Retro Sioux Falls Airport

[JJ Skippy]

Here we go for another history post, cranking it way back to the original days of aviation in the region. We’ll be diving into Mid-Continent Airlines, leading up and into the acquisition by Braniff International and their brief stay before leaving the city.


Sometime around 1940-1941, Mid-Continent Airlines began service to Sioux Falls as part of several routes. They were one of, if not the first commercial passenger airline to inaugurate service to Sioux Falls. The Dakotan route (Flight 3) connected Minneapolis to Sioux Falls, followed by stops in Huron and Aberdeen, South Dakota, and Bismarck and Minot, North Dakota. The Twin Citian route (Flight 4) is basically The Dakotan heading back to Minneapolis. By 1943, The Corn Husker route (Flight 5) was added to FSD, connecting Rochester, Minnesota to Sioux Falls before heading south to Sioux City, Omaha, and Kansas City. Aircraft for the time included Lockheed L-10 Electras and Lodestars. By 1945, Mid-Continent added Douglas DC-3s to their fleet, becoming a common sight in not just Sioux Falls, but for a major portion of commercial airports in the United States into the postwar era. Sioux Falls became a stop on a very large north-south route, stretching as far as Minot to as far south as New Orleans, truly making the world a smaller place. All flights went to DC-3s by the late 40s. In 1950, Mid-Continent added the Convair 240 to their fleet, with Sioux Falls also getting in on the Convair mix.
Braniff International Airways acquired Mid-Continent in 1952, taking over their fleet and services. Initially, all flights were exclusively on DC-3s, but Convairs returned by 1956. DC-3s were retired by 1960, leaving just the Convairs to fly to Sioux Falls for the moment. In 1963, Braniff began sending DC-6s to FSD from MSP southbound, as the bigger and faster jets took over the more glamorous routes. Sioux Falls wasn’t completely neglected by Braniff though in reference to the lack of jet service, as by 1966, in the new era of the End of the Plain Plane campaign, the BAC One-Eleven flew for a short time. It’s quite fascinating that we did have some Jellybean jets come in before they exited Sioux Falls. Braniff left Sioux Falls in 1967, as they began to concentrate towards the Southern United States. I wish Braniff would’ve stuck around longer, so that we could’ve seen more Jellybean jets and heck, even the Flying Colors too. There’s so much Braniff stuff I want, but all I need really for Retro FSD is a DC-3, Convair 240, DC-6, and a Jellybean BAC One-Eleven.

 

[redriveraviation]

Nice assessment! Really neat to learn about the north and south bound routes!

 

[Purpleplane]

That is really cool. Thank you for sharing.

 

[JJ Skippy]

Figured I’d share this photo. I was looking at a documentary made by South Dakota Public Broadcasting (SDPB) focusing on Sioux Falls in the 1950s, and a brief photo at the Sioux Falls Municipal Airport popped up in the first few minutes of the video. Featured here is a Braniff Convair 240 and Western DC-6 parked at the old municipal terminal on the south side of the airport. I’m hoping to find more photos as needed for the project.

I plan on making a visit to some libraries in town to see if I can get more information on the airport. Hopefully I’m successful.

 

[Purpleplane]

The library should be a great resource. Hopefully you'll find exactly what you're looking for.

 

[redriveraviation]

Excellent! I would also recommend emailing FSD to see if they can hand you over some more information.

 

[Purpleplane]

Excellent! I would also recommend emailing FSD to see if they can hand you over some more information.

I tried emailing the IND airport (at the email address they had posted) when I was doing research for my IND retro project. Got no response.
Hopefully FSD will do better on this.

 

[redriveraviation]

Could you maybe call the airport? That is very unfortunate they did reply to your email. I will try to send a list of the resources I have found so far later today.

 

[Purpleplane]

I might try that, hopefully someone there can help.

 

[JJ Skippy]

The library should be a great resource. Hopefully you'll find exactly what you're looking for.

Got a trip planned for this weekend when I return home (I’m in college right now), and also going to a museum. Looking forward to the trip.

 

[OscarBravo992]

Got a trip planned for this weekend when I return home (I’m in college right now), and also going to a museum. Looking forward to the trip.

That sounds exciting, have a great time!

 

[redriveraviation]

Enjoy it, excited to see what you report back to us!

 

[JJ Skippy]

One more history post before my library trip this weekend. As always I’ll be sure to report my findings at the library or at the airport if I find anything.

This post will cover the history of United Airlines, of which were the first commercial airline to serve Sioux Falls. The operations began around June of 1932 with connections to Watertown, South Dakota and Sioux City, Iowa, using small Boeing four and two-passenger planes. I’ve been looking up some info and it seems to me that it would’ve been a biplane of some type. Pretty fascinating. Now, the current Sioux Falls Airport had not yet been constructed; these flights took place at the Soo Skyways Airport, which opened in the late 1920s. The airport had three grass runways, situated in an area now occupied by the city. Both United and Hanford Tri-State (later Mid-Continental) we’re the first commercial passenger airlines to serve Sioux Falls, with the latter arriving sometime in 1933-1934. Joe Foss would learn to fly here in 1936, becoming a World War II ace pilot, and eventually having the new city airport be named after him in Joe Foss Field. Fares out of Soo Skyways Airport were a whopping $4.32 during this time; in today’s money, that’s about $87 adjusted for inflation. By 1939, demand was becoming overwhelming for the airport, and thus a new airfield was constructed northwest of Downtown, now known as the Sioux Falls Regional Airport. Soo Skyways Airport closed in 1946 and no remains can be found, apart from a historical marker in the Southwest part of Sioux Falls. Link to historical marker can be found here.
Back to United Airlines, they did not stick around for very long the first time, as they left in 1934. The airline did not fly to Sioux Falls for almost 50 years, starting service in 1983 with flights to Moline, Illinois (also known as the Quad Cities) and Denver. These flights were on Boeing 727-200s and 737-200s. By 1984, nonstop Chicago service was added. Service further expanded to Fargo and Des Moines the next year. Jumping ahead to 1990, services now included the 737-300. A flight south to Nebraska has since been added (the route map I found for this year was quite low-res). By 1992, a Rapid City flight was added, adding another air link between the two largest cities in South Dakota. Delta carried the flight for some time following the merger with Western Airlines. Eventually, United Express hopped onboard with small propeller aircraft service to small communities like Huron, South Dakota, and Spencer, Iowa.
Turning the clock to the new millennium shows these services operating out of Sioux Falls: Denver, Huron, SD, Spencer, IA, and Chicago. DEN and ORD would become a mainstay for Sioux Falls. Aircraft like the EMB-120, BAe 146, and Dornier 328 were common sights in Sioux Falls for United Express. United mainline dropped out around 2005 but United Express remained on the services to the two hubs. Mainline returned two years later, operating the 737-300 and an occasional 737-500. Today, United operates the A320 family and the 737-800 and -900, with United Express operating the CRJ-200, Embraer 175, and CRJ-550. No plans for United to expand out of FSD as they’re pretty happy with where they’re at in our market.

Below is a picture of the June 1, 1932 route map for United Air Lines, the first air service to Sioux Falls.

 

[JJ Skippy]

Here we go for another history post, cranking it way back to the original days of aviation in the region. We’ll be diving into Mid-Continent Airlines, leading up and into the acquisition by Braniff International and their brief stay before leaving the city.


Sometime around 1940-1941, Mid-Continent Airlines began service to Sioux Falls as part of several routes. They were one of, if not the first commercial passenger airline to inaugurate service to Sioux Falls. The Dakotan route (Flight 3) connected Minneapolis to Sioux Falls, followed by stops in Huron and Aberdeen, South Dakota, and Bismarck and Minot, North Dakota. The Twin Citian route (Flight 4) is basically The Dakotan heading back to Minneapolis. By 1943, The Corn Husker route (Flight 5) was added to FSD, connecting Rochester, Minnesota to Sioux Falls before heading south to Sioux City, Omaha, and Kansas City. Aircraft for the time included Lockheed L-10 Electras and Lodestars. By 1945, Mid-Continent added Douglas DC-3s to their fleet, becoming a common sight in not just Sioux Falls, but for a major portion of commercial airports in the United States into the postwar era. Sioux Falls became a stop on a very large north-south route, stretching as far as Minot to as far south as New Orleans, truly making the world a smaller place. All flights went to DC-3s by the late 40s. In 1950, Mid-Continent added the Convair 240 to their fleet, with Sioux Falls also getting in on the Convair mix.
Braniff International Airways acquired Mid-Continent in 1952, taking over their fleet and services. Initially, all flights were exclusively on DC-3s, but Convairs returned by 1956. DC-3s were retired by 1960, leaving just the Convairs to fly to Sioux Falls for the moment. In 1963, Braniff began sending DC-6s to FSD from MSP southbound, as the bigger and faster jets took over the more glamorous routes. Sioux Falls wasn’t completely neglected by Braniff though in reference to the lack of jet service, as by 1966, in the new era of the End of the Plain Plane campaign, the BAC One-Eleven flew for a short time. It’s quite fascinating that we did have some Jellybean jets come in before they exited Sioux Falls. Braniff left Sioux Falls in 1967, as they began to concentrate towards the Southern United States. I wish Braniff would’ve stuck around longer, so that we could’ve seen more Jellybean jets and heck, even the Flying Colors too. There’s so much Braniff stuff I want, but all I need really for Retro FSD is a DC-3, Convair 240, DC-6, and a Jellybean BAC One-Eleven.

Replying to this: I was able to find this on eBay, which looks to be an envelope regarding the first jet service to Sioux Falls, operated by Braniff International on a BAC One-Eleven, which would’ve been wearing the El Dorado livery at the time. The date of this was September 7, 1965. Pretty awesome find here and this will be crucial information for the project.

 

[Purpleplane]

One more history post before my library trip this weekend. As always I’ll be sure to report my findings at the library or at the airport if I find anything.

This post will cover the history of United Airlines, of which were the first commercial airline to serve Sioux Falls. The operations began around June of 1932 with connections to Watertown, South Dakota and Sioux City, Iowa, using small Boeing four and two-passenger planes. I’ve been looking up some info and it seems to me that it would’ve been a biplane of some type. Pretty fascinating. Now, the current Sioux Falls Airport had not yet been constructed; these flights took place at the Soo Skyways Airport, which opened in the late 1920s. The airport had three grass runways, situated in an area now occupied by the city. Both United and Hanford Tri-State (later Mid-Continental) we’re the first commercial passenger airlines to serve Sioux Falls, with the latter arriving sometime in 1933-1934. Joe Foss would learn to fly here in 1936, becoming a World War II ace pilot, and eventually having the new city airport be named after him in Joe Foss Field. Fares out of Soo Skyways Airport were a whopping $4.32 during this time; in today’s money, that’s about $87 adjusted for inflation. By 1939, demand was becoming overwhelming for the airport, and thus a new airfield was constructed northwest of Downtown, now known as the Sioux Falls Regional Airport. Soo Skyways Airport closed in 1946 and no remains can be found, apart from a historical marker in the Southwest part of Sioux Falls. Link to historical marker can be found here.
Back to United Airlines, they did not stick around for very long the first time, as they left in 1934. The airline did not fly to Sioux Falls for almost 50 years, starting service in 1983 with flights to Moline, Illinois (also known as the Quad Cities) and Denver. These flights were on Boeing 727-200s and 737-200s. By 1984, nonstop Chicago service was added. Service further expanded to Fargo and Des Moines the next year. Jumping ahead to 1990, services now included the 737-300. A flight south to Nebraska has since been added (the route map I found for this year was quite low-res). By 1992, a Rapid City flight was added, adding another air link between the two largest cities in South Dakota. Delta carried the flight for some time following the merger with Western Airlines. Eventually, United Express hopped onboard with small propeller aircraft service to small communities like Huron, South Dakota, and Spencer, Iowa.
Turning the clock to the new millennium shows these services operating out of Sioux Falls: Denver, Huron, SD, Spencer, IA, and Chicago. DEN and ORD would become a mainstay for Sioux Falls. Aircraft like the EMB-120, BAe 146, and Dornier 328 were common sights in Sioux Falls for United Express. United mainline dropped out around 2005 but United Express remained on the services to the two hubs. Mainline returned two years later, operating the 737-300 and an occasional 737-500. Today, United operates the A320 family and the 737-800 and -900, with United Express operating the CRJ-200, Embraer 175, and CRJ-550. No plans for United to expand out of FSD as they’re pretty happy with where they’re at in our market.

Below is a picture of the June 1, 1932 route map for United Air Lines, the first air service to Sioux Falls.

Very interesting. Great research

 

[OscarBravo992]

One more history post before my library trip this weekend. As always I’ll be sure to report my findings at the library or at the airport if I find anything.

This post will cover the history of United Airlines, of which were the first commercial airline to serve Sioux Falls. The operations began around June of 1932 with connections to Watertown, South Dakota and Sioux City, Iowa, using small Boeing four and two-passenger planes. I’ve been looking up some info and it seems to me that it would’ve been a biplane of some type. Pretty fascinating. Now, the current Sioux Falls Airport had not yet been constructed; these flights took place at the Soo Skyways Airport, which opened in the late 1920s. The airport had three grass runways, situated in an area now occupied by the city. Both United and Hanford Tri-State (later Mid-Continental) we’re the first commercial passenger airlines to serve Sioux Falls, with the latter arriving sometime in 1933-1934. Joe Foss would learn to fly here in 1936, becoming a World War II ace pilot, and eventually having the new city airport be named after him in Joe Foss Field. Fares out of Soo Skyways Airport were a whopping $4.32 during this time; in today’s money, that’s about $87 adjusted for inflation. By 1939, demand was becoming overwhelming for the airport, and thus a new airfield was constructed northwest of Downtown, now known as the Sioux Falls Regional Airport. Soo Skyways Airport closed in 1946 and no remains can be found, apart from a historical marker in the Southwest part of Sioux Falls. Link to historical marker can be found here.
Back to United Airlines, they did not stick around for very long the first time, as they left in 1934. The airline did not fly to Sioux Falls for almost 50 years, starting service in 1983 with flights to Moline, Illinois (also known as the Quad Cities) and Denver. These flights were on Boeing 727-200s and 737-200s. By 1984, nonstop Chicago service was added. Service further expanded to Fargo and Des Moines the next year. Jumping ahead to 1990, services now included the 737-300. A flight south to Nebraska has since been added (the route map I found for this year was quite low-res). By 1992, a Rapid City flight was added, adding another air link between the two largest cities in South Dakota. Delta carried the flight for some time following the merger with Western Airlines. Eventually, United Express hopped onboard with small propeller aircraft service to small communities like Huron, South Dakota, and Spencer, Iowa.
Turning the clock to the new millennium shows these services operating out of Sioux Falls: Denver, Huron, SD, Spencer, IA, and Chicago. DEN and ORD would become a mainstay for Sioux Falls. Aircraft like the EMB-120, BAe 146, and Dornier 328 were common sights in Sioux Falls for United Express. United mainline dropped out around 2005 but United Express remained on the services to the two hubs. Mainline returned two years later, operating the 737-300 and an occasional 737-500. Today, United operates the A320 family and the 737-800 and -900, with United Express operating the CRJ-200, Embraer 175, and CRJ-550. No plans for United to expand out of FSD as they’re pretty happy with where they’re at in our market.

Below is a picture of the June 1, 1932 route map for United Air Lines, the first air service to Sioux Falls.

Interesting as always, looking forward to the results of the trip!

 

[redriveraviation]

Very nice! Excited for the library trip.

 

[JJ Skippy]

My trip to the library and to a local museum has been completed. Get ready because I’m going to present a lot of information. I will separate it into several posts to make sure it doesn’t clog everything up too much. You’ll need to click on the images to see everything a little clearer. Let’s get into it.

These first photos show the Soo Skyways Airport during its time in the 1930s. Various airplanes and people are featured, along with a blueprint of the Muinicipal Airport Administrative Building that would go at the new airport in 1939. These photos were taken at the musuem.

 

[JJ Skippy]

Second post on this saga will show some photos from the early days of Joe Foss Field. Featured photos are as follows:

- First photo shows a postcard image of the municipal airport terminal building in the 1950s, along with an early image of the main facility in the 40s.
- Second photo shows a blueprint for the Costello Terminal in the 50s. It wouldn’t be constructed until the late-1960s, and completed by 1970.
- Third photo is the dedication ceremony of Joe Foss Field in 1955. Included is an aerial shot of the south side of the airport.
- Fourth photo is a picture of a model for the upcoming Costello Terminal in 1968. Much of the design remained unchanged in the final product.
- Fifth photo shows two airliners at the old terminal facility in the mid-1950s, a Braniff Convair 240 and Western DC-6. This is a higher-resolution version of the photo I found in the SDPB documentary a few days ago.
- Sixth photo shows a Western DC-6 at the airport terminal.
- Seventh photo shows the front entrance of the terminal building. Included are a sign for Western Airlines and also a smaller sign for a restaurant inside.
- Eighth photo is a view from the air traffic control tower with what appears to be a Western DC-4 taxiing by.

 

[JJ Skippy]

Second post on this saga will show some photos from the early days of Joe Foss Field. Featured photos are as follows:

- First photo shows a postcard image of the municipal airport terminal building in the 1950s, along with an early image of the main facility in the 40s.
- Second photo shows a blueprint for the Costello Terminal in the 50s. It wouldn’t be constructed until the late-1960s, and completed by 1970.
- Third photo is the dedication ceremony of Joe Foss Field in 1955. Included is an aerial shot of the south side of the airport.
- Fourth photo is a picture of a model for the upcoming Costello Terminal in 1968. Much of the design remained unchanged in the final product.
- Fifth photo shows two airliners at the old terminal facility in the mid-1950s, a Braniff Convair 240 and Western DC-6. This is a higher-resolution version of the photo I found in the SDPB documentary a few days ago.
- Sixth photo shows a Western DC-6 at the airport terminal.
- Seventh photo shows the front entrance of the terminal building. Included are a sign for Western Airlines and also a smaller sign for a restaurant inside.
- Eighth photo is a view from the air traffic control tower with what appears to be a Western DC-4 taxiing by.

Additional photos to add:
- Wide-angle view of the model of the Costello Terminal, built in the 60s. This I believe was once found at the airport, but likely following one of the several renovation projects, it was moved to the museum in downtown Sioux Falls.
- View of the main part of the Costello Terminal. Model planes are unique in that you have what appears to be an IL-62 near one of the gates. Obviously the main focus was the building but I kinda wish they used more realistic planes in this model replica. However, it is still an excellent model replica.
- Some memorabilia from the dedication ceremony at Joe Foss Field.
- Close-up view of the ATC tower at Joe Foss Field. This is still in-use today.
- Close-up view of the first terminal building. It was torn down sometime in the 50s-60s.