Unusual Attitudes: Once I Built an Airline (Part II)

Martha Lunken

Monday, August 20, 2012 at 09:25 PM ET

Verified

** Midwest Airlines served its passengers,
human and otherwise, well.**

Key Takeaways:

Midwest Airways operated adventurous summer weekend flights in the 1960s, characterized by informal routines and social activities among the crew.
One memorable flight saw a pilot frantically dismantle a lavatory door mid-storm to accommodate a passenger, as a raccoon in a cage blocked the aisle.
The airline featured colorful characters like Capt. Carl Hilker, known for his unconventional flying style, including having passengers push the plane and discarding navigation charts.
The author reflects nostalgically on the diverse group of pilots and first officers who worked for Midwest Airways, detailing their careers and personal connections.

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Read Once I Built an Airline (Part I) here.

Every summer weekend through most of the ’60s, Midwest Airways flew its original northern Michigan route from Cincinnati to Traverse City and Harbor Springs as well as the weekday Cleveland and Detroit schedule. So on Friday evenings from June through August at least one Lockheed 10 came to roost on the grass runway at Harbor Springs — unless the weather was so rotten we needed the ILS at Pellston, Michigan.