Johnson Flying Service

JFS was unusual in that its airline function was ancillary to its main activity of mountain flying, in particular supporting the United States Forest Service with firefighting and other forestry management.

JFS received its Letter of Registration (what the CAB gave irregular air carriers in lieu of a certificate) on 22 August 1947.

Its charter flying was often to ranches or other isolated points, and besides air transportation JFS instructed pilots, trained "aerial fire-fighters" (smokejumpers), sprayed pesticides, maintained aircraft and operated under contract to the US Forest service.

[8][9] In 1966, JFS duly received its permanent supplemental certification, again with many complimentary remarks by the CAB as to its operational skill and financial management.

But a lawyer representing Capitol Airways, another supplemental, discovered EJA's dominant investor was the Pennsylvania Railroad (which in 1969 became Penn Central).

US Steel's near-term plans for JFS called for re-equipping with three Douglas DC-8-63 jets, to fly mostly domestic cargo but also some passenger flights.

The supplementals as a group significantly unprofitable,[14] and the CAB found US Steel's revenue projections lack credibility—far too optimistic.

But the bigger issue was age: Bob Johnson had diabetes, a bad hip and high blood pressure and wanted out of the business.

[20] In September, JFS adopted the trade name Johnson International Airlines for its air transport activities.

[25] Along the way, Evergreen extended interim loans, without which JFS could not have survived, and provided accounting and administrative support.

[27] But serious damage had been done: in April 1975, for the first time in over 40 years, the US Forest Service awarded the local contract to a company other than JFS.

Smokejumpers are highly conditioned, as they may need to fight fires over mountains for days with limited or no support and will generally have to pack out their own equipment, 90 lbs or more.

Highly conditioned people who can parachute into a tight space with a heavy pack in rugged territory and survive on their own for days are of interest outside of firefighting.