Lake Central Airlines History: Indianapolis' Hometown Airline – Airline Employee Shop

Lake Central Airlines History

Lake Central Airlines began as air racer Roscoe Turner's small Indianapolis airline in 1949 and grew into a Midwest turboprop carrier before merging into Allegheny in 1968. Here's a short history of Lake Central, plus the Lake Central Airlines collection that celebrates it.

Turner Airlines (1949-1950)

Roscoe Turner was one of the most famous air racers of the 1930s, and his photo made the cover of Time after the 1934 MacRobertson Air Race. After retiring from racing he ran an aviation business in Indianapolis and set out to bring air service to smaller cities. His Turner Airlines won federal approval for two feeder routes crossing at Indianapolis, and it first flew on November 12, 1949, between Indianapolis and Grand Rapids, Michigan. Before the airline's first birthday Turner sold his stake, and in 1950 it became Lake Central Airlines.

A Midwest workhorse (1950-1959)

From its base at Weir Cook Airport, now Indianapolis International, Lake Central flew Douglas DC-3s to cities mainly in Indiana and Ohio. In the mid-1950s its employees bought control of the company, an early case of an employee-owned airline. In the 1950s its network stretched from Chicago to Pittsburgh.

Turboprops and trouble (1960-1967)

Convair airliners joined the fleet in 1960, and Lake Central later had their piston engines replaced with Allison turboprops, creating Convair 580s. For thin routes it bought 12 French-built Nord 262 turboprops. The new Nords soon developed in-flight engine troubles. The last DC-3 flights ended in 1967. By 1968 Lake Central served 39 airports, reaching St. Louis, Buffalo and Baltimore.

Merger with Allegheny (1968)

A plan to buy Boeing 737s was dropped. Instead, effective July 1, 1968, Lake Central merged into Allegheny Airlines, which later became USAir.

A few things collectors love

  • Roscoe Turner, the showman air racer who started it all. An early Turner Airlines DC-3 carried his name.
  • The Nord 262: a rare French turboprop in Midwest colors.
  • Passengers teased it with a nickname, "Late Central."

Shop Lake Central Airlines

Browse Lake Central Airlines logo T-shirts, coffee mugs, coasters, tote bags and vintage designs in the Lake Central Airlines collection. Add an airline bag tag or key tag, or see the Allegheny collection and the AA Family Tree collection.

AirlineEmployeeShop.com sells Lake Central Airlines merchandise under license from American Airlines. This page is for historical interest.