Piedmont Airlines : a complete history, 1948-1989

Founded by Thomas H. Davis in 1948, Piedmont Airlines was one of the most respected regional airlines of its time. This exhaustive history follows the airline from its humble beginnings at Smith Reynolds Airport in Winston-Salem, NC, to its 1989 absorption into USAir after a buyout at the highest price ever commanded by a regional airline. Drawing upon corporate documents, local news stories, and countless personal interviews with former Piedmont employees, the author tells the airline's history in detail. Included are 91 photographs that show the airline's development, and two appendices provide comprehensive lists of its fleet and service destinations.

• Acknowledgments p. vii
• Preface p. 1
• Introduction: Speedbird p. 5
• 1 Winston-Salem Air, 1918-1944 p. 9
• 2 First Flight, 1944-1948 p. 31
• 3 Puddle Jumping, 1948-1958 p. 50
• 4 Speedy Petey, 1958-1968 p. 81
• 5 Experience Comes with Age, 1968-1977 p. 113
• 6 The Hazards of Flight, 1959-1988 p. 145
• 7 The Great Outfit, 1978-1984 p. 173
• 8 The Last Virgin, 1985-1987 p. 205
• 9 Another Airline, 1987-1989 p. 226
• Afterword: Last Flight Out p. 246
• Epilogue: Flying West p. 252
• Appendix A The Piedmont Fleet, 1948-1989 p. 259
• Appendix B Piedmont Destinations, 1948-1989 p. 265
• Chapter Notes p. 269
• Bibliography p. 287
• Index p. 301