Aspen Airways   British Aerospace BAe 146    N461AP              (c/n  E1015)

                                    

                                       In 1984 Aspen Airways ordered four BAe 146s, and began providing the first commercial jet service
                                       into Aspen, Colorado.  The airline name, incidentally, is said to stem from the aspen tree, rather than
                                       the city of that name... By this time service had expanded into Amarillo and Lubbock, Texas.  N461AP
                                       is seen when practically brand new at Stapleton International Airport, Denver in the above shot by Bob
                                      Garrard, taken in August 1985.   A month later, Aspen would become a United Express affiliate code-
                                      sharing line, providing non-stop seasonal service from Aspen to Houston, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Los Angeles,
                                      Chicago, San Francisco and Long Beach.   By 1989 the airline (because of its expanded United Air Line
                                      "benefits'"?) suffered severe cash flow problems and offered itself up for sale.  After several aborted
                                      efforts at take-over (including one by the employees themselves) the airline was eventually sold in 1990
                                      to regional carrier Air Wisconsin (already a BAe 146 operator) for an estimated $9 million who contin-
                                      ued to operate it separately from their eastern route network until 1991 when the two airlines were
                                      merged into one and the Aspen Airways name passed into history.