THE SHOALS – Back then… In the halcyon days of stage coaches and then, somewhat later rail travel, when pilgrims arrived for a visit or a return-home trip, the “station wagon’ would be sent out to make the retrieval. It was a civilized time… Then things got complicated.
The stage coaches were supplanted by the steam railroad trains, and later the big locomotives that ferried travelers cross continent. It was a big deal at the time, those locomotives. Today, that notion of travel seems quaint.
After World War II, Eastern Air Lines served the Muscle Shoals Airport with the big 4-engine Douglas DC-4’s. This writer’s Grandparents would employ this elegant mode of travel a couple of times each year to visit family in Pensacola. The airline passengers, dressed in their nicest suits… It was a civilized time.
But the passage of years has not been kind to air-travel in The Shoals, particularly the 1970’s, when big regional “hubs” were created by the airlines to ferry people in the most cost-efficient manner. It wasn’t comfortable, nor convenient for passengers, but it made the best economic sense for the airlines, who were striving for the most bang for the buck. And our little airport suffered with a host of regional air carriers who couldn’t seem to figure out the formula of getting our folks from “here-to-there”.
It is said that if one waits long enough, history will repeat itself.
On Monday, Sea Port Airlines began its service from Muscle Shoals Regional Airport to Nashville International Airport. The carrier makes 4 trips a day. Think of it like the station wagon.
They have some pretty nifty planes too. Beautiful, reliable (and fun to fly) Cessna Caravans that will get travelers to Nashville in about an hour. It is a fun flight in one of the world’s most reliable aircraft. Looking out the cabin window, one can see Florence and then Lawrenceburg from the left side. And off the right wing Pulaski and Lewisburg… It’s a lot of fun to be able to see the communities down on the Earth below from the high-wing Caravan. Before the travelers know it, Nashville International Airport runways are in sight as the Pilot and Co-Pilot bring the plane in for a landing. A few minutes later, passengers are inside the beautiful BNA Terminal to make their connecting flight which will take them to their destination.
Just like the ‘good-old-days’ it is a civilized way to travel.
The Quad-Cities Daily attended the official Ribbon Cutting ceremony on Monday, presented by The Shoals Chamber of Commerce. After the requisite formalities were performed, Chamber President Steve Holt, Florence/Lauderdale Tourism Executive Director Debbie Wilson, Colbert County Commissioner Rex Burleson and his wife, Regina boarded the Caravan for a flight up to Nashville and back. Indeed, the Quad-Cities Daily was represented on the flight by Steve and Sheri Wiggins. (A good time was had by all…)
