Mesa History Photos

The following photos are a compilation of archives from this site, plus those submitted by Dave Johnson and Tim Gray.  

Click some of the photos for enlargements.

In addition, the history and captions under each photo is supplied mostly from the combined experiences of Dave Johnson and Tim Gray.

These are definitely a bit of our history.  Thanks Dave for the photos and the history.

If you have anything to add, please email me.  Don't forget, those of you from Liberty (Crown), AMW, Superior (Skyways), and Florida Gulf, you are part of Mesa's history too.  I'd like to get some of your history in here.  History isn't just airplanes, it's pilots, airports, etc.  Send me what you can.  

Although Mesa started with Piper Cheiftains and Lances flying strictly between FMN and ABQ, the Caravan is the first aircraft I have a picture of.  Above is a Cessna Caravan on the left, next to a Beech 1900B on the right.  I well recognize the inside of the FMN maintenance hangar of this photo.

It seems that Kevin Wilson and Mike Whitman are the only two Caravan drivers who are still at Mesa.  They both flew between ABQ-SAF-Taos.  Later a Caravan was added to serve PHX to Prescott as Mesa Independent, when we flew out of Terminal 1 (which is now a parking lot).  We never had more than the two C-208s.  

After Thor Seuffer had an engine failure near Ruidoso NM with 6 people on board, and had to dead-stick it onto a dirt road in the bottom of a canyon (broken airplane but no injuries), Larry Risley decided to get rid of the Caravans.  They last flew on Mesa routes in the fall of 1990.  I'm not sure when they first flew at Mesa - further information (including specific dates) would be appreciated.

Above, is a photo of a Mesa Beech 99.  Notice the square windows.  This airplane was not pressurized.  If anyone knows for sure where this was taken, write me and I'll add that to the caption.

The Beech C99s we had were outfitted with water-methanol injection so that they could haul better loads out of the high hot runways that we used.  It was the FOs job to fill the water-meth tank every third leg it was used.  They also had a nose-hose O2 system for the pilots for those times when the flights went above 10,000 feet for more than 30 minutes, or above 12,000 feet for any period of time (which was done a lot in Colorado).  The O2 system caused nose bleeds.  The passengers did not have oxygen except for two portable bottles.

Like the Caravan, the Beech 99 did not require a type rating.

If you know when the BE-99 first and last flew Mesa routes, please let me know.  I'd like to post that information.

Above is another photo of three of Mesa's different aircraft sitting on the ramp, this time in FMN.  In the foreground is a Beech 1300.  The second aircraft is a Beech 1900B.  The last aircraft is an EMB 120 Brazilia in the Old United colors.  This photo was apparently taken shortly after we began our first code-share agreement with United.

Above is a photo of a Beech 1300 in the Old United colors over the Rockies.  

The 1300 was actually a B200HDC, which was the exact model number for the Beech Super King Air 200 High Density Configuration.  Even Beechcraft called them 1300s though.  The 1300 photo in UAX colors was taken over the San Juan Mountains near Durango on a photo shoot with a cameraman in a MAPD Baron flying in formation with the doors removed

Like the Caravan and Beech 99, the Beeck 1300 did not require a type rating.

The above photo is of a Mesa Beech 1900 D. 
The Beech 1900 D was introduced to the fleet just before I began flying for Mesa in August 1992.
This Particular aircraft sports the most recent (new) Mesa Paint scheme, although the jets in Mesa colors still use an older paint scheme.  This aircraft appears to be entering the commuter ramp in ABQ.

The town of Telluride helped Mesa buy the first 1900 (a "B" model) from bankrupt Cascade Airlines in 1987 so that we could start service into Telluride from PHX and Denver as Mesa Airlines.  The next three 1900s were picked up when Mesa purchased Centennial Airlines which was based in Worland, Wyoming.   These original 4 -1900s were all 'B' models.  Mesa didn't buy any more 1900s (except for the ones to form Skyways) until we took over the UAL code share in Denver in 1990.  All of the UAX colored 1900s are the newer C models.  Florida Gulf also had a couple of B models --- when Mesa started them (I believe in January 1992).  We couldn't get 1900s fast enough, so Mesa purchased some B models from some other airline.  The only Mesa painted 1900 'C' models were in the all white scheme with a green and yellow stripe down the side, and not the old Buff and Green paint.  

Above is a photo of an EMB 120 Brazilia in later Mesa colors.  This is the second Mesa paint scheme.  Notice that the creme color on the top half has been changed to white, and the stripes are a little wider.  This picture was taken in TEX in January of 1992.

The primary reason for the change of paint scheme was for simplicity and cost effectiveness in changing between Mesa and UAX colors.  The only thing that would need to be changed with the new paint job were the stripe and logo, which Mesa mechanics could do in FMN, rather than farming out a complete paint job.

Desert Sun was started in 1995 with two F-70s and 10 flight crews. The original 20 pilots were chosen from all of the airlines owned and operated by Mesa.  Those pilots had to resign their seniority with the original subsidiary before accepting employment at Desert Sun. Two years later, when the DSA pilots were merged with the other Mesa subsidiary pilots into one seniority list, some DSA pilots lost significant seniority from their previous subsidiary seniority position. These two airplanes originally served Fresno, Des Moines (Iowa), and Spokane out of Phoenix as America West Express.  Later, for a short time they flew a night run from Des Moines to Las Vegas. The airplanes were maintained out of the Fresno, California Mx base which is now a CRJ maintenance base. 

The airplane held 78 passengers and had a crew of four (2 pilots and 2 flight attendants). Shortly after all the subsidiaries were merged into the Mesa pilots seniority list in December 1996, the Fokkers were sold and replaced by CRJs. Only a few of the Desert Sun pilots still remain at Mesa. The Desert Sun flight crews were trained at the American Airlines training facility in Dallas (the Fokker 70 and American's Fokker 100s are the same type rating). 

Pictured above is a DHC-8 300 in GJT in later model UAX colors.

The first code share with UAL was when we took over Aspen Airways routes out of Denver in 1990.  Five years later we renewed the agreement, and with it came the Dash 8s, which eventually replaced the Brasilias.  The Brasilias then went to Florida Gulf.  Mesa purchased 8 Dashes from Atlantic Coast Airlines in 1995 as a required part of the second code share arrangement with United.    With that new contract, we also inherited some routes in California and the Pacific Northwest in B1900s.  The Dashes we picked up came from the break up of Air Wisconsin (thus the AW tail numbers).  United bought Air Wisconsin and sold the Dulles part to ACA .   We purchased two - 100s and six - 300s (50 passenger) from ACA.  Mesa re-sold the 100s back to someone else (either CC Air or Allegheny).  The 100 never flew in our system except for some training of the initial cadre of pilots.  The 300s had to have drop-down O2 masks installed for the pax to be legal to fly in Colorado where the MEAs are over 14,000 feet, but they were underpowered badly and were frequently weight limited to around 35 to 40 people.  I even heard of some instances out of DRO, where they could only haul around 20 passengers on a hot day.  The original Dashes had APUs, but for some unexplained reason, the 200s which replaced them, were ordered without APUs!!  

The DHC-8 300 first flew on a Mesa Route in January 1995.  It last flew on a Mesa route around June 1997.

Above is a photo of a DHC-8 200 in Jackson Hole, WY.

The Dash pictured in Jackson is one of the first 200s which were replacements for the 300s (12 total 200s were bought replacing the six 300s).  The 300s were turned in to Bombardier, and the 200s were later painted HPX colors and moved to Phoenix after we lost the UA code share in (I think) December 1997. 

Above is the Canadair Regional Jet (CL-65 CRJ) in HP colors on the ramp in CMH.  

The first CL-65 flew in revenue service in May 1997 in Mesa colors from Ft. Worth Meachum Airport to the  Houston Hobby Airport.  After the first month, one of the then two CRJs was taken to PHX to start service there.  Dave Johnson flew the first CRJ revenue flight out of Phoenix with Carman Ragonese on July 7, 1997 to Des Moines, Iowa.  They flew 7156 which was painted in Mesa paint scheme.  We replaced the Fokker 70 that Desert Sun used to fly on that route.  7178 was the first CRJ in HPX colors and it flew out of Fresno to PHX that same morning (7/7/97), replacing the second Fokker 70.  Both F-70s were retired that day and sold to some company in Europe.

The CL-65 first flew on a Mesa route on 7/7/97, and is currently flying.

Above is a photo of our latest addition to the Mesa fleet type, the EMB-145 (ERJ) taxiing in to the commuter ramp in DCA, in USAirways colors.