Mississippi Valley Airlines Explained

Airline:	Mississippi Valley Airlines
Iata:	XV
Icao:	MVA
Callsign:	VALAIR^[1]
Commenced:	July 22, 1968
Ceased:	1985
Bases:	La Crosse Municipal Airport
Fleet Size:	See Fleet below
Destinations:	See Destinations below
Headquarters:	La Crosse, Wisconsin, United States Moline, Illinois, United States

Mississippi Valley Airlines (IATA--XV) was a regional air carrier serving the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It was founded by Herb Lee, Norm Elsy and Charles A. ("Chuck") Draine^[2] as Gateway Aviation, and had its headquarters in La Crosse, Wisconsin.^[3] Chuck Draine served as chairman and chief executive officer.^[4] It began scheduled flight operations on July 22, 1968 between La Crosse Municipal Airport and both Chicago (O'Hare International Airport) and Milwaukee (General Mitchell International Airport).^[5] The carrier changed its name to Mississippi Valley Airways in October 1969. It became Mississippi Valley Airlines (MVA) and moved its headquarters to Quad City Airport in Moline, Illinois in January 1982.^{[6] [7]} The airline merged into Air Wisconsin on May 17, 1985 in a $10 million share exchange transaction. At the time of the merger, Mississippi Valley Airlines was the United States' eighth-largest regional airline in terms of ridership.^[8]

Destinations

Mississippi Airlines had the following destinations:^[9]

• Alexandria, Minnesota
• Benton Harbor, Michigan
• Burlington, Iowa
• Cedar Rapids, Iowa
• Champaign-Urbana, Illinois
• Chicago, Illinois (O'Hare)
• Clinton, Iowa
• Columbia, Missouri
• Dubuque, Iowa
• Kansas City, Missouri
• La Crosse, Wisconsin
• Lincoln, Nebraska
• Madison, Wisconsin
• Marshall, Minnesota
• Mason City, Iowa
• Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Moline, Illinois
• Omaha, Nebraska
• Ottumwa, Iowa
• Peoria, Illinois
• Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin
• St. Louis, Missouri
• Springfield, Illinois
• Willmar, Minnesota
• Winona, Minnesota

Turboprop fleet

• Beechcraft Model 99^[10]
• de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter^{[11] [12] [13]}
• Fokker F27^[10]
• Short 330^[10]
• Short 360^[10]
• Swearingen SA-226TC Metroliner^[14]

Accidents

Although the airline had no fatal accidents, it lost one aircraft during in-flight operations, a Twin Otter which hit trees upon landing at La Crosse, Wisconsin.^[15]

See also

• List of defunct airlines of the United States

Notes and References

1. Web site: Aircraft Accident Report, Mississippi Valley Airways, Inc., DeHavilland DHC-6, N956SM, La Crosse, Wisconsin, November 9, 1970 . NTSB . NTSB . 11 November 2023.
2. News: Pyrek . Emily . Pilots and co-pilots from La Crosse's former Mississippi Valley Airline reunite for the first time in decades . 22 April 2021 . . Sep 23, 2019.
3. "World Airline Directory." Flight International. July 26, 1980. 330. "Head Office: 2763 Reed Road, La Crosse, Wisconsin 54601, USA."
4. News: MVA seeks support of businesses here . . November 25, 1979.
5. "Gateway Opens New Air Taxi Routes Monday". The Milwaukee Journal. July 18, 1968. p.19
6. Book: Commuter Airlines of the United States. Ronald Edward George. Davies. I.E.. Quastler. 1995. Smithsonian Press. 372. October 10, 2023. subscription.
7. "World Airline Directory." Flight International. March 30, 1985. 98." Retrieved June 17, 2009.
8. News: Jouzaitis . Carol . Air Wisconsin taking off nationally, thanks to merger . 22 April 2021 . . July 24, 1985.
9. Web site: Airline Timetable Images . 2019-01-11.
10. Web site: Mississippi Valley Airlines - MVA . airliners.net . 19 April 2024.
11. Web site: msn-203 (N956SM) . twinotterworld . 19 April 2024.
12. Web site: msn-756 (N126AS) . twinotterworld . 19 April 2024.
13. Web site: msn-768 (C-GFJC) . twinotterworld . 19 April 2024.
14. Web site: N5302M at Chicago O'Hare . airhistory.net . 19 April 2024.
15. Web site: ASN Aircraft accident de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 200 N956SM la Crosse Municipal Airport, WI (LSE). Aviation Safety Network. October 10, 2023.