Kohler Aviation
Corp Loening C-2C Air Yacht NC138H
(c/n 235)
Kohler Aviation Corporation was founded by John B.
Kohler in Grand Rapids, Mich, on
30 August
1929. It provided the "Bridge Across Lake Michigan"
route from Milwaukee
to Muskegon, adding
Lansing and Detroit at a later date. In November 1929 Kohler sold
his route
to Northwest Airlines, but continued to fly the service under contract
to NWA.
Kohler was another company (along with TAT and NWA)
which provided for direct transfer
from plane to
train, in this case providing direct connections from Milwaukee to New
York
(via a link with the
Michigan Central Railroad). When the air mail contracts were
canceled
in 1934, Kohler was
refused permission to re-bid on the Muskegon-Detroit section by
reason of the
fact that it had, on its board of directors, a person (Richard W.
Robbins) who
had, it was alleged,
taken part in the 1930 conferences between air mail contractors and
Post
Office officials (the so-called "Spoils Conference).
In the event the routes and
assets were acquired
by Pennsylvania Airlines in June of 1934, giving that airline a much
needed trans Lake Michigan
route. Seen below are images illustrating a line up
of the
Kohler fleet at
Grand Rapids in 1931 and a plane-train interchange taking place.
Loening C-2C Air
Yacht NC9156 (c/n
224)