PSA Week

[YesterAirlines]

I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of my mother grinningbird from NG so this week I thought I'd make into something of a PSA week at the site. I have boxed up my old Gemini PSA L-1011, which has served the collection well for many years and the space in the PSA fleet awaits the new Tristar:


Here's a recent shot of the original 1999 Gemini - a solid Tristar for her time and not bettered by the subsequent Jet-X or Aeroclassics versions:

 

[YesterAirlines]

In anticipation of the arrival of the new Tristar PSA week begins with a look at the first decade of the groundbreaking airline's history when it was commonly referred to as the Poor Sailor's Airline.

https://www.yesterdaysairlines.com/airline-history-blog/poor-sailors-airline-psa-1949-1958

 

[boeing737sjcboy]

Cannot wait to receive mine too. As a California native, I am proud of the history and contribution of PSA to our industry

 

[YesterAirlines]

PSA Week Continues with part 2 of my mini-history of PSA, which takes them into the jet age where they did what an airline like them shouldn't have been able to do - buy all new jet equipment. Not only did they do that but they took the fight to the majors and were super profitable:

Jet California: PSA 1957-1967

By 1957 PSA had succeeded where hundreds of others had failed. By staying within California they had avoided the CAB's attention and this had allowed them to compete successfully against the big trunk airlines on their own terms. They could set their own

www.yesterdaysairlines.com

 

[YesterAirlines]

PSA week has turned into PSA fortnight and next up we have the third part in the PSA story. The three year period from 1967-70 would see a lot of diversification and initial thoughts about widebodies. Both would be big mistakes, but it also brought the introduction of the smile the airline is most famous for:

Grinningbirds: PSA 1967-1970

Within a decade PSA had gone from being a small piston airline operation to the major player in the Californian intrastate market flying a fleet of brand new trijets, with the transformational, but...

www.yesterdaysairlines.com

 

[Jazajia]

The model in question certainly deserves all the fanfare. PSA does not fit in my criteria, but I might add the NG TriStar to the collection; it is a very nice and interesting model, but I miss out on it I wont miss it either. Will need to go to my old retailers for it as I do not stock them.

 

[YesterAirlines]

I complete my avhistory series on PSA with a closer look at their purchase of the L-1011 Tristar, probably one of the biggest mis-steps in US aviation history. Part 4 discusses the Tristar debacle and the aircraft's subsequent careers:

Smiling Widebodies: PSA's Tristar Gamble

PSA was wildly successful in the 1960s and decided to bravely enter the 70s with widebodies on intra-Californian routes

www.yesterdaysairlines.com