Aloha Airlines  Fairchild F-27  N5093A                       (c/n  46)

                                       

                                              There's that control tower again!   When arch rival Hawaiian Airlines updated their Convair 340s
                                              to prop-jets, Aloha responded by ordering 4 Fairchild F-27s, the first of which is seen above.
                                              These aircraft went into service in the summer of 1949 (just after the official change of the airline
                                              name from Trans Pacific Airlines to Aloha Airlines).   The F-27s were very popular and the airline
                                              almost immediately picked up market share on the inter-island traffic.  Since that time both airlines
                                              have operated almost identical route structures (at least within the islands) and several attempts have
                                              been made over the last forty years to amalgamate the two lines.  In the event, one side or the other
                                              has always backed out as the deal was about to be consummated.