One of the more unusual BAe-146 users was AirPac, a charter #airline based in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Established in 1978, #AirPac started with a Swearingen Metro II and a Cessna 414 on services between Dutch Harbor and Anchorage. The addition of a Fokker F27 allowed for increased cargo operations during the seafood season and extension of charter operations to other airports. Jet operations into Dutch Harbor were the next step. At the time, Dutch Harbor had a 3950' gravel runway and after much study, the #BAe146 was the best candidate and a single example was acquired. It was the first jet service at Dutch Harbor and the flying time to ANC was cut from 3:00 to 1:15. In 1984, the Alaska Transport Commission took AirPac to court for operating a supplemental base in Anchorage, a violation of its state taxi charter. Reeve Aleutian Airways filed an amicus brief, hoping to knock AirPac out as a competitor. The case went before the Alaska Supreme Court. The ATC's case was based on the 146 spending 80% of the time at ANC, all the 146 pilots lived in Anchorage, AirPac used an Anchorage telephone number and had a full time employee at ANC to handle passengers. Since AirPac was an air taxi outfit, it did not have a ticketing counter at the airport, so one of their jobs was to meet passengers and direct them to their AirPac flight. AirPac responded they had to book flights back to Dutch Harbor to be economically viable and at the time, phone service to Dutch Harbor was unreliable, so an Anchorage phone number was needed. AirPac also argued that not being allowed to market flights back to Dutch Harbor infringed in free speech. The Alaskan Supreme Court sided with AirPac. The photo is of AirPac's #BAe-146. The lettering on the main landing gear door is "The Alaska Connection". The second image is the full page on AirPac's BAe-146 from “Fighting to be Heard: How the British Aerospace Bae-146 Started the Regional Jet Revolution” by Brian Wiklem, the inaugural title from our new aviation publishing house, #LaJeteePress (www.lajeteepress.com). #avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #BritishAerospace #aviationlovers #flight #AvGeekSchoolofKnowledge https://www.instagram.com/p/CehMW9buxLL/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
