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Northwest Airlines: A century since taking to the skies
The legacy of Northwest Airlines is being kept alive for generations to come. FOX 9's Maury Glover has the story.
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (FOX 9) - A century after Northwest Airlines took to the skies, a group of dedicated Minnesotans is working to keep its story alive for generations to come.
Preserving a Minnesota aviation legacy
What we know:
Northwest Airlines was a major force in Minnesota’s aviation history, connecting the state to the world for more than 80 years. The airline first took flight in 1926, carrying mail between the Twin Cities and Chicago, and began flying passengers the next year. It merged with Delta in the mid-2000's and flew its last flight in 2010.
The Northwest Airlines History Center, started in 2002 by former and current employees, is now run by volunteers and supported by donations from staff, their families and aviation fans.
"Northwest is as iconic as Pan Am or TWA," said Scott Norris, vice-chair, webmaster and editor of the Northwest Airlines History Center.
The museum, tucked away on the third floor of the Crowne Plaza AirRE Hotel near Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, houses thousands of items—from model aircraft to uniforms and even airplane seats.
"It’s kind of soup to nuts, everything that kept the airline going," said Norris.
Among the most interesting exhibits are a miniature plane used in the 1950s to show customers what air travel was like, a gong featured in decades of advertising and a model of a hypersonic jet that executives once dreamed of building.
"Of course, that never happened. Technologically, that was not going to happen. We still don’t have that ability today. So it’s what might have been," said Norris.
The center’s collection tells stories of innovation, adventure and even unsolved mysteries. In its golden era, Northwest was a leading U.S. carrier in the Pacific and added "Orient" to its name, along with its iconic red tail.
But it also faced turbulent times, including the infamous hijacking by D.B. Cooper, who parachuted from a Northwest flight with more than $200,000 in ransom money.
"D.B. Cooper is the gift that keeps on giving for us, because people are just fascinated by the story. It’s still unsolved, and it’s the longest unsolved case," said Norris.
"The ability to go anywhere out of Minneapolis"
The backstory:
Northwest played a crucial role during World War II, helping the military develop a flight route to Alaska and across the Bering Strait to Russia and Europe, keeping supply lines open without flying over the Atlantic.
"You can make a very good claim that Northwest helped win World War II," said Norris.
After the war, the airline expanded service to China, Japan, Korea and the Philippines, helping shape Minnesota’s commerce and culture. "Without that air transportation, without the innovation happening here. All of that would have gone down to Chicago. The Twin Cities would have been a Cedar Rapids or maybe an Omaha, but if you like the kind of food that you eat, if you’ve liked your neighbors, if you like having all of the trappings of a world-class city that’s because we had air transport out here," said Norris.
Northwest eventually merged with Delta, but its legacy lives on in Minneapolis and Detroit, which remain major hubs for Delta’s operations.
Raising funds for the future
What they're saying:
The museum is now working to raise $2 million for a larger space to house its collection of more than 200,000 items and inspire future generations to pursue careers in aviation.
Norris shared a personal connection, saying, "My daughter is from China, we adopted her from China and we flew Northwest. That was the way to get home. It’s about finding the broader family and it’s also about finding my own family."
The Source: This story uses information gathered by FOX 9 reporter Maury Glover.