Modern Air Transport
Operator Identification
1946 to 1975
United States of America
TYPE: Non-scheduled airline
IATA/ICAO CODES: Nil
HEADQUARTERS: Newark, NJ (1946-1964), Trenton, NJ (1965-1966), Baltimore, MD (1967), Miami, FL (1967-1975)
FORMER NAME: Nil
SUBSEQUENT NAME: Nil
Operator History
Modern Air was founded in 1946 at Hempstead, Long Island and incorporated as Modern Air Transport, Inc. on 3 January 1947. Later that year, Modern Air commenced commercial operations from Miami International with war-surplus Commandos. In 1950, the airline's operational base moved to Newark. Following another move to Trenton, NJ shortly afterwards, the airline was bought by Commando-rated pilot John B. Becker in 1951.
On 8 November 1955, one of MAT’s Commandos, with only crew members aboard, landed 35 km short of its intended destination of Roswell, NM when both engines failed. The following February, a military charter flight carrying 37 soldiers landed at Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, with an engine fire caused by a broken oil line.
In 1956, Modern Air became the first US "non-sked" to be granted rights for up to 10 regularly scheduled round trip flights per month by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB). Modern's first scheduled service departed Pittsburgh International Airport for Miami on 15 July 1956. The route was flown on week-ends at a one-way fare of $38.05 or, alternatively, a $60.75 16-day excursion fare.
A bizarre near accident occurred on 24 May 1957 when a military charter flight, having narrowly missed penetrating a tornado funnel over New Mexico, ran into an adjacent hail-laden thunderstorm and encountered severe turbulence. The Commando made an emergency landing at Tucumcari. The Captain and Flight Attendant were hospitalized but the Copilot and 39 passengers escaped injury.
From 1958, Gulf American Land Corporation, a Florida-based property developer, began contracting business to Modern Air. Gulf American Land, which had been formed to develop a tract of land in Cape Coral, FL near Fort Myers into residential real estate, contracted the airline to fly hundreds of prospective customers for its real estate developments every week into Miami from the Northeast and Midwest. At Miami, Gulf American Land's prospective customers transferred between Modern Air's Commandos and the Douglas DC-3s of Gulf American Land's own airline, Gulf American Airlines, which operated a shuttle service linking Miami to Fort Myers across the Everglades. Together with complimentary bus transfers between Gulf American Land's Golden Gate Estates development in Cape Coral and Fort Myers' Page Field airport, these flights formed part of Gulf American Land's free sales pitch and were free for prospective customers, who were also served a free meal on board the aircraft on each leg of their journey. Modern Air's charter flights on behalf of Gulf American Land into Miami eventually accounted for 25% of the airline's total business.
Five ex-Capital Airlines Lockheed L-049 Constellation piston airliners were bought in 1961 to replace the Commandos. These joined the fleet during summer 1962. Only two of these entered actual airline service; the remaining three were used for spares. The grant of an interim certificate by the CAB in October 1962 to operate domestic military contract flights, intrastate and overseas charters from 1 April 1963 was followed by further fleet expansion, including the temporary lease of a pair of Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellations and the purchase of an L-749A in 1964. The acquisition of five Douglas DC-7Cs in April/May 1965 resulted in retirement of the Constellation fleet due to the former's superior range. The same year also saw the acquisition of five DC-3s from Gulf American Airlines (for whom they continued to fly).
Modern Air grew to become one of the most successful post-war "non-sked", entering the jet era in 1966 with Convair 990s. The company closed down in 1975 after incurring severe financial losses.
Commando Operations
1953 to May 1962
Modern Air started its operation with Commandos, and went on to operate five of them in total.
Last edited: 06/11/2019