TBT (Throwback Thursday) in Aviation History: Trans-Colorado Airlines

Trans-Colorado Airlines was founded in August 1980 in the quiet mountain town of Gunnison, Colo. In its infancy, flights were operated to Denver's Stapleton Airport using a single Swearingen Metro II turboprop aircraft. The airline was founded during the post-Deregulation era in the U.S. when regional airlines were experiencing a boom. As a result, small towns were seeing a boom in flights to regional hubs. Trans-Colorado began expansion within 10 months of its start with flights from Montrose, Colo. To…