11 February 1948) was an Australian lawyer, politician, and judge who served as the ninth Governor-General of Australia, in office from 1931 to 1936. He had previously served on the High Court of Australia from 1906 to 1931, including as Chief Justice from 1930.

Isaacs was born in Melbourne and grew up in Yackandandah and Beechworth (in country Victoria). He began working as a schoolteacher at the age of 15, and later moved to Melbourne to work as a clerk and studied law part-time at the University of Melbourne. Isaacs was admitted to the bar in 1880, and soon became one of Melbourne's best-known barristers. He was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly in 1892, and subsequently served as Solicitor-General under James Patterson, and Attorney-General under George Turner and Alexander Peacock.

Isaacs entered the new federal parliament at the 1901 election, representing the Protectionist Party. He became Attorney-General of Australia in 1905, under Alfred Deakin, but the following year left politics in order to become a justice of the High Court. Isaacs was often in the minority in his early years on the court, particularly with regard to federalism, where he advocated the supremacy of the Commonwealth Government. The balance of the court eventually shifted, and he famously authored the majority opinion in the Engineers case of 1920, which abolished the reserved powers doctrine and fully established the paramountcy of Commonwealth law.

In 1930, Prime Minister James Scullin appointed Isaacs as Chief Justice, in succession to Sir Adrian Knox. Later that year, Scullin nominated Isaacs as his preferred choice for governor-general. The selection of an Australian (rather than the usual British aristocrat) was unprecedented and highly controversial. King George V was opposed to the idea but eventually consented, and Isaacs took office in January 1931 as the first Australian-born holder of the office. He was the first governor-general to live full-time at Yarralumla, and throughout his five-year term was popular among the public for his frugality during the Depression. Isaacs was Australia's first Jewish High Court Justice, the first Jewish Chief Justice of Australia and also the first Jewish Governor-General of Australia. He was a strong Anti-Zionist.

Early life
Isaacs was the son of Alfred Isaacs, a tailor of Jewish ancestry from the town of Mława, Poland. Seeking better prospects, Alfred left Poland and worked his way across what is now Germany, spending some months in Berlin and Frankfurt. By 1845 he had passed through Paris and arrived to work in London, where he met Rebecca Abrahams; the two married in 1849. After news of the 1851 Victorian gold rush reached England, Australia became a very popular destination and the Isaacs decided to emigrate. By 1854 they had saved enough for the fare, departing from Liverpool in June 1854 and arriving in Melbourne in September. Some time after arriving the Isaacs moved into a cottage and shopfront in Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, where Alfred continued his tailoring. Isaac Alfred Isaacs was born in this cottage on 6 August 1855. His family moved to various locations around Melbourne while he was young, then in 1859 moved to Yackandandah in northern Victoria, close to family friends. At this time Yackandandah was a gold mining settlement of 3,000 people.

Isaacs had siblings born in Melbourne and Yackandandah: John A. Isaacs, who later became a solicitor and Victorian Member of Parliament, and sisters Carolyn and Hannah were all born in Yackandandah. A brother was born in Melbourne, and another sister was born in Yackandandah, but both died very young. His first formal schooling was from sometime after 1860 at a small private establishment. At eight he won the school arithmetic prize, winning his photograph by the schoolmaster, who was also a photographer and bootmaker. Yackandandah state school was opened in 1863 and Isaacs enrolled as a pupil. Here he excelled academically, particularly in arithmetic and languages, though he was a frequent truant, walking off to spend time in the nearby mining camps. To help Isaacs gain a better quality education, in 1867, his family moved to nearby Beechworth first enrolling him in the Common school then in the Beechworth Grammar School. He excelled at the Grammar School, becoming dux in his first year and winning many academic prizes. In his second year he was employed part-time as an assistant teacher at the school, and took up after school tutoring of fellow students. In September 1870, when Isaacs was just 15 years old, he passed his examination as a pupil teacher and taught at the school from then until 1873. Isaacs was next employed as an assistant teacher at the Beechworth State School, the successor to the Common school.

While employed at the State School, Isaacs had his first experience of the law, as an unsuccessful litigant in an 1875 County Court case. He disputed a payment arrangement with the headmaster of his school, resigning as part of the dispute. After returning to teaching, now back at the Grammar School, he expanded his interest in the law; reading law books and attending court sittings.

As a child Isaacs became fluent in Russian, which his parents spoke frequently, as well as English and some German. Isaacs later gained varying degrees of proficiency in Italian, French, Greek, Hindustani and Chinese.

Legal career
In 1875, he moved to Melbourne and found work at the Prothonotary's Office of the Law Department. In 1876, while still working full-time, he studied law at the University of Melbourne. He graduated in 1880 with a Master of Laws degree in 1883. He took silk as a Queen's Counsel in 1899.

Victorian MP, 1892–1901
In 1892 Isaacs was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly as a liberal. He was the member for Bogong from May 1892 until May 1893 and between June 1893 and May 1901. In 1893 he became Solicitor-General in the Patterson ministry. From 1894 to 1899 he was Attorney-General in the Turner ministry, and served as acting Premier on some occasions. In 1897 he was elected to the convention to approve the terms of the Australian Constitution. However, he was not elected to the committee drafting the constitution; Alfred Deakin attributed this failure to "a plot discreditable to all engaged in it" and thought that this antagonizing and humiliating snub sharpened Isaacs's "tendency to minute technical criticism ... so as to bring him not infrequently into collision" with the committee. Isaacs had many reservations about the draft constitution, but he campaigned in support of it after the Australian Natives' Association gave the draft its full support, rejecting his plea to delay for further consideration.

Federal MP, 1901–1906
Isaacs was elected to the first federal Parliament in 1901 to the seat of Indi as a critical supporter of Edmund Barton and his Protectionist government. He was one of a group of backbenchers pushing for more radical policies and he earned the dislike of many of his colleagues through what they saw as his aloofness and rather self-righteous attitude to politics.

Alfred Deakin appointed Isaacs Attorney-General in 1905 but he was a difficult colleague and in 1906 Deakin was keen to get him out of politics by appointing him to the High Court bench. He was the first serving minister to resign from the parliament.

High Court, 1906–1931
On the High Court, Isaacs joined H. B. Higgins as a radical minority on the court in opposition to the chief justice, Sir Samuel Griffith. He served on the court for 24 years, acquiring a reputation as a learned and radical but uncollegial justice. Isaacs was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in the King's Birthday Honours of 1928 for his service on the High Court. Isaacs is one of only eight justices of the High Court to have served in the Parliament of Australia prior to his appointment to the court; the others were Edmund Barton, Richard O'Connor, H. B. Higgins, Edward McTiernan, John Latham, Garfield Barwick, and Lionel Murphy. He was also one of two to have served in the Parliament of Victoria, along with Higgins. In April 1930, the Labor Prime Minister, James Scullin, appointed the 75-year-old Isaacs as chief justice, succeeding Sir Adrian Knox.

Governor-General, 1931–1936
Shortly after Isaacs became Chief Justice, the office of governor-general fell vacant and, after Cabinet discussion, Scullin offered the post to Isaacs. Although the proposal was supposed to be confidential until communicated to King George V, word got out. While Isaacs was personally esteemed, public opinion divided strongly over whether a governor-general should be an Australian, with perceived risks of local political bias. During Scullin's 1930 trip to Europe he personally advised the King to make the appointment and, although the King shared the concern about local political bias, he reluctantly accepted Scullin's advice, while noting in his diary that he thought the choice would be “very unpopular” in Australia.

Isaacs's appointment was announced in December 1930, and he was sworn in on 22 January 1931. He was the first Australian-born governor-general. Thus Isaacs agreed to a reduction in salary and conducted the office with great frugality. He gave up his official residences in Sydney and Melbourne and most official entertaining. Although he was sworn into office in the chamber of the Victorian Legislative Council in Melbourne, rather than in Parliament House in Canberra, he was the first governor-general to live permanently at Government House, Canberra. This was well-received with the public, as was Isaacs's image of rather austere dignity. Isaacs was promoted to a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George in April 1932. His term as governor-general concluded on 23 January 1936, and he retired to Victoria. In 1937, he was further honoured with the award of Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath.

Personal life
Isaacs married Deborah "Daisy" Jacobs, daughter of a tobacco merchant, at her parents' home in St Kilda on 18 July 1888. They had two daughters, one born in 1890 and the other in 1892. The daughters were Marjorie Isaacs Cohen who died in 1968 and was survived by a son (Thomas B. Cohen), and Nancy Isaacs Cullen. Lady Isaacs died at Bowral, New South Wales, in 1960.

Later life and death
Isaacs was 81 when his term ended in 1936, but his public life was far from over. He remained active in various causes for another decade and wrote frequently on matters of constitutional law. In the 1940s he became embroiled in controversy with the Jewish community both in Australia and internationally through his outspoken opposition to Zionism. His principal critic was Julius Stone. Isaacs was supported by Rabbi Jacob Danglow (1880–1962) and Harold Boas. Isaacs insisted that Judaism was a religious identity and not a national or ethnic one. He opposed the notion of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Isaacs said "[p]olitical Zionism to which I am irrevocably opposed for the reasons which will be found clearly stated, must be sharply distinguished from religious and cultural Zionism to which I am strongly attached."

Isaacs opposed Zionism partly because he disliked nationalism of all kinds and saw Zionism as a form of Jewish national chauvinism—and partly because he saw the Zionist agitation in Palestine as disloyalty to the British Empire, to which he was devoted. Following the King David Hotel bombing in 1946, he wrote that "the honour of Jews throughout the world demands the renunciation of political Zionism". Isaacs's main objections to Political Zionism were:

 * 1) "A negation of Democracy, and an attempt to revert to the Church-State of bygone ages.
 * 2) Provocative of anti-Semitism.
 * 3) Unwarranted by the Balfour Declaration, the Mandate, or any other right; contrary to Zionist assurances to Britain and to the Arabs and in present conditions unjust to other Palestinians politically and to other religions.
 * 4) As regards unrestricted immigration, a discriminatory and an undemocratic camouflage for a Jewish State.
 * 5) An obstruction to the consent of the Arabs to the peaceful and prosperous settlement in Palestine of hundreds of thousands of suffering European Jews, the victims of Nazi atrocities; and provocative of Muslim antagonism within and beyond the Empire, and consequently a danger to its integrity and safety.
 * 6) Inconsistent in demanding on one hand, on a basis of a separate Jewish nationality everywhere Jews are found, Jewish domination in Palestine, and at the same time claiming complete Jewish equality elsewhere than in Palestine, on the basis of a nationality common to the citizens of every faith."

Isaacs said "the Zionist movement as a whole...now places its own unwarranted interpretation on the Balfour Declaration, and makes demands that are arousing the antagonism of the Muslim world of nearly 400 millions, thereby menacing the safety of our Empire, endangering world peace and imperiling some of the most sacred associations of the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faiths. Besides their inherent injustice to others these demands would, I believe, seriously and detrimentally affect the general position of Jews throughout the world".

In his later years, Isaacs became embroiled in legal battles with Edna Davis, the wife of his brother John. He forced her out of the family home, reclaimed her wedding ring, and finally had her declared a vexatious litigant.

Isaacs died at his home in South Yarra, Victoria, in the early hours of 11 February 1948, at the age of 92. He was the last surviving member of Alfred Deakin's 1905–1906 Cabinet. The Commonwealth government accorded him a state funeral, held on 13 February, and he was buried in Melbourne General Cemetery after a synagogue service.

Honours
In May 1949 he was honoured with the naming of the Australian Electoral Division of Isaacs in the outer southern suburbs of Melbourne. At a redistribution in November 1968, the electorate was abolished and a separate Division of Isaacs was created in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. It exists to this day. The Canberra suburb of Isaacs was named after him in 1966.

In 1973 Isaacs was honoured with an Australian postage stamp bearing his portrait.

title: Isaac Isaacs


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Solar (comics)

Solar is an American fictional comic book superhero created by writer Paul S. Newman, editor Matt Murphy, and artist Bob Fujitani. The character first appeared in Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom #1 in 1962 by Gold Key Comics and has since appeared in other incarnations in books published by Valiant Comics in the 1990s, Dark Horse Comics in the 2000s, and Dynamite Entertainment in the 2010s.

Gold Key Comics
Solar was created in 1962 by writer Paul S. Newman and editor Matt Murphy, with illustrations from artist Bob Fujitani, for the Silver Age comic book publisher Gold Key, a new company formed by Western Publishing who, earlier that year, had ended its business arrangement with Dell Comics. The character premiered in issue #1 of Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom in Summer 1962 (cover date October 1962) in the first batch of comics released by Gold Key, with Solar being Gold Key's first original character.

Though Gold Key did not have as large a distribution network as Dell Comics, their comics stood out on the newsstand shelves because of their cover art and their 12 cent price, a bargain when contrasted with the 15 cent price on Dell's books. Early issues of Solar out sold Superman two to one. The first two issues of Solar appeared with cover paintings by Richard M. Powers; after the second issue the cover paintings were done by George Wilson. The interior artwork in the first few issues also had unique features: the superhero, Dr. Solar, did not have a costume until the fifth issue, rectangular word balloons and no black holding line around each panel. Following the practice of Dell Comics, and thanks to Western Publishing's reputation of publishing other child-friendly books, Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom was able to be distributed without the Comics Code Authority symbol. The original creative team of writer Paul S. Newman and artist Bob Fujitani lasted until issue #5 when Frank Bolle took over the art work. With the exception of issue #7 written by Otto Binder, Newman wrote the comic book until issue #10, when Dick Wood took over for the remainder of the series. Other artists who contributed included: Mel Crawford, Win Mortimer, Alden McWilliams (issues #20-23), Ernie Colón (issues #24-26), José Delbo (issue #27).

The popularity of this original series peaked in 1965. With a price increase to 15 cents with issue #25 in 1968, and a general decline in sales in the comic book industry in the late-1960s, Gold Key cancelled the series in 1969 with issue #27. In one of Gold Key's few cross-overs, Doctor Solar re-appeared in the 1975 comic book The Occult Files of Doctor Spektor #14. In the early-1980s, with another industry contraction, Gold Key withdrew from distribution to newsstands and began publishing comics under the Whitman Comics imprint. These were distributed to retail stores (e.g. department stores, toy stores, specialty comic book stores) in poly-bagged packages of three comic books. For this purpose, Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom was restarted at #28 (cover date April 1981) with Roger McKenzie writing and Dan Spiegle drawing. This initiative was short-lived and the series was cancelled again after only four issues.

Valiant Comics
Solar next appeared in 1991 when Valiant Comics restarted the series with a new premise. Western Publishing had been distributing Valiant's Nintendo and World Wrestling Entertainment comics and agreed to allow Valiant to license characters from the Gold Key library. Valiant intended to use successful Gold Key characters to launch a superhero line of comics and spin-off original characters under the direction of editor-in-chief Jim Shooter, who had previously, unsuccessfully launched the Marvel Comics superhero line New Universe. With Valiant's video game and wrestling comics experiencing limited success, they launched the new line in 1991 with Magnus, Robot Fighter, followed by Solar, Man of the Atom a couple of months later.

The new Solar series began with three multi-part stories all written by Jim Shooter: "Alpha and Omega" with artwork by Barry Windsor-Smith and Bob Layton, spanned the first ten issues and told of the origin story of how the protagonist, Phil Seleski, became Solar, until the time he accidentally destroys the world; "Second Death", with artwork by Don Perlin, Bob Layton and Thomas Ryder, spanned the first four issues and tells of Seleski's attempt to prevent another version of himself from destroying the world; "First Strike", with artwork by Don Perlin and Stan Drake, spanned issues #5 to #8 and follows Solar as he fights spider aliens. These first year stories included first appearances by Eternal Warrior, the Harbinger Foundation, Geomancers, and the X-O Manowar armor - all of which would be spun off into their own series.

With its US$1.75 cover price, and benefiting from Valiant's heavy promotion of its superhero line and its combined direct and newsstand distribution network, Solar was returning a small profit with print runs of approximately 60,000 copies of each issue in the first year. The second year began with two tie-in issues with the "Unity" storyline with Solar appearing in the other Valiant titles that also tied into that storyline. The popularity of "Unity" significantly raised demand for Valiant products, including new issues and back issues. Solar's print run rapidly grew to peak at 360,000 copies of issue #23, which by that time, mid-1993, had a cover price of US$2.25. Following Shooter's ouster from Valiant Comics in 1992, Kevin VanHook took over the writing job and Solar editor Bob Layton also became Valiant's editor-in-chief. Steve Ditko pencilled issues #14 and #15 before Pater Grau took over until #35. During that time Solar appeared in other Valiant titles, such as Archer & Armstrong, Rai, Secret Weapons, X-O Manowar, and Harbinger Files, as well as Deathmate, and The Chaos Effect.

After Acclaim Entertainment took over ownership of Valiant in Summer 1994, VanHook continued as writer but the penciller job was divided between Andrew Wendell and Louis Small until issue #41 at the end of the year. Stephen D. Sullivan wrote the next two issues with Scott Rosema as penciller, followed by two issues by writer Christopher Priest and penciller Rik Levins. Acclaim launched a publicity strategy dubbed "Birthquake" which attracted high profile comic book writers and artists to work on their titles. Dan Jurgens took over as writer and penciller, with Dick Giordano as inker, beginning with issue #46 until issue #51 when Tom Grindberg took over as penciller for four issues. As sales continued to fall, Tony Bedard took over as writer from #52, with Aaron Lopresti, Mike Manley and Jeff Johnson dividing the penciller job, until the series was cancelled with issue #60 in 1996.

Acclaim Comics
Acclaim cancelled the remainder of the Valiant titles in 1996 and restarted a select few under a new creative direction with Fabian Nicieza as editor-in-chief. They published the one-shot Solar, Man of the Atom with a May 1997 cover date, written by Warren Ellis, and penciled by Darick Robertson. It was followed by a second one-shot Solar, Man of the Atom: Revelations (cover date November 1997) by Jim Krueger, Patrick Zircher and Jimmy Palmiotti. Acclaim's final attempt at Solar was the four-issue mini-series Solar, Man of the Atom: Hell on Earth by Christopher Priest, Patrick Zircher, ChrisCross, and Romeo Tanghal. While Acclaim continued to publish comics for several more years, the rights to Solar lapsed and reverted to Classic Media, which had acquired Western Publishing's properties in 2001.

Dark Horse Comics
Amid an industry-wide resurgence in the popularity of publishing high quality reprint collections, such as Marvel Golden Age Masterworks and the DC Archive series, Dark Horse Comics acquired the rights to reprint Dell and Gold Key comics. Dark Horse published a four volume hard-cover series that reprinted the entire Gold Key Doctor Solar series, including his appearance in The Occult Files of Dr. Spektor #14, with the first volume being released in 2004 covering issue 1 to 7. The second and third volumes were released in 2005 and covered issues 8 to 22. The final volume was released two years later, in 2007, covering issues 23 to 31 as well as the Dr. Spektor issue.

In 2008 Dark Horse Comics announced that the company intended to publish an original Solar series, as well as other Gold Key characters. A year later, at the San Diego Comic Con, Dark Horse announced Jim Shooter would be the new series' writer. The new Solar series ran for eight issues, plus a preview issue. A trade paperback collection was released that collected the preview issue and #1-4 of the comic in its first volume, and the remaining issues (#5-8) in its second volume.

Dynamite Entertainment
In 2013 Dynamite Entertainment acquired the publishing rights to Solar, Turok, Magnus: Robot Fighter and Doctor Spektor. Dynamite released a Solar: Man of The Atom ongoing series which lasted for twelve issues from March 2014 to February 2015.

Gold Key Comics
The original Doctor Solar was a physicist named Dr. Phillip Solar who attempted to assist fellow worker Dr. Bently avert an imminent meltdown of the nuclear power plant where they worked. It had been sabotaged by Dr. Rasp, agent of an evil mastermind named Nuro. Bently lost his life trying to prevent the meltdown, while Solar absorbed a massive amount of radiation in the process. He survived and discovered that he had gained the ability to convert his body into any kind of nuclear energy. Using his new powers, Solar began searching for Nuro, who would become his nemesis. Nuro used a robot double of himself called Orun and later transferred his mind into it, calling himself King Cybernoid.

The character was initially envisioned as a "post-modern superhero" who didn't wear a traditional superhero outfit, but readers wrote in and demanded a costume. In the fifth issue, Doctor Solar donned a superhero costume, and became known as "The Man of the Atom". In addition, his skin turned green whenever he used his powers. At about that same time, in an "Ask Doctor Solar" column, Gold Key Comics changed Solar's first name from Phillip to Raymond.

Valiant Comics
This version, known simply as Solar, was a physicist named Phil Seleski. Seleski was a fan of the Gold Key line, especially the adventures of Doctor Solar. One day, Seleski and his colleagues were testing a new type of fusion reactor located in the town of Muskogee. When an accidental breach threatened to obliterate the entire city, Seleski rushed to shut down the reactor. He succeeded, but he was exposed to lethal doses of radiation in the process. However, this did not prove to be fatal, but rather, gave him the ability to manipulate all forms of matter and energy. Seleski tried to use his powers for the good of mankind by attempting to destroy the world's supply of nuclear weapons. The U.S. government attempted to stop him and their efforts caused Seleski to lose control of his powers, which in turn caused Earth to fall into a giant black hole.

Seleski was thrown several weeks back in time. The guilt over his role in the destruction of his world caused him to split into two beings: Doctor Solar, who believed himself to be Seleski's childhood hero; and Phil Seleski, who retained all the memories of the original. Seleski sought to prevent the accident that gave him his powers from taking place. His efforts were complicated by the presence of Doctor Solar, who was convinced that Seleski was a dangerous criminal. Eventually, Seleski convinced his alter-ego that they needed to work together, and the two of them fused with the past version of Seleski and prevented the accident. In the process, they discovered that Seleski's fusion reactor was actually a "wish machine" that allowed anyone in close proximity to change the universe in any way they saw fit. Before the original accident, Seleski wished that he could become his childhood superhero. As a result, the reactor simulated the events that gave the original Doctor Solar his powers. Seleski also found out that he did not travel to the past but instead recreated his universe after falling into the black hole. However, this universe was now populated by a large number of super-powered beings. The revelations inspired Seleski to take up the mantle of his childhood hero, becoming known as Solar, Man of the Atom.

Solar went on to have several adventures, fighting a wide variety of threats such as the Spider Aliens, malevolent Harbingers and Mothergod. He survived for several centuries and blew himself up in 4000 A.D. in an effort to stop the Spider Alien invasion of Earth.

Acclaim Comics
The Seleski twins, Frank and Helena, were transformed into the Acclaim Universe's Solar after Phil Seleski left them a portion of his powers.

Powers and abilities
Dr. Solar is a trained scientist, specializing in nuclear physics. Because he has been irradiated, he is now, in effect, a living nuclear battery. No longer dependent on food and water – in fact, no longer having either a heartbeat or a human metabolism – he obtains the energy he needs by exposing himself to nuclear radiation. After absorbing this radiation, especially in large amounts, his skin turns green. It is often several hours before his skin color returns to normal, especially if he has absorbed a larger amount of energy than normal. As a result, he has to wear clothing impregnated with cadmium and lead, and wear specially made dark glasses to protect his co-workers from radiation poisoning. The uniform he later adopts is also lined with cadmium and lead. A visor shields his eyes. On his belt there is almost always a small pouch containing radioisotopes, in pill or capsule form, which he can swallow to boost his energy level in an emergency.

As with any battery, Solar becomes weaker as he draws upon his stored-up energy for various purposes. If too much energy is expended, however, Solar weakens rapidly. More than once, he has nearly died when his energy reserves were depleted too rapidly or too greatly. In some cases, Solar has absorbed so much energy that he has grown to an enormous size, only to shrink back to normal dimensions once the excess energy has been expended. In one case, he absorbed energy from a pile of nuclear waste that his arch-enemy, Nuro, was using to power a gold accumulator in the Pacific Ocean. Fearing that he would lose so much energy that he would not be able to maintain control over his own atomic structure, Solar was forced to retreat. He later resolved this problem, and then returned to destroy the accumulator, thereby foiling Nuro's plot.

Solar can draw upon his stored-up energy at will, releasing and directing it into virtually any form he chooses. He can also use it to defy gravity, thus giving him the power of flight. He can also produce a "heat exchange" effect to reduce an object's temperature to absolute zero in a matter of seconds. He can also manipulate matter at the atomic and sub-atomic level, although the energy cost is usually quite high. In one instance, Solar was able to change a huge iron meteorite into titanium through a form of neutron bombardment called "transmutation", although his nuclear reserves were almost fatally depleted in the process (he was able to restore his energy by flying a small satellite rocket into the Van Allen radiation belt). Finally, if his energy level is high enough, he can travel through time, and has done so on several occasions.

As a scientist at a government nuclear research facility known as "Atom Valley", Solar is constantly engaged in nuclear and nuclear-related research. His unique powers enable him to work without the need for lead shielding, since he can absorb radiation and store it up for his own use. In addition, in his secret identity of "The Man of the Atom", Solar is always ready to use his powers to aid the public when the need arises.

Valiant Comics

 * Solar, Man of the Atom: Alpha and Omega hardcover slipcase (March 1994) - collects # 1–10 (back-up stories); written by Jim Shooter; art by Barry Windsor-Smith and Bob Layton (Includes poster of all 10 issues' two-page pin-ups to form the gigantic page of the climax of the origin story.)
 * Solar, Man of the Atom: Alpha and Omega trade paperback format edition (March 1994) (Includes poster of all 10 issues' two-page pin-ups to form the gigantic page of the climax of the origin story.)
 * Solar, Man of the Atom: Second Death trade paperback (September 1994) - collects # 1–4 (lead stories); written by Jim Shooter; art by Don Perlin and Bob Layton

Dark Horse

 * Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom Archives Volume 1 ISBN 1-59307-285-6 (reprints #1–7)
 * Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom Archives Volume 2 ISBN 1-59307-327-5 (reprints #8–14)
 * Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom Archives Volume 3 ISBN 1-59307-374-7 (reprints #15–22)
 * Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom Archives Volume 4 ISBN 1-59307-825-0 (reprints #23–31, The Occult Files of Dr. Spektor #14)
 * Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom Volume 1 ISBN 1-59582-603-3 (reprints Free Comic Book Day: Doctor Solar: Man of the Atom/Magnus, Robot Fighter and issues #1-4 of the Dark Horse Comics series Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom)
 * Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom Volume 2 ISBN 1-59582-921-0 (reprints issues #5-8 of the Dark Horse Comics Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom series)

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Solar (comics)


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Augusta State Airport

Augusta State Airport is a public use airport located one nautical mile (2 km) west of the central business district of the state capital of Augusta, a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The airport is owned by the state of Maine, but managed and operated by the city of Augusta. It is served by one commercial airline, with scheduled passenger service subsidized by the Essential Air Service program.

As per the Federal Aviation Administration, this airport had 3,554 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008, 3,663 in 2009, and 4,300 in 2010. It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021, in which it is categorized as a non-primary commercial service facility.

Facilities and aircraft
Augusta State Airport covers an area of 406 acres (164 ha) at an elevation of 352 feet (107 m) above mean sea level. It has two asphalt-paved runways: 17/35 is 5,001 by 150 feet (1,524 x 46 m) and 8/26 is 2,703 by 75 feet (824 x 23 m).

For the 12-month period ending August 11, 2016, the airport had 24,500 aircraft operations, an average of 67 per day: 69% general aviation, 22% air taxi, and 6% military. In April 2018, 37 aircraft were based at this airport: 31 single-engine and 6 multi-engine. The airport was originally developed under a New Deal project by the Maine Emergency Relief Administration, the state division of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration in a statewide survey of airports by Capt. Harry M. Jones in January 1934. The airport was built with 1 N.-S. 2,000x80 gravel runway, 1 E.-W. 1,600x80 gravel runway, and a NE-SW 2,500x80 gravel runway.

Runway 17/35 was reconstructed in the summer of 2012. The original surface was ground up and reclaimed, and runway lights and other navigational aids were upgraded. The project cost $7.5 million and was funded by the federal government. The project required closing the runway for two months, and it was reopened at 3:41 pm on June 29.

The airport received a federal grant of $1 million to purchase new snow removal equipment. The equipment should enable the airport to remain open during snowstorms.

Airline and destination
The following airline offers scheduled passenger service:

Other sources

 * Essential Air Service documents (Docket DOT-OST-1997-2784) from the U.S. Department of Transportation:
 * Order 2004-10-16 (October 25, 2004): reselecting Colgan Air, Inc., to provide subsidized Essential Air Service (EAS) at Presque Isle/Houlton, Augusta/Waterville, Bar Harbor and Rockland, Maine, for a two-year period at a combined annual subsidy rate of $4,312,849.
 * Order 2006-8-24 (August 25, 2006): reselecting Colgan Air, Inc., operating as US Airways Express, to provide subsidized essential air service (EAS) at Presque Isle/Houlton, Augusta/Waterville, Bar Harbor, and Rockland, Maine, at a total annual subsidy rate of $4,774,068 ($3,572,592 for Augusta/Waterville, Bar Harbor, and Rockland; $1,201,476 for Presque Isle/Houlton), for the two-year period of November 1, 2006, through October 31, 2008.
 * Order 2008-9-7 (September 5, 2008): reselecting Colgan Air, Inc. d/b/a US Airways Express to provide subsidized essential air service (EAS) at Augusta/Waterville and Bar Harbor, Maine, at an annual subsidy of $4,172,501, from November 1, 2008, through October 31, 2010.
 * Order 2010-9-28 (September 28, 2010): selecting Hyannis Air Service, Inc., operating as Cape Air, to provide essential air service (EAS) at Augusta/Waterville and Rockland, Maine, for the four-year period from November 1, 2010 to October 31, 2014, for a combined annual subsidy of $2,783,161. Scheduled Service: 28 weekly nonstop round trips between Augusta/Waterville and Boston in peak season (Memorial Day through Columbus Day), and 21 weekly nonstop round trips in off-peak. Aircraft: 9-seat Cessna 402 aircraft.

title: Augusta State Airport


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Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria

Maximilian I Joseph (Maximilian I. Joseph; 27 May 1756 – 13 October 1825) was Duke of Zweibrücken from 1795 to 1799, prince-elector of Bavaria (as Maximilian IV Joseph) from 1799 to 1806, then King of Bavaria (as Maximilian I Joseph) from 1806 to 1825. He was a member of the House of Palatinate-Birkenfeld-Zweibrücken, a branch of the House of Wittelsbach.

Early life
Maximilian, the son of the Count Palatine Frederick Michael of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld and Maria Francisca of Sulzbach, was born on 27 May 1756 at Schwetzingen, between Heidelberg and Mannheim.

After the death of his father of testicular cancer in 1767, he was left at first without parental supervision, since his mother had been banished from her husband's court after giving birth to a son fathered by an actor. Maximilian was carefully educated under the supervision of his uncle, Duke Christian IV of Zweibrücken, who settled him in the Hôtel des Deux-Ponts. He became Count of Rappoltstein in 1776 and took service in 1777 as a colonel in the French Royal Army. He rose rapidly to the rank of major-general. From 1782 to 1789, he was stationed at Strasbourg. During his time at the University of Strasbourg, Klemens von Metternich, the future Austrian chancellor, was for some time accommodated by Prince Maximilian. By the outbreak of the French Revolution, Maximilian exchanged the French for the Austrian service and took part in the opening campaigns of the French Revolutionary Wars.

Duke of Zweibrücken and Elector of Bavaria and the Palatinate
On 1 April 1795, Maximilian succeeded his brother Charles II as Duke of Zweibrücken, however his duchy was entirely occupied by revolutionary France at the time.

On 16 February 1799, he became Elector of Bavaria and Count Palatine of the Rhine, Arch-Steward of the Empire, and Duke of Berg upon the extinction of the Palatinate-Sulzbach line at the death of Elector Charles Theodore of Bavaria. The new elector, as Maximilian IV Joseph, found the Bavarian army in abject condition on his accession to the throne: Hardly any of the units were at full strength, the Rumford uniforms were unpopular and impractical, and the troops were badly-trained. The young Prince-Elector, who had served under the Ancien Régime in France as a colonel in the Royal Deux-Ponts Regiment, made the reconstruction of the army a priority.

Maximilian's sympathy with France and the ideas of enlightenment at once manifested itself when he acceded to the throne of Bavaria. In the newly organized ministry, Count Max Josef von Montgelas, who, after falling into disfavour with Charles Theodore, had acted for a time as Maximilian Joseph's private secretary, was the most potent influence, wholly "enlightened" and French. Agriculture and commerce were fostered, the laws were ameliorated, a new criminal code drawn up, taxes and imposts equalized without regard to traditional privileges, while a number of religious houses were suppressed and their revenues used for educational and other useful purposes. He closed the University of Ingolstadt in May 1800 and moved it to Landshut.

In foreign affairs, Maximilian Joseph's attitude was, from the German point of view, less commendable. He never had any sympathy with the growing sentiment of German nationality, and his attitude was dictated by wholly dynastic, or at least Bavarian, considerations. Until 1813, he was the most faithful of Napoleon's German allies, the relationship cemented by the marriage of his eldest daughter to Eugène de Beauharnais. His reward came with the Treaty of Pressburg (26 December 1805), by the terms of which he was to receive the royal title and important territorial acquisitions in Swabia and Franconia to round off his kingdom. He assumed the title of king on 1 January 1806. On 15 March, he ceded the Duchy of Berg to Napoleon's brother-in-law Joachim Murat. After the War of the Fifth Coalition in 1809 he received Tyrol and Innviertel regions from the defeated Austria.

King of Bavaria
The new King of Bavaria was the most important of the princes belonging to the Confederation of the Rhine, and remained Napoleon's ally until the eve of the Battle of Leipzig, when by the Treaty of Ried (8 October 1813) he made the guarantee of the integrity of his kingdom the price of his joining the Allies. On 14 October, Bavaria made a formal declaration of war against Napoleonic France. The treaty was passionately backed by Crown Prince Ludwig and by Marshal von Wrede.

By the first Treaty of Paris (3 June 1814), however, he returned Tyrol to Austria in exchange for the former Grand Duchy of Würzburg. At the Congress of Vienna, which he attended in person, Maximilian had to make further concessions to Austria, ceding Salzburg and the regions of Innviertel and Hausruckviertel in return for the western part of the old Palatinate. The king fought hard to maintain the contiguity of the Bavarian territories as guaranteed at Ried but the most he could obtain was an assurance from Metternich in the matter of the Baden succession, in which he was also doomed to be disappointed.

At Vienna and afterwards Maximilian sturdily opposed any reconstitution of Germany which should endanger the independence of Bavaria, and it was his insistence on the principle of full sovereignty being left to the German reigning princes that largely contributed to the loose and weak organization of the new German Confederation. The Federative Constitution of Germany (8 June 1815) of the Congress of Vienna was proclaimed in Bavaria, not as a law but as an international treaty. It was partly to secure popular support in his resistance to any interference of the Federal diet in the internal affairs of Bavaria, partly to give unity to his somewhat heterogeneous territories, that Maximilian on 26 May 1818 granted a liberal constitution to his people. Montgelas, who had opposed this concession, had fallen in the previous year, and Maximilian had also reversed his ecclesiastical policy, signing on 24 October 1817 a concordat with Rome by which the powers of the clergy, largely curtailed under Montgelas's administration, were restored.

The new parliament proved to be more independent than he had anticipated and in 1819 Maximilian resorted to appealing to the powers against his own creation; but his Bavarian "particularism" and his genuine popular sympathies prevented him from allowing the Carlsbad Decrees to be strictly enforced within his dominions. The suspects arrested by order of the Mainz Commission he was accustomed to examine himself, with the result that in many cases the whole proceedings were quashed, and in not a few the accused dismissed with a present of money.

Maximilian died at Nymphenburg Palace, in Munich, on 13 October 1825 and was succeeded by his son Ludwig I. Maximilian is buried in the crypt of the Theatine Church in Munich.

Cultural legacy
Under the reign of Maximilian Joseph the Bavarian Secularization (1802–1803) led to the nationalisation of cultural assets of the Church. The Protestants were emancipated. In 1808 he founded the Academy of Fine Arts Munich.

The city of Munich was extended by the first systematic expansion with the new Brienner Strasse as core. In 1810 Max Joseph ordered construction of the National Theatre Munich in French neo-classic style. The monument Max-Joseph Denkmal before the National Theatre was created in the middle of the square Max-Joseph-Platz as a memorial for King Maximilian Joseph by Christian Daniel Rauch and carried out by Johann Baptist Stiglmaier. It was only revealed in 1835 since the king had rejected to be eternalized in sitting position.

In 1801 he led the rescue operation when a glassmaker's workshop collapsed, saving the life of Joseph von Fraunhofer, a 14-year-old orphan apprentice. Max Joseph donated books and directed the glassmaker to give Fraunhofer time to study. Fraunhofer went on to become one of the most famous optical scientists and artisans in history, inventing the spectroscope and spectroscopy, making Bavaria noted for fine optics, and joining the nobility before his death at age 39.

He was elected a Royal Fellow of the Royal Society in 1802.

Marriages and issue
As a monarch, Max Joseph was very close to the citizens, walked freely along the streets of Munich without great accompaniment, and conversed with his people in a casual manner. Regardless, he was somewhat eccentric, like some of his descendants and successors. Maximilian married twice and had children by both marriages: His first wife was Princess Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt, daughter of Prince George William of Hesse-Darmstadt (14 April 1765 – 30 March 1796). They were married on 30 September 1785 in Darmstadt. They had five children:
 * Ludwig I of Bavaria (25 August 1786 – 29 February 1868), married Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen.
 * Princess Augusta Amalia Ludovika, (21 June 1788 – 13 May 1851), married Eugène de Beauharnais, Duke of Leuchtenberg.
 * Princess Amalie Marie Auguste (9 October 1790 – 24 January 1794), died in childhood.
 * Princess Caroline Augusta (8 February 1792 – 9 February 1873), married William I of Württemberg, and then Francis II of Austria.
 * Prince Karl Theodor Maximilian (7 July 1795 – 16 August 1875), married morganatically to Marie-Anne-Sophie Petin.

Maximilian's second wife was Karoline of Baden, daughter of Margrave Karl Ludwig of Baden (13 July 1776 – 13 November 1841). They were married on 9 March 1797 in Karlsruhe. They had eight children, including two sets of twin girls, Elisabeth and Amalie born in 1801, and Sophie and Marie Anne born in 1805.
 * Stillborn son (5 September 1799)
 * Prince Maximilian Joseph Karl Friedrich (28 October 1800 – 12 February 1803), died in infancy.
 * Princess Elisabeth Ludovika ("Elise") (13 November 1801 – 14 December 1873) twin sister of Amalie Auguste. Married Frederick William IV of Prussia.
 * Princess Amalie Auguste (13 November 1801 – 8 November 1877) twin sister of Elisabeth Ludovika. Married John I of Saxony.
 * Princess Marie Anne Leopoldine (27 January 1805 – 13 September 1877) twin sister of Sophie. Married Frederick Augustus II of Saxony.
 * Princess Sophie Friederike Dorothee (27 January 1805 – 28 May 1872) twin sister of Marie Anna. Married Archduke Franz Karl of Austria, mother of Franz Joseph I of Austria and Maximilian I of Mexico.
 * Princess Ludovika Wilhelmine (30 August 1808 – 25 January 1892), married Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria, mother of Empress Elisabeth of Austria.
 * Princess Maximiliana Josepha Karoline (21 July 1810 – 4 February 1821), died in childhood.

title: Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria


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Mesa Airlines

Mesa Airlines, Inc., is an American regional airline based in Phoenix, Arizona. It is an FAA Part 121–certificated air carrier operating under air carrier certificate number MASA036A issued on June 29, 1979. It is a subsidiary of Mesa Air Group and operates flights as United Express via respective code sharing agreements with United Airlines. It serves more than 180 markets in the Western Hemisphere. In a 1997 article from the Journal of Air Transportation, Mesa's safety record was noted as having the fewest incidents among domestic regional airlines at that time. Mesa filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January 2010, hoping to shed financial obligations for leases on airplanes it no longer needed and emerged from bankruptcy in March 2011. In November 2017, Mesa opened a new training center in Phoenix. The 23,000-square-foot facility features a full-size CRJ-200 cabin trainer aircraft, 14 classrooms, and has the capacity to train 300 crew members at one time.

On December 17, 2022, Mesa announced a wind-down of its American Eagle flying by April 3, 2023. American Airlines said Mesa's reliability and financial difficulties were a cause for concern. Mesa reported that the contract with American had resulted in massive losses. On December 27, 2022, Mesa finalized an amendment and restatement of its capacity purchase agreement with United Airlines. Under the agreement, Mesa was to add up to 38 Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft, dependent on the number Embraer 175 aircraft Mesa was operating. Mesa was to begin flying CRJ-900s on behalf of United in March 2023 and utilize all of the crew and maintenance locations currently operated for American Airlines in Phoenix, Dallas-Fort Worth, El Paso, and Louisville, as well as open a CRJ-900 crew base in Houston and a pilot base in Denver. As part of the final agreement, United would also pay Mesa increased block-hour rates to cover the incremental pilot wage increases instituted by Mesa in September 2022, to remain in effect through September 2025. United received a 10% equity position in Mesa and a seat on the Mesa board of directors.

Operations

 * DHL Aviation, for cargo/freight operations at Cincinnati.
 * United Express, a mainline airline marketing sub-brand using United Express liveried fleet of Embraer 175 aircraft under a revenue-guarantee code-sharing agreement. Its hubs are at Houston Bush and Washington Dulles. Effective early 2023, 38 Mesa CRJ-900s will operate for United Express in Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver International and Phoenix

Former airline divisions & codeshares

 * American Eagle (2014–2023)
 * America West Express (1992–2007)
 * US Airways Express (2007–2014)
 * Air Midwest (1991–2008)
 * CalPac (California Pacific) (1993–1995)
 * Desert Sun Airlines (1995–1996)
 * FloridaGulf Airlines (1991–1997)
 * Go! (2005–2014)
 * Liberty Express Airlines (1994–1997)
 * Mountain West Airlines (1995–1996)
 * Skyway Airlines (1989–1994)
 * Superior Airlines (1994–1995)

History
Mesa began operations as Mesa Air Shuttle in Farmington, New Mexico, in 1980. From 1989 through 1998, Mesa Airlines operated as a conglomeration of up to eight separate airlines. For the history of the acquisition and expansion of Mesa Airlines during this time see Mesa Air Group. The following history section details the history of the individual airlines that comprised Mesa Airlines during this time frame.

Mesa Airlines
The original Mesa Air Shuttle was a flight division of JB Aviation in Farmington, New Mexico, and operated a single route from Farmington to Albuquerque using a Piper Saratoga aircraft. In 1981 as the original Frontier Airlines (1950-1986) was discontinuing its flights between the two cities, Mesa obtained a twin-engine Piper Navajo Chieftain and increased service on the route. In 1982, the original owners sold the company to Larry and Janie Risley. The Risleys quickly expanded the carrier by acquiring a fleet of 14-passenger seat Beechcraft 99 commuter turboprops and adding service throughout New Mexico and surrounding states with a hub at Albuquerque. In 1985 larger 19-passenger seat Beechcraft 1900s were acquired which replaced the Beech 99s and became the backbone of Mesa's fleet. By 1987 up to 47 daily departures were operating from Albuquerque to 18 cities. Also in 1987, a Denver hub was created when Mesa acquired Centennial Airlines which operated several routes from Denver into Wyoming. After an initial route from Farmington and Gallup to Phoenix began in 1985, Phoenix was expanded into a hub in 1989 with new routes throughout Arizona. In 1990, most Denver flights were incorporated into the United Express division which Mesa had acquired from Aspen Airways. In 1992, when Mesa established a codeshare with America West Airlines, its Phoenix hub was turned over to the America West Express division. A minor hub was also operated at Farmington in the late 1980s with up to 22 daily flights connecting Albuquerque, Phoenix, and Salt Lake City to Durango, Cortez, and Telluride, CO. For a brief time in 1995 and 1996, the Mesa Airlines operation at Albuquerque, the United Express operation in Denver, and the America West Express operation in Phoenix were all known as operated by Mountain West Airlines. In 1997 and 1998, routes from Little Rock to Nashville and Wichita and from Nashville to Tupelo were added, first as Mesa Airlines, then later as US Airways Express.

In 1997, Mesa established a small hub at Fort Worth Meacham International Airport, using two Bombardier CRJ-200 regional jet aircraft, providing service from Fort Worth to San Antonio, Austin, and Houston Hobby, as well as new routes from Colorado Springs to Nashville and San Antonio. The venture was short-lived and these routes were all eliminated during a corporate restructuring. The Albuquerque hub was merged into Air Midwest in 2001 but operated as a codeshare for Mesa Airlines until the hub was dissolved at the end of 2007.

In 1998, Mesa moved its headquarters from Farmington, NM to Phoenix, AZ.

America West Express
In September 1992, Mesa negotiated a code-sharing agreement with America West Airlines to operate as America West Express out of its Phoenix hub, serving 12 cities. These routes were originally from the independent Mesa operation and several Beech 1900D aircraft were painted in the America West Airlines scheme. The codeshare allowed increased frequency and increased load factors and expansion into several new markets.

In 1995, Mesa created a new subdivision called Desert Sun Airlines and acquired a pair of Fokker 70 jets for use on new America West Express routes from Phoenix to Des Moines and Spokane. Desert Sun was merged into the Mesa Airlines division in 1997 and its Fokker 70 aircraft were replaced by Bombardier CRJ-200 regional jet aircraft. The CRJ-200 aircraft also began replacing the Beechcraft 1900D and Embraer EMB-120 turboprops. The Beechcraft 1900Ds were then transitioned over to Mesa's Air Midwest subsidiary. Beginning in December 1997, Mesa began operating Dash 8-200 aircraft between Phoenix and Grand Junction followed by many other cities throughout Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. In 2003, Mesa Airlines took over the operations of Freedom Airlines and Freedom Airlines' CRJ-900 regional jets were transferred into the America West Express operation. The Beech 1900D flights operated by Air Midwest were discontinued on May 30, 2008.

On September 16, 2005, America West Airlines and US Airways completed their merger. Although the corporate side and operationally, those companies merged, as of May 2008, the two flight operations have not been merged and Mesa continues to code share with the new US Airways Group as US Airways Express under its America West Express codeshare agreement. It operated CRJ-200 and CRJ-900 aircraft from hubs in Charlotte and Phoenix, and Dash 8 aircraft from its Phoenix hub until late 2011, when during Mesa's restructuring in bankruptcy, coinciding with United's cancelation of any further CRJ-200 service by Mesa, the CRJ-200s and Dash 8s were removed from service. By early 2012, the only airframe Mesa uses for the "west" side of US Airways out of its Phoenix hub and the "East" side out of its Charlotte hub is with the CRJ-900.

US Airways Express
In November 1997, Mesa negotiated a codeshare agreement to provide service to US Airways as US Airways Express for 14 regional jets to various cities from its Philadelphia and Charlotte hubs. In 1998 and 2000, the agreement was expanded to 28 jets and then to 52 jets. The first CRJ-200 aircraft began operating in 1998. As Mesa began taking deliveries of the Embraer ERJ-145 aircraft in 2000, the CRJs were transferred to the America West division, separating the fleet types.

In 2003, 20 CRJ-200 aircraft were reintroduced to the US Airways Express division. With the reintroduction of the CRJ, the CRJ-200 aircraft operated out of the Philadelphia hub, and the ERJ-145 aircraft operated out of the Charlotte hub.

In 2005, Mesa's codeshare agreement with US Airways was not reaffirmed in bankruptcy court, and Mesa began transitioning the aircraft to other codeshares. Twenty-six ERJ aircraft were transitioned to Freedom Airlines, and the CRJ and remaining ERJs were transferred to Mesa's United Express operation. However, following the America West Airlines merger later that year, the Mesa contract for America West Express was retained and expanded to include non-former America West Express routes. All US Airways Express flying was converted to American Eagle on October 17, 2015, when the merger between American and US Airways was completed.

American Eagle
As the merger process between American Airlines and US Airways was progressing, Mesa Airlines began operating as American Eagle on November 6, 2014, with routes out of the American Airlines hubs at Dallas/Fort Worth and Los Angeles using CRJ-900 aircraft. US Airways Express routes from Charlotte and Phoenix were gradually shifted to American Eagle until the transition and merger was completed on October 17, 2015.

As of December 17, 2022, American Eagle announced that they will part ways with Mesa Airlines due to financial troubles. The final flight on the Bombardier CRJ-900 took place on April 3, 2023.

United Express
In 1990, Mesa acquired Aspen Airways Denver hub and routes, except for Aspen's Denver to Aspen route. It attempted to acquire Aspen's codeshare with United. However United was unwilling to codeshare with an airline that only operated 19-seat turboprops. Mesa leased Embraer EMB-120 aircraft from its former competitor in New Mexico, Air Midwest. With the Brasilias in hand, Mesa gained a codeshare with United for its Denver hub. Several Beech 1300 and Beech 1900 aircraft were repainted with the United Airlines scheme.

In 1995, California Pacific and its Los Angeles hub were merged into Mesa's United Express operation. After the closing of Superior Airlines' Columbus hub, its aircraft and crews were used to expand United Express into Portland and Seattle. In 1997, operational difficulties with the Denver hub and disagreements over the renewal of Mesa's WestAir subsidiary codeshare with United resulted in the cancellation of Mesa's codeshare.

In 2003, Mesa agreed to a service agreement with United for service out of their hubs at Chicago-O'Hare, Denver, and Washington-Dulles under the United Express banner. In October 2009 United decided to exercise its early termination option for the Dash 8 flying. The Dash 8 flying ended on April 30, 2010. Around the same time, United decided not to extend its CRJ200 operation and as a result, all of the Mesa CRJ200s (26 aircraft) flying under United Express were phased out by April 30, 2010. As of 2015, Mesa's United Express operations consisted of Embraer E175s flying out of the Houston hub and CRJ-700s flying out of the Washington–Dulles hub.

Skyway Airlines
The Skyway Airlines division was Mesa's first foray into the Midwest. Skyway was formed in 1989 when Mesa established a codeshare agreement with Midwest Express and a Milwaukee hub. From Milwaukee, Mesa served 25 cities in nine states in the upper Midwest region, using Beechcraft 1900 aircraft. Upon the expiration of the codeshare in 1994, it was not renewed. Midwest Express kept the Skyway Airlines name and routes, forming Astral Airways to fill the void as Mesa ceased service in Milwaukee. Mesa reallocated the aircraft and crews to start Superior Airlines in its Columbus hub for America West Express.

FloridaGulf Airlines
The FloridaGulf Airlines division was formed in 1991 after Mesa's acquisition of Air Midwest. Air Midwest's CEO, Robert Priddy, was chosen to start up the operation. It operated under a codeshare agreement with USAir and was a USAir Express carrier. It started with a Tampa hub, providing service to Florida and the southeast United States using Beechcraft 1900 aircraft. Additional hubs in Orlando and New Orleans were established. In 1993, the airline expanded into the Northeast, with a hub in Boston and eventually Philadelphia. In 1994, six Embraer EMB 120 aircraft were added. By the time it was merged into Air Midwest, in 1997, it was operating 44 Beechcraft 1900D and 9 Embraer EMB-120 aircraft serving 49 destinations.

Superior Airlines
After Midwest Express notified Mesa they would not be renewing the contract to operate their Skyway Airlines division, Mesa allocated the aircraft and crews to form Superior Airlines in 1994. Superior initially competed against their former Midwest Express partner as America West Express and also provided service from the new America West Columbus hub. Superior operated America West Express flights to compete against their former partner from Milwaukee to Flint, Lansing, Columbus, Grand Rapids, Indianapolis, Des Moines, and Cedar Rapids, as well as from Rockford to Detroit. Within 18 months Mesa redirected Superior and its Beech 1900D fleet to focus exclusively on the Columbus hub. By 2000 the aircraft and crews, which consisted of CRJ200s (CL-65s), were being operated by Mesa Airlines itself. America West Airlines closed its Columbus hub in 2003 and Mesa again reallocated the assets this time to its newly reacquired United Express operation.

CalPac (California Pacific)
Mesa created CalPac (California Pacific) in 1992, establishing a second United Express carrier with a Los Angeles hub along with WestAir. It utilized Beechcraft 1900D and Embraer EMB-120 aircraft to serve 12 destinations. In 1995, the airline division was merged into Mesa's United Express operation.

Liberty Express Airlines
In 1994, Mesa acquired Pittsburgh-based Crown Airways. Using the acquired assets, Mesa established Liberty Express with its hub in Pittsburgh and a codeshare with US Airways. In 1997, it was merged into Air Midwest, operating 14 Beechcraft 1900D aircraft serving 17 destinations.

Desert Sun Airlines
The Desert Sun Airlines division was created in 1995 to inaugurate Mesa's first jet service utilizing Fokker 70 aircraft. It operated as America West Express from a Phoenix hub. The first two cities to receive jet service were Spokane and Des Moines. In 1996, the division was merged into Mesa's America West Express operation, and the Fokker 70 aircraft were replaced by Bombardier CRJ aircraft as they were introduced. There was also a previous Desert Sun Airlines not affiliated with Mesa that operated scheduled passenger commuter service in southern California during the mid-1980s with Beechcraft 99 turboprops and Piper Chieftain prop aircraft.

go!
In 2006, Mesa formed go! in the Hawaiian Islands, using five Bombardier CRJ aircraft from its Honolulu hub. It established a code share with Mokulele Airlines, which served airports that cannot accept jet aircraft and provide point-to-point service in between the islands with Cessna Caravan turboprops. The codeshare with Mokulele was later replaced by one with Island Air, which was itself later replaced by a joint venture with Mokulele dubbed go! Mokulele. The airline ceased operations in Hawaii on April 1, 2014.

Mesa's go! was involved in multiple lawsuits with Hawaiian Airlines and Aloha Airlines and was also investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration for an incident on February 13, 2008, where both pilots fell asleep during a regularly scheduled 36-minute flight between Honolulu and Hilo. go!'s flight 1002 overshot Hilo Airport by 15 mi, remaining 21000 ft in the air as they missed the destination. Air traffic controllers were unable to reach the two pilots for 25 minutes, after which contact was re-established and the aircraft returned for a safe landing in Hilo.

Mesa's go! was also blamed for the March 31, 2008 shutdown of Aloha Airlines due to "predatory fares".

Kunpeng Airlines
Kunpeng Airlines was formed as a joint venture between Mesa Airlines and Shenzhen Airlines of China. They began flying in October 2007 with three Bombardier CRJ-200 aircraft and currently have five in China. The airline originally expected to operate 20 CRJs prior to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and plan to expand at a rate of 20 aircraft per year for the next 5 years. All pilots would have been based in Beijing or Xi'an and the airline initially was to fly to 16 regional airports. Mesa intended to replace the outgoing CRJ-200s with larger regional jets such as the CRJ-700 and CRJ-900. Kunpeng has recently decided to delay the delivery of CRJ-200 in favor of brand new Embraer E190. All of the Mesa aircraft are being returned.

Furthermore, as of June 2009, Mesa no longer has a financial interest in Kunpeng Airlines, as Shenzhen Airlines purchased Mesa's interest in the original joint venture.

Crew bases
Limited Crew Bases
 * Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International (Boeing 737-400F/800F) – DHL Aviation
 * Denver International (CRJ) – United Express
 * Houston-Intercontinental (E175) – United Express
 * Washington-Dulles International (E175/CRJ) – United Express
 * Phoenix Sky Harbor International (CRJ) – United Express
 * Louisville Muhammad Ali International (CRJ) – United Express
 * Dallas-Fort Worth International (CRJ) – United Express

Current fleet
, the Mesa Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft:

In March 2013, Mesa Airlines announced the leasing of nine Bombardier CRJ-900s, which were previously operated by Uruguay's Pluna, for operations at US Airways. The aircraft entered the US Airways Express fleet between April and July 2013 and will operate under an eight-year capacity purchase agreement through 2021.

In September 2013, Mesa Airlines announced an agreement with United Airlines which extends the operation of 20 CRJ-700s through 2020. The agreement includes an order of 30 United-owned Embraer E175s that will be operated under contract by Mesa Airlines. Mesa Airlines later announced an agreement with United Airlines to add 18 Embraer E175 aircraft to Mesa's United Express fleet. Mesa will operate 48 Embraer aircraft for United Airlines. In October, the company announced an agreement for the addition of 15 new aircraft scheduled for delivery in 2016, which has now increased to 18. Mesa currently operates 80 E175 aircraft under the United Express brand.

Historical fleet

 * Beechcraft C99
 * Beechcraft 1300
 * Beechcraft 1900C
 * Beechcraft 1900D
 * de Havilland Canada Dash 8-100
 * de Havilland Canada Dash 8-200
 * de Havilland Canada Dash 8-300
 * CATPASS 200, a Beechcraft King Air 200 with a modified 13-passenger cabin
 * Cessna 208 Caravan
 * Embraer EMB-120
 * Embraer ERJ-145
 * Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner
 * Fokker 70 (only U.S. operator of the F70)
 * Piper Saratoga – first aircraft type operated by the airline as Mesa Air Shuttle between Farmington, NM and Albuquerque in 1980
 * Piper Chieftain – second aircraft operated from 1981 through 1983. Briefly operated from Farmington to Denver, Durango, and Grand Junction, CO and to Vernal, UT

Destinations
Mesa operates for United Express and DHL Aviation; below are the current United Express destinations – some routes may only be seasonal.

Past Destinations
Mesa's destinations as an independent carrier in the southwest (1980–2007) included the following:
 * Albuquerque Hub
 * Alamogordo, NM
 * Angel Fire, NM
 * Carlsbad, NM
 * Clovis, NM
 * Colorado Springs, CO
 * Durango, CO
 * Farmington, NM
 * Gallup, NM
 * Hobbs, NM
 * Las Cruces, NM
 * Los Alamos, NM
 * Pueblo, CO
 * Roswell, NM
 * Ruidoso, NM
 * Santa Fe, NM
 * Silver City, NM
 * Taos, NM
 * Telluride, CO
 * Farmington, NM Hub
 * Albuquerque, NM
 * Cortez, CO
 * Denver, CO
 * Durango, CO
 * Gallup, NM
 * Grand Junction, CO
 * Phoenix, AZ
 * Pueblo, CO
 * Salt Lake City, UT
 * Telluride, CO
 * Vernal, UT
 * Dallas/Fort Worth, TX
 * Roswell, NM
 * El Paso, TX
 * Alamogordo, NM
 * Ruidoso, NM
 * Tucson, AZ
 * Lubbock, TX
 * Hobbs, NM
 * Roswell, NM
 * Midland/Odessa, TX
 * Carlsbad, NM
 * Hobbs, NM
 * Roswell, NM

Flight attendants
In February 2012 the contract between flight attendants and Mesa Airlines expired and became eligible for negotiation between the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) and Mesa.

Flight attendants have been at the core of Mesa's operations since its agreements were reached with US Airways and their United Express operation were reached and for years before. Throughout the years many of them became frustrated with stagnant wages and non-competitive retention offerings leading to its current contract negotiations which began in 2012.

After bankruptcy
Negotiations had stalled several times in the years following 2012 in mediation and talks directly with the company after the company had only offered negligible pay increases, unaffordable health insurance, and significantly fewer incentives for flight attendants with longevity compared to other regional airlines.

In January 2017, contract negotiations in front of the National Mediation Board again came to a halt. The Association of Flight Attendants (AFA), after over five years of failed negotiations, announced that the members of the union would be coming together for a strike vote in order to either accelerate negotiations or begin using the AFA's patented method of striking – CHAOS – in order to interrupt operations with both American Airlines and United Airlines in anticipation that the two legacy carriers will place pressure on Mesa to offer livable wages and individual benefits comparable to other airlines.

On March 29, 2017, the AFA released a statement saying that Mesa Airlines Flight Attendants voted "Yes" to a strike vote overwhelmingly by a vote of 99.56%, the highest "yes" vote in at least 20 years for the AFA, and potentially in the history of the union since its founding in 1945.

In response Mesa Airlines CEO Jonathan Ornstein stated "We're going to continue to negotiate on good faith and come to an agreement that the company can afford" and that it "takes reasonableness on both parties."

Heather Stevenson, union president for Mesa, said "We're out of options" as well as "Five years of 'Please' and 'Thank you' and 'Could you do better?' hasn't done anything." She also stated "...management can choose a different outcome by seriously negotiating a contract. Mesa Airlines is an important partner in the highly-profitable American Airlines and United Airlines networks."

"Mesa Flight Attendants will not accept poverty wages", said Sara Nelson, international president of the AFA-CWA. "Enough is enough. Mesa Flight Attendants have the full backing of the 50,000 members of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA. We are ready to do whatever it takes to achieve a fair contract."

Mesa Airlines and the AFA returned to the bargaining table during the week of April 3, 2017. While the strike vote had the intended effect, the company still offered a negligible pay increase that would keep flight attendants to what they have calculated as "Industry Average". However that number was only if both parties ignore all other regional competitors financial compensation that handle the same volume as Mesa.

On April 25, 2017, members of the AFA who were not employees of Mesa carried out informational protests in Chicago, Dallas, and Phoenix to educate the public about the union's concerns such as low wages, poor health insurance, lack of progress on contract negotiations, as well as other actions of the company, and gain attention from American and United.

The AFA and Mesa Airlines met again during June 13–15 and again did not reach a resolution. The union stated "it soon became apparent the Company was not prepared to reach a deal and saw no point in bargaining until after they knew the outcome of the pilots' vote which will be counted on July 12."

The AFA and Mesa Airlines reached a Tentative Agreement on August 14 and included these changes:
 * Wage scale exceeding the average for Flight Attendants doing regional flights for United and American.
 * Increased per diem.
 * Block or better.
 * Line guarantee and increased minimum guarantee.
 * Long layover credit.
 * 200% junior assignment pay.
 * PBS on trial basis, strong language.
 * Increased vacation for longevity.
 * Improved commuter clause.
 * "Me too" with pilot 401k.
 * Increased deadhead pay.
 * Jetbridge trades.
 * Paid KCM.
 * Four year duration with continued wage increases beyond the amendable date.

Pilots
On March 2, 2017, the Air Line Pilots Association, International union representing all of Mesa Airlines pilots filed a lawsuit after wages had stagnated and ceased to increase in any amount for almost ten years and the company had allegedly bypassed the Railway Labor Act by implementing bonus and incentive programs without reaching an agreement beforehand with the ALPA.

The goal of the pilots is similar to the at-the-time objective of the flight attendants, which is to be paid a standard and comparable wage to other regional airlines that can substantiate necessities such as food and shelter.

Incidents
On June 29, 1990, flight 22, a Cessna 208 Caravan en route from El Paso, Texas, to Ruidoso, New Mexico, lost engine power and landed on New Mexico State Road 220 about four miles short of the Sierra Blanca Regional Airport. There were no injuries and the only visible damage was to the sheet metal on the right wingtip.

On October 16, 2001, an ERJ-145 was on final approach to Roanoke, Virginia. The captain had briefed a "no go-around" for a night visual approach to a "Special Airport". The approach was not stabilized, and the airspeed decreased to the point of a stall. The airplane struck the runway in a nose high pitch attitude, the aft fuselage struck the runway first then settled on the landing gear. The first officer made initial call-outs of slow airspeed and then stopped when the captain failed to respond to her callouts. After landing, the airplane was taxied to the gate where a post-flight inspection limited to the main landing gear did not find the damage to the tail section. The incident was not reported by either pilot to the company and the airplane was allowed to be flown by the next crew the following morning on its scheduled service back to Charlotte, North Carolina, where a post flight inspection revealed the tail strike. When interviewed, the captain first denied having been involved in a hard landing and speculated that the tail strike must have been the result of an over rotation on takeoff from the morning crew. When faced with the CVR and FDR data, she eventually admitted to the incident. She reported that she briefed "no go-around" because no takeoffs were authorized on the runway at night or in IMC conditions; however, the first officer knew this was incorrect, but did not challenge the captain. Both pilots had received CRM training, which included crew member assertiveness, methods of fostering crew input, and situational awareness, and training on special use airports; however it was not followed by either pilot. The captain said the first officer was passive and quiet. The first officer reported the captain was defensive and did not take criticism very well. It is remarkable that the damage to the tail section was not discovered during the preflight visual inspection performed by the morning flight or ground crews. The aircraft had an MELed APU and needed the engines to be started with the assistance of an external air cart. The connection for the air cart is located at the aft bottom fuselage section where the damages were visible. The access panel was bent. Yet the ground crew did not notify the flight deck crew. When the walk-around visual inspection was performed by the morning crew's first officer, it was performed during the hours of darkness with the help of a flashlight. The air cart was already connected and forced the first officer to walk around the cart and away from the aircraft, missing the tail strike damages. Both crews were terminated from employment; however, the first officer of the accident flight and the captain of the morning flight were eventually reinstated with help of their union (ALPA). The accident captain was able to recover her certificates and privileges but was not reinstated. The first officer from the morning crew died from illness prior to being reinstated.

On February 13, 2008, the pilots of a go! CRJ-200 fell asleep and overshot their destination airport by 26 nmi before air traffic control was able to make contact with the aircraft. The incident happened on the third consecutive day during which the pilots had been required to start duty at 05:40 am. The captain suffered from an undiagnosed severe sleep apnea. The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident as follows: "The captain and first officer inadvertently falling asleep during the cruise phase of flight. Contributing to the incident were the captain's undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea and the flight crew's recent work schedules, which included several consecutive days of early-morning start times."

On September 29, 2015, American Airlines Flight 5786, which was operated by Mesa Airlines under the American Eagle brand, encountered a wing strike during landing on a day with calm winds. The plane landed and taxied to the gate without further incident. No injuries were reported.

On January 11, 2019, American Eagle Flight 5766, en route from Dallas-Fort Worth, slid off the runway after landing in icy and snowy conditions. The Bombardier CRJ-900 was the first flight to attempt to land at Columbia Municipal Airport after the ground crew cleared the runway of ice and snow. Reports state the runway was still very slick with ice.

title: Mesa Airlines


text:
Air Midwest

Air Midwest, Inc., was a Federal Aviation Administration Part 121 certificated air carrier that operated under air carrier certificate number AMWA510A issued on May 15, 1965. It was headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, United States, and from 1991 was a subsidiary of Mesa Air Group. Besides initially flying as an independent air carrier, it later operated code sharing feeder flights on behalf of Eastern Air Lines as Eastern Air Midwest Express, on behalf of American Airlines as American Eagle, on behalf of Trans World Airlines (TWA) as Trans World Express and on behalf of US Airways as US Airways Express. It also operated feeder flights on behalf of Braniff (1983-1990) and Ozark Air Lines in addition to flying for Mesa Airlines. Air Midwest was shut down by its parent company, Mesa Airlines, in June 2008.

History
Air Midwest was incorported in Wichita, Kansas, on May 7, 1965 by Gary Adamson as Aviation Services Inc. Using a single Cessna 206, Adamson transported human remains for area mortuaries. Later, Aviation Services held out for charter and on April 17, 1967 began scheduled service flying between Wichita and Salina.

As Frontier Airlines downsized from the western Kansas market beginning in 1968, Aviation Services moved in to assume air service. In 1969, it changed its name to Air Midwest and ordered Beech 99 commuter turboprop aircraft to keep up with its expansion. In 1971, Frontier withdrew all service from Dodge City, Great Bend, and Hutchinson, KS allowing Air Midwest to assume service. In 1977, Frontier withdrew all service at Garden City, Goodland, and Hays, KS as well as Lamar, CO and Air Midwest began operating a fleet of six Swearingen Metroliner commuter propjets. By then Air Midwest was linking smaller cities throughout Kansas to Wichita, Kansas City, MO, and Denver, CO.

With airline deregulation in late 1978 Air Midwest saw many more expansion opportunities and made a bold move by ordering ten more Metroliners. On March 1, 1979, Air Midwest began operating several new routes in New Mexico formerly flown by Texas International Airlines. This new service to New Mexico was connected to the Kansas operations by serving Lubbock, Texas where Air Midwest partnered with Braniff Airways. From Lubbock, service was started to Hobbs, Roswell, Carlsbad, and Albuquerque, New Mexico as well as from Albuquerque to Clovis, NM. Service was also started from Lubbock, to Garden City, Dodge City, and Wichita, Kansas. In July 1979, service was inaugurated from Lubbock and Wichita, to Ponca City, Enid, and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In 1980/1981 Air Midwest again expanded with new routes from Albuquerque to Alamogordo, Silver City, and Farmington, New Mexico as well as from Farmington to Phoenix, Arizona all formerly flown by the original Frontier Airlines (1950-1986). A new link to Wichita was also created via Clovis and Amarillo. Routes were also expanded from both the Kansas City International Airport and the Kansas City Downtown Airport to new cities in Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, and Oklahoma. In 1982 all Lubbock service was discontinued and transferred to Midland/Odessa, Texas until 1984 when all Midland/Odessa service ended. In 1983 a marketing agreement was established with Frontier Airlines in which all Air Midwest flights at Denver would feed Frontier. Beginning in 1984, competitor Mesa Airlines began aggressive expansion throughout New Mexico and Texas and Air Midwest made the decision to discontinue all routes in this area on January 31, 1986. They then shifted their focus to building newly acquired code share relationships with major airlines listed below. Also in 1984, Air Midwest was independently operating nonstop flights from St. Louis Downtown Airport (CPS) to Chicago Midway Airport (MDW), Kansas City Downtown Airport (MKC), and Olathe, KS (via Johnson County Industrial Airport (LXT)) with Metro propjets.

On May 1, 1985, Air Midwest merged with Scheduled Skyways, a Fayetteville, Arkansas-based commuter air carrier which later changed its name to Skyways, in hopes of gaining a codeshare to feed Republic Airlines' Memphis hub. Air Midwest would expand by acquiring routes in Arkansas to complement its existing routes in the midwest. Both carriers operated Metro propjets, and Air Midwest had an opportunity to win a codeshare agreement with Republic. However, Republic then picked a different air carrier to feed its Memphis hub. Meanwhile, Air Midwest subsequently discovered many hidden problems with the neglected fleet inherited from Scheduled Skyways, forcing the airline to perform a great deal of maintenance to keep the aircraft flying. The merger with Scheduled Skyways pushed Air Midwest to the verge of bankruptcy over the few years that followed.

On April 1, 1985, Air Midwest introduced the 30-seat Saab 340 turboprop aircraft with flights from Kansas City to Wichita, Omaha, and Manhattan, KS. By the end of 1985 the airline was operating five Saab 340's and 24 Metroliners.

Although Air Midwest was unsuccessful in gaining a codeshare with Republic through the Scheduled Skyways merger, it was able to acquire codeshare agreements in 1985 with Eastern Airlines as Eastern Air Midwest Express at the Kansas City and Wichita hubs and in 1986 with Ozark Air Lines as Ozark Midwest at that carriers' St. Louis hub, as well as with American Airlines as part of the American Eagle (airline brand) at their newly created Nashville hub.

Continuing money problems forced Air Midwest to sell its Nashville hub and Saab 340 aircraft to American in 1987. Trans World Airlines (TWA) acquired Ozark Air Lines in 1986 and forced Air Midwest to surrender some of its St Louis routes because TWA already had a code share partner in St Louis, Resort Air (later Trans States Airlines). At the end of 1989, Air Midwest was operating Trans World Express service on behalf of TWA at its St. Louis hub with nonstop flights to Birmingham, AL; Bloomington, IL; Cape Girardeau, MO; Cedar Rapids, IA; Champaign, IL; Decatur, IL; Evansville, IN; Fayetteville, AR; Fort Leonard Wood, MO; Knoxville, TN; Lexington, KY; Marion, IL; Paducah, KY; Quincy, IL; Rochester, MN; South Bend, IN; Topeka, KS and Waterloo, IA operated with Jetstream 31, Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia, Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner and Saab 340 turboprops. By 1990, the airline had added Trans World Express service between St. Louis and Fort Smith, AR; Manhattan, KS and Salina, KS.

By June 1988, Air Midwest had built up the Kansas City hub with 89 flights per day to 20 cities, all operating as Eastern Express. Eastern then abruptly downsized its Kansas City hub operation thus leaving Air Midwest with no one to connect passenger traffic to. Air Midwest quickly negotiated a codeshare agreement with the second incarnation of Braniff (1983-1990), as Braniff was now building up Kansas City as a hub. The Braniff Express operation took over by October 1, 1988, however, just over one year later, Braniff once again went into bankruptcy and suspended operations on November 6, 1989.

After the collapse of Braniff, Air Midwest went back to operating under their own branding at Kansas City until yet another new codeshare agreement was negotiated, this time with USAir to feed their small Kansas City hub as USAir Express beginning on January 15, 1991. USAir changed its name to US Airways in 1997 and the US Airways Express operation at Kansas City continued until June 30, 2008.

Mesa Airlines began attempts to purchase Air Midwest in 1989. It succeeded in 1991 and replaced the Air Midwest metroliner fleet with newly acquired Beechcraft 1900D aircraft. In 2001 all Mesa Airlines flights operating with Beech 1900D's at the Albuquerque and Phoenix hubs were transferred to the Air Midwest certificate.

A book on the history of Air Midwest entitled "Pioneer of the Third Level" was written by Dr. Imre E. Quastler, an authority on regional airlines. This book thoroughly covers the early years of Air Midwest from 1965 through 1980.

Destinations in 1970
Air Midwest was serving the following destinations as an independent commuter air carrier in 1970:

 * Colby, KS
 * Colorado Springs, CO
 * Denver, CO
 * Dodge City, KS
 * Garden City, KS
 * Great Bend, KS
 * Hays, KS
 * Hutchinson, KS
 * Kansas City, MO - Focus city
 * Liberal, KS
 * Omaha, NE
 * Pueblo, CO
 * Topeka, KS
 * Wichita, KS - Hub & airline headquarters

Destinations from 1979 through early 1985
Air Midwest independently served the following destinations between 1979 and early 1985 (prior to the merger with Skyways) with all flights being operated with Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner (Metro II SA-226 model) commuter propjets at this time:

 * Alamogordo, NM
 * Albuquerque, NM - Focus city
 * Amarillo, TX
 * Carlsbad, NM
 * Clovis, NM
 * Columbia, MO
 * Denver, CO - Focus city
 * Des Moines, IA
 * Dodge City, KS
 * Enid, OK
 * Farmington, NM
 * Garden City, KS
 * Goodland, KS
 * Grand Island, NE
 * Great Bend, KS
 * Hays, KS
 * Hobbs, NM
 * Hutchinson, KS
 * Joplin, MO
 * Kansas City, MO - Kansas City Downtown Airport - Focus airport
 * Kansas City, MO - Kansas City International Airport - Hub
 * Lamar, CO
 * Liberal, KS
 * Lincoln, NE
 * Lubbock, TX
 * Manhattan, KS
 * Midland/Odessa, TX
 * Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN
 * Moline, IL
 * Oklahoma City, OK
 * Omaha, NE
 * Parsons, KS
 * Phoenix, AZ
 * Ponca City, OK
 * Roswell, NM
 * St. Louis, MO
 * Salina, KS
 * Silver City, NM
 * Sioux City, IA
 * Springfield, MO
 * Topeka, KS
 * Tulsa, OK
 * Wichita, KS - Hub & airline headquarters

In 1984 Air Midwest briefly operated new service from the St. Louis Downtown Airport to Chicago, IL (via Midway Airport), and Olathe, KS (via Johnson County Industrial Airport) outside Kansas City, as well as the Kansas City Downtown Airport.

Operations under Mesa Air Group
Mesa Air Group acquired Air Midwest in 1991. From 1991 until 1997, Air Midwest operated twelve Beechcraft 1900C commuter turboprops flying from its Kansas City hub as USAir Express. In 1997, Mesa Air Group underwent a corporate reorganization: Mesa Airline's FloridaGulf, Liberty Express, and Independent divisions were merged into Air Midwest.

Air Midwest operated to many smaller cities for Essential Air Service including an America West Express operation in Phoenix and Las Vegas under an agreement with America West Airlines. Also independent operations were run as Mesa Airlines brand with divisions out of Albuquerque, Chicago, and Dallas/Fort Worth. The America West Express operation was transferred to US Airways Express with the merger of America West and US Airways in 2007. Air Midwest further operated as US Airways Express at the major carriers' hubs in Charlotte, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh and with smaller operations at Omaha, Little Rock, and New Orleans.

On January 8, 2003, Air Midwest had its first fatal accident when Air Midwest Flight 5481 operating as US Airways Express and departing out of Charlotte for Greenville-Spartanburg crashed 37 seconds after takeoff. All 19 passengers and two crewmembers were killed in the accident.

For a period of three weeks in August 2006, Air Midwest operated as Delta Connection, flying three Beechcraft 1900D from John F. Kennedy Airport to Providence, Rhode Island, and Windsor Locks, Connecticut, as a stop-gap measure for Freedom Airlines, another subsidiary of Mesa Air Group, until it was relieved by Chautauqua Airlines.

On February 1, 2007, Air Midwest began operations at Chicago Midway International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, to three Illinois airports: Decatur, Marion, and Quincy. However, just nine months after beginning this service, Mesa Airlines announced that Air Midwest would end all service from Illinois on November 9, 2007.

In May 2007, Air Midwest, operating as America West Express on behalf of America West Airlines, requested that the FAA allow it to withdraw service from the regional airport in Vernal, Utah, (a service that had started only one year prior) as soon as a replacement carrier was approved. On Oct. 4, 2007, the federal Department of Transportation announced that Great Lakes Airlines would replace Air Midwest as the Essential Air Service carrier at the Utah airports in Vernal and Moab. At the same time, the Department of Transportation announced that SkyWest Airlines would replace Air Midwest as the Essential Air Service carrier at Cedar City.

A report published in The Wall Street Journal on January 14, 2008, included a statement from Mesa CEO Jonathan G. Ornstein that the company had decided to shut down Air Midwest, citing significant losses stemming from increased maintenance and fuel costs. All cities served by Air Midwest received notices of intention to end service, except for Prescott and Kingman, Arizona. Mesa later announced plans to completely shut down the Air Midwest subsidiary, with all services to be terminated by June 30, 2008. At the time of its shutdown, there were 20 airplanes in service, down from a high of 118.

The last two flights flown by Air Midwest were Flights 4679 and Flights 4681. Both departed on June 30, 2008, at 10:40pm from Kansas City International (MCI) to Joplin, Missouri (flt. 4679) and Columbia, Missouri (flt. 4681).

Incidents and accidents

 * May 24, 1984, Air Midwest Flight 513 - a Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner model SA-226AC Metro II en route from the Roswell International Air Center in Roswell, New Mexico to the Albuquerque International Sunport was forced to make a belly landing at Albuquerque after the right main landing gear would not lock into position. All 15 passengers and the two pilots deplaned with no injuries.
 * January 8, 2003, Air Midwest Flight 5481 - a Beechcraft 1900D operated by Air Midwest as US Airways Express under a franchise agreement, crashed into an airport hangar and burst into flames 37 seconds after leaving Charlotte/Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, for Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport near Greer, South Carolina. All 19 passengers and two pilots aboard died in the accident.

Fleet
World Airline Fleets 1979 (copyright 1979) shows Air Midwest with:

 * 5 Swearingen Metroliner II
 * 1 Cessna 206

1987-88 World Airline Fleets (copyright 1987) shows Air Midwest with:

 * 4 Embraer EMB-120
 * 5 Saab 340
 * 51 Swearingen Metroliner II

As of February 2008, Air Midwest operated the following turboprop aircraft type: Other aircraft operated by Air Midwest included:

 * Beechcraft 99
 * Beechcraft 1900C
 * British Aerospace BAe Jetstream 31
 * Cessna 402

All of the above are twin turboprop aircraft with the exception of the Cessna 206 which is a single-engined piston aircraft and the Cessna 402 which is a twin engine piston powered aircraft.

MesaMax
MesaMax applied to Mesa Airlines flights that were operated by Air Midwest. It consisted of a card, upon which flights were recorded with a stamp. Once 16 stamps had been recorded, the card could have been redeemed for a single round-trip ticket on Mesa Airlines flights.

title: Air Midwest


text:
User talk:Populus

I blank this from time to time; if you asked me something, the answer is probably on your User talk page. Populus 14:06, 20 Dec 2003 (UTC)

title: User talk:Populus


text:
The Lazarus Effect (novel)

The Lazarus Effect (1983) is the third science fiction novel set in the Destination: Void universe by the American author Frank Herbert and poet Bill Ransom. It takes place some time after the events in The Jesus Incident (1979).

Plot summary
An indeterminate but several hundreds of years after The Jesus Incident the intelligent kelp has been almost totally destroyed, almost all land on Pandora has been submerged, and humanity has divided into two cultures: Islanders and Mermen. Islanders live on floating islands, the smallest of which houses at least 10,000 people, and which like much of Islander technology are living creatures. Islanders are genetically unstable due to the clone and genetic experiments of Jesus Lewis. Some are nearly like modern day humans, but diversity is wide and accepted. Islander children who have mutations that are considered dangerous are executed soon after birth. Mermen, who are genetically stable and are much like modern day humans apart from webbed hands and feet, live in underwater cities with better technology, better food, advanced medicine, and an all around higher quality of life than the Islanders. They perform experiments aimed at bringing back the intelligent kelp and rocketry to gain access to the hibernation tanks on Ship (the intelligent ship which humans created in Destination: Void and which originally brought the humans to Pandora).

Without kelp acting to control currents, nearly teenage nearly-standard-human Islander Brett is lost overboard when the island he is on is struck by a rogue wave. He is rescued by Scudi Wang, a female Merman around his age, and taken to her home underwater. Due to being the heiress to a large Merman company controlling vital interests like food production and transport, Scudi has become the interest of GeLaar Gallow who wants to co-opt her resources into his insurgency. Gallow, and his terrorist commando subordinates calling themselves Green Dashers (due to them painting their dive suits green as camouflage and after the vicious predator the Hooded Dasher), plan to take control of the hibernation tanks when they arrive from orbit with fauna from Earth as well as humans from the past. Part of Gallow's plan involves gaining access to Vata, the human-kelp hybrid (conceived during the previous novel) who has been dreaming since the death of the kelp and who is under Islander control. He destroyed one of the small floating cities as well as kidnapped Ward Keel, a high ranking Islander who is the Chief Justice in charge of executing or not Islander neonates considered too mutated to be safe to live, in order to pressure the release of Vata into his care.

When Scudi and Brett escape they are pursued by Gallow's commandoes. Due to intervention by Brett's employer, Queets Twisp, who has been looking for them, as well as Islander Bushka who has become mentally unstable (due to guilt over being forced at gunpoint to pilot the submarine that destroyed the island and killed thousands), and the kelp, which has again become sentient, and hylighters (giant hydrogen-filled airship-like creatures which are vectors of the kelp that disseminate kelp seeds which have not been seen for centuries) Gallow's conspirators are eliminated, some killed by the kelp invading their hydrofoil boat and dragging the conspirators to drown.

The kelp, identifying itself as Avata, communicates with Scudi, Brett and several assorted characters. The hibernation tanks fall and release many creatures including humpback whales. Avata, in the form of hylighters, brings old style humans release from untold centuries or millennia of hybernation to the protagonists boat and thence to small regions of dry land the Merman have created and which will be more stable now that the kelp has awakened and is able to control sea currents. Vata who mysteriously escaped from Islander care is revealed to sleep in the kelp and Ward Keel, who died due to organ failure, is revealed to have had his consciousness absorbed by the kelp as happens to all people whose bodies are placed in kelp when they die.

Major themes
The book deals with concepts such as artificial intelligence, worship, ecology, and the inherent problems of totalitarianism. It also addresses the issues of clones, genetic engineering and racism.

Reception
Dave Langford reviewed The Lazarus Effect for White Dwarf #50, and stated that "Not top-class Herbert - dunno about Ransom - but far better than its predecessor."

Reviews

 * Review by William Coyle (1983) in Fantasy Newsletter, #62 September 1983
 * Review by Stuart Napier (1983) in Science Fiction Review, November 1983
 * Review by Ken Lake (1984) in Vector 118
 * Review by Tom Easton (1984) in Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact, February 1984
 * Review by Frank Catalano (1984) in Amazing Science Fiction, March 1984
 * Review by Peter Brigg (1984) in Foundation, #30 March 1984
 * Review [French] by Élisabeth Vonarburg? (1984) in Solaris, #56
 * Review [French] by Michel Cossement (1984) in SFère, #18
 * Review [French] by Dominique Warfa (1984) in Fiction, #356
 * Review [French] by Jean-Pierre Lion (2011) in Bifrost, #63

title: The Lazarus Effect (novel)