Sixty-two years ago, in July 1958, the first airplane to land at Melville Hall touched down on a temporary 2,500 ft airstrip laid out in the flat river valley. The aircraft was one of two planes belonging to the newly formed Montserrat company, Leeward Islands Air Transport, LIAT.
The airline was founded by aviation pioneer, Montserratian, Sir Frank Delisle, in October 1956. He was LIAT’s sole employee, operating one three-seater Piper Apache aircraft flying between Antigua and Montserrat.
In 1957 the airline extended its route network to include St Eustatius, St Maarten and St Kitts. It also added a six-seater Beechcraft Twin Bonanza to its fleet.
It was in this twin-engine Bonanza that Frank Delisle landed at Dominica for the first time in July 1958 and added Dominica to the LIAT route. He began operating a service between Antigua, Dominica and Barbados twice weekly, on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Thus was born the LIAT service that kept Dominica connected to the outside world for the following 62 years. Now it is no more.
The original short, unsurfaced airstrip at Melville Hall, was used for three more years while the permanent runway and terminal building were being constructed alongside it. A galvanized shed with old motor car seats and coffee served from a coal pot by the famous Mrs Edwards was the temporary terminal.
The new terminal and runway were officially opened by Chief Minister, Edward Oliver Le Blanc, in November 1961. Dominica was the last main Caribbean island to get an airport. This runway (twice resurfaced and once extended) is still in use. The original terminal was replaced in 1978 and was readapted in the early 2000s.
February 1965, to be greeted by officials including Chief Minister, Edward Le Blanc, in his
characteristic ‘shirt jack’, extreme right- Photo: courtesy Lennox Honychurch
Thanks to you DNO, for sharing this piece of history, we all need it.
The situation with Liat today, seem quite disheartening, but like everything else in my Life, I can only pray that our God of Heaven and Earth will give us a grand solution. I am sure that is the same belief in the mind of PM Skerrit
I want to be in Dominica, with my people there, at Christmas time 2020. I have no doubt that there will be an airline to take me and all the rest of us who has planned this vacation.
I feel bold and faithful to say that our God of Love will not fail us, therefore PM Skerrit will also get another win against his enemies.
In the 1950’s they also flew C-47 Dakotas from Melville Hall the same aircraft that were used in WW2. Some of these planes are still flying today.
I hope I live to see or read one day about something that was on the verge of dying and Skerrit was able to save it or was part of a team that saved it. So far he always seems to be the one that killed it or part of a team that killed it. Seems like his doctorate is to kill healthy things he met
One may asks why I brought St. Kitts into it: Well during the short period of the West Indies Federation of which all the Eastern Caribbean islands Dominica and St. Kitts were members, the then Chief Minister Robert Bradshaw went to Trinidad representing St. Kitts.
The deputy Chief Minister, Paul Southwell born in the Village of Castle Bruce became the Chief Minister of St. Kitts, Nevis, and Anguilla which was part of St. Kitts.
Southwell priority was to build an International Airport in St. Kitts; the Birds of Antigua plotted to discourage Southwell from building the airport, they and Gonzales has done to Roosevelt; because Antigua benefited people travelers transitioning to St. Kitts.
The late Dr. Erick Williams of Trinidad told Southwell to build the Airport, if it must be the Caribbean Sun-jet Trinidad owned flying to St. Kitts he will support it.
Today it is seen as a Dominican born success.
In the 1940’s:
What I have to say will take more than 170…
Okay, in the 1940’s during World War ll, Dominica was considered by the United States and the allies to be in a military strategic geographic location, the same as St. Lucia, Barbados Antigua, Cuba, and Guyana. It was all about detouring Hitler’s submarines.
So, they decided to build Airports on the islands mentioned, and Guyana, then British Guiana. Our people procrastinated: they protested; ” we doh want it!”
Why we doh want it? Because the low minded politicians in the country in the 1940’s said they don’t want Americans in our country, because they will rape and abuse our women ……………………………………………………………….. There was corruption; money was always finished; our people procrastinated until the war end; hence there was no need to complete Melville Airport, nevertheless, the allies left the Airports on the islands free of charge to the governments, with the exception of Guantanamo in Cuba still operated by the American…
Someone said we were the last to get an Airport, I suppose in the Caribbean that is true!
We could have obtained one way back in the late 1940’s about the same time the U.S and allies built airports in Antigua, Barbados, St. Lucia, and Guantanamo Cuba. Dominicans again said “we doh want it!”
So, the Americans and British started building one precisely where it is now located.
I will detail that in another submission; read the following.
The Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw International Airport, located just northeast of the capital city of Basseterre, serves St. Kitts and its sister island, Nevis. A thoroughly modern airport with all the amenities you’d expect in a thriving island nation, is widely acclaimed to be the best mid-size airport in the entire Caribbean. The airport accommodates regional and international flights, as well as, provides facilities for cargo jets, private jets and various other types of aircraft.Note: That’s the brain child of Paul Southwell from Castle…
Man, what is your point? Dominicans said “we doh want it” in 1940? You know damn well how rugged Dominica is, with mountains and hills every where.
You can see 3-4 levels of the road from bellow as we travel to the villages–that is the reason for all the landslides that happen all over in Dominica; no wonder it would be difficult to find a reasonable spot to build a good airport
You also know that Antigua, St. Lucia, Barbados, and the others have much flatter Landscape than Dominica, that would be the first reason for your so-called allies to choose building airports on their Land. All of those islands attained development from their tourist industry, first and foremost.
Now shut up with your foolish details, no one needs it, what are you asking people to read? You are always looking for some kind of commendation, but you do is make yourself look stupid, seems as if you are getting worse as you grow older?
I hate to say it, you Elizabeth, is your very worst enemy, you are very ……. confused woman.
If Dominica is so mountainous and the the Americans could not build an Airport on the island in the 1940’s, what has changed that your son Roosevelt being lying to you and his stupid supporters for the past; almost thirty years that he is going to build an International Airport in the same Dominica?
You see how ignorant you are?
Why don’t you be quiet; if you become mute for a moment, I will not discover everyday how little you know!
St. Lucia is as rugged, and as mountainous as Dominica. America in the 1940’s built one of the longest Run-way at a place called View Fort in St. Lucia, it was left unused for a few years, until in the late 1960’s, early 1970’s the government of St. Lucia commenced using it.
St. Lucia government is spending almost a billion for improvement.
While Roosevelt mouth keeps farting!
The more you run your mouth at me; you help to draw attention to the world who are discovering that you are mad!
You are as mentally ill as they come; you are 51/50: that is fifty-one-fifty which is a psychotic (mentally ill) diagnostic of mentality ill persons who are a danger to themselves and society in general.
Here is a mild case of which I believe you are beyond: you are someone who’s general persona is on the mad side of normal.
As you usually gets involved in acts of lunacy When intoxicated, your kind usually deny the extent of your clinical insanity and try to find fault with people whom you pretend are more clinical and mentally ill than you are, or at least claim that others are more mad than you!
That is why you believe nothing I write, nothing I explain makes any sense; trust me what you are reading is absolute solid psychiatry.
Run your mouth off now!
Telemaque with those two comments from you here, and all the others that you have written about me on this comment board, I cannot do anything better than to laugh out loud–that means
All you are doing is further convincing the readers on this comment board that your state of mind is very, very, unhealthy.
But why are you using me as your bait to do so? They seem to have been telling you about this, long before I knew of your existence.
Why can’t you learn to accept your critics and try to change your mentality? But then again, they say that a leopard cannot change its skins–that may apply to you as well.
But throwing words at me, which is about yourself, is not going to help your situation, because you are simply refusing to accept your flaws; this refusal is making matters much, much, worst for you.
If is one thing crazy people do very well is laugh out laud at themselves.
Another of their traits are they believe people are always talking about them; and worst of all they see and hear voices that only they can hear.
Some even believe they can fly!
But most intriguing of all they believe they alone have a pipe line to God; they know more about God than anyone else.
Who the cap fit let them ware it!
No name no warrant eh!
Skerrit you have enough money putting in the shredder just buy liat and cut it short that’s all even is 4 planes buy it you can avoid it instead of trying to stay in a house that will cost tax payers 32 grand a month
Every time DNO post these historical photos I learn something new about my country. It would be cool to drop these historical nuggets once a week or once a month.
ADMIN: Thank you, more is coming. We wish to give due credit to the Dominican historians and history enthusiasts that make these articles possible.
Government has no business in the airline business. Government hardly manages anything efficiently and profitably.
In government managed entities, there is usually wanton wastage; low productivity; tardiness; political interference; a bloated and demotivated staff and many square pegs in round holes.
In a fickle business of commercial aviation, with so many inept leaders in control, LIAT’s demise was inevitable.
It’s a pity though that such a longstanding institution had to go into extinction.
Genuinely sad to see LIAT go down. I took my first LIAT flight in 1979 and many many more since then. Despite all the operational problems, flight delays and cancellations over the years, LIAT, in recent years, became a very pleasant and reliable airline with very good operations personnel. Never thought I’d say it, but I really like LIAT.
The article makes no mention of the current situation facing LIAT. LIAT faces dissolution. This is not mentioned at all. Reference to the current situation would have provided context for the article, given its turn to the past.
I came to this article hoping to read something of the present as well as the past but. there does not seem to be any logic in this illogical present world
Did you not see the heading of this short piece that stated “The Beginning”? The whole story would run to many pages.
@Not A Herd Follower, this article was not meant to spell out details of the miserable we now have about Liat; this is just a short history of how the airline started. Why is it that one way or the other you all must find something negative to speak about?
A major takeaway from the article for me is how slow things move in Dominica. With the exception of education and to a lesser extent health, things have hardly moved in any significant way.
Education…really. firstly there is no education in this present world just the conditioning of indoctrination. if so called education was of such importance its been almost 3yrs now yet still there is no library…
Please go back to sleep, and resume your dreaming.
Another Death Announcement: The Banana industry, Ross University, Our Democracy and now LIAT. All of the above were vibrant and in tact until 2004, when Skerrit became PM. I know Skerrit alone did not kill list but he is part of it.
The thief came to steal, KILL and destroy. What next will he kill?
You will live forever it seems.
Do you know who is the real thief who came to steal, kill, and destroy? He is not a human being but he uses them to make foolish statements like yours. He makes them hate one another; envy, Jealous, murder, etc. He is always pointing fingers and blame gaming.
You know what shake of yourself. There is the spirit of the Holy Spirit which is needed by us all to lead us in all truth. Shake off yourself. And let me tell u “it is appointed unto man to die and then the judgement. You speak like a fool. Wake up smell the coffee. Time for repentance, not call others thief etc. The evil one will make mincemeat of us if we do not know who our saviour is. I advise you “Death Announcement” and any others reading this now is repentance time and time to love one another. Stop the dividing in our country. Let us love one another and know the wiles of the enemy. He will only use you if you allow him to. Who you rolling with? Evil one or Jesus!…
“You will live forever it seems.”
“He is not a human being but he uses them to make foolish statements like yours.”
He makes them hate one another; envy, Jealous, murder, etc.
“He is always pointing fingers and blame gaming.”
“You speak like a fool.”
How many times did you point your fingers? You should be very careful how and when you reference the Creator, because He is watching.
Funny though, He is resting on Sundays because He does not want to see those Saturday-niters on Sunday morning. Boy is He know man’s heart who would use the same blame game to balem others.
@de Observer, it seems like you are the one who is speaking like a fool if you think that what “The Truth Be Told” spoke is foolish.
No, my friend, “The Truth Be Told” spoke nothing foolish, so let it be known that: The natural man (you) does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him (you); nor can he (you) know them because they are spiritually discerned.
But he (The Truth Be Told) who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.
So “The Truth Be Told” was given the right judge what “Death Announcement” spoke, which was given to the person by Satan. I know it too!
@ MyHeavenlyInsights, if you had taken your time to read what @The Truth Be Told had written, you would have seen that is where I referenced the sentence that seems to have upset you. I put each sentence in quotes, meaning they were not my words, but those of @The Truth Be Told. But I can understand, because it seems like you do not have that type of academic training necessary to understand what I wrote.
AT NO TIME DID I REFER TO @The Truth Be Told AS FOOLISH AS YOU INDICATED. PLEASE READ CAREFULLY.
Please read Romans 11:33, and 2 Timothy 2:15. I will not give you any more because it might be too heavy.
However, my concern is: apparently you represented yourself as a Christian. How can you provide spiritual leadership if you lack the capacity to read and understand the structure of the language in which the bible you read, was written. How can you do God’s work if you have difficulty with the language in which the Bible was written?
Boss if I thought a 53 word blog was so insignificant I wouldn’t waste my time to respond to it with over a thousand words. Fact that you responded says it it. It really hit a nerve that you and others cannot run from. Boss you defending a person that stole and killed your country? And you coming with you Jesus thing? Maybe you even dead while you liveth
@The Truth Be Told, this is a good piece. I continue to use the term “carnal mined” to explain to people the reason they lack knowledge of God.
The World does not know that Satan is a “spirit person”, who can indwell their conscience the same way God’s Holy Spirit does.
The difference between Satan’s indwelling and that of God’s Holy Spirit is that Satan entices people knowing that their mind is carnal (God’s enemy), his bait for trapping them is the “material world”. Imagine that he tried that with Jesus!
But God connects to His people by their faith, those who believe and accept His Son because of what He did on the cross–giving up His own Life in Love, as a ransom for the sinful existence of mankind. No other Body could represent that Lamb (the perfect body) that was sacrificed as a burnt offering to the Holy God
That is why Jesus said “only a few will be chosen”, for the World is pregnant with the bait of Satan–not the Love of God
When was LIAT ever a vibrant company? Shareholder governments always had to be bailing out LIAT using millions of tax payers dollars. People like you complained whenever Skeritt had to find money to give to LIAT.
Skerrit is the death angel or rather death demon so what you expect to happen to anything he is part of? Just check the man’s record and tell me what has not died under his tenure. We should create a ministry of death or ministry of funeral and add it to Skerrit’s portfolio because that’s all he knows to do
See my answer to Death Announcement too. Stop the hatred. You all are really ridiculous. Stamp out the evil hateful spirit that causes you to speak such evil of your fellowman.
Time to respect Jehovah and love our neighbour as ourselves. Stop the Hatred, Envy, lies, slander, evil thoughts, strife, war. Jesus died for all of us. Choose this day whom you will serve – Evil One or Jesus! Read again your comment. Are u serious? Do you know your history? Read history. Then you will understand. Read the bible then you will understand about death. Time to speak love.
@ Truth be told, I didn’t preach anything. In fact check the Bible and you will see is religious hypocrites like you that crucified Jesus.
My comment was clear and simple. I simply said to check Skerrit’s record and tell me what has not died under his watch. So where is all that evil you talked about coming from? If I were in your place I would just look for at least one thing that has not died and point it out instead of all that evil talk. But I guess you looked and couldn’t find one thing Skerrit met that survived so you chose to attack me. Awa boss doe come so
This is great history & up to today we are still using the same airport just an improved terminal building and we don’t make coffee on coal pot any more not much improvement. But again it was the labor party project.
Very interesting piece of history..When I left Dominica to go to UWI Jamaica in 1957 I went by seaplane.. Gruman Goose
Under the watch of Roosevelt Skerrit, Dominica has lost a 62 year old airline that serves us well.
It was just a few years ago, in 2018, under the watch of Roosevelt Skerrit Dominica lost a 40 year old Ross University as Skerrit himself crafted that plot to ensure Dominica has no US presence that would cause the United States to come to DOMINICA during a civil war which he knows is just a matter of time away.
So in other words under Roosevelt Skerrit 15 years as PM, Dominica has lost a combined 102 years of the services that made us the country beautiful island of the Caribbean we were known to be. But it’s my fault, it’s our fault and it’s laborites fault because when Rosie Douglas died some kind of funny death less than a year as PM, followed by the strange relationship Tony told us about, which lead to the death of Pierre Charles within 4 yrs of the DLP, we should have realized that Dominica was in trouble. Well since those two mysterious deaths everything dying in Dominica
Foolish idiotic and uninformed comment. Where was Skeritt in 1974 when LIAT was going under and had to be rescued by the governments of the region. LIAT, is not leaving Dominica and moving to St. Lucian it is shutting down operations as regional governments including St. Lucia, Dominica, Grenada and Barbados can no longer afford to give financial support to failing LIAT. Are you blaming Skeritt because the LIAT service will no longer be available to the region? What utter foolishness.
Anon, is it not a FACT that after 62 years LIAT died while Roosevelt Skerrit was prime minister? Here is what you said boss “Where was Skeritt in 1974 when LIAT was going under and had to be rescued by the governments of the region.” So why could Skerrit and others rescue List since Skerrit for sure has more money that all our former leaders?
I also stated that Skerrit deed away with a 40 year old Ross University. Any response?
Anon, don’t try to whitewash stating other governments are no longer able to support LIAT.
The fact is Dominica, and Roosevelt Skerrit cannot afford to pump the millions of dollars required to keep LIAT in business.
The money LIAT makes per month is not enough to carry out maintenance repair on one of the aircraft’s. Let me inform you; a car will last forever if it is properly maintained.
Here is a bit of knowledge about aircraft’s.
Parts have to be change periodically.
In that let us suppose you are dealing with something like an alternator in your car if you have one; you cannot wait until it stop generating current to change it in an aircraft.
Parts in an aircraft are change after in use for a certain amount of hours, in some cases it could be ten of fifteen hours, maybe fifty hours or less.
You cannot replace them with used parts.
Bottom line is all the other islands have international Airports, they don’t need LIAT that’s Roosevelt problem.
@Anon to answer your question to the foolish person, PM Skerrit was only 2 years old in 1974–I really, really, feel sorry for the minds of these Dominicans.
Liat after 62 year of service does not own its airplanes says a lot about its administrators and investors.
most airline companies lease planes rather than buy them outright. your comment says a lot about your knowledge of the industry
After 62 in business, and millions of dollars from at least 5 Governments? One would not need to have any great business scholar to think that after all that time and money, LIAT should own a few planes by now. The shareholders are rich.
I just adore when DNO does these historical pieces – showing what a long way we have come, or not, it is a very informative and nostalgic article.
Thank you.
so what is the current situation. I need to return to Dominica after an international lockdown. Although the borders are open after 15 July there are no inter island connecting flights to Dominica
The Antiguan gov killed of Caribbean star to let LIAT survive. Now they have descided to kill LIAT
Caribbean Star base of operations was Antigua and licensed on the blessing of Antigua. hired mostly Antiguans and the government killed it off? you not thinking clearly.
“LIAT twin-engine Bonanza aircraft landing on the temporary airstrip at Melville Hall for the first time, July 1958 -the first aircraft to do so. Photo: courtesy Lennox Honychurch ”
Something is very wrong, I see distorted history!
When the first Piper Aircraft painted light color pink from Montserrat landed in 1958 at Melville Hall Airport; hundreds of us were there we did not see an Aircraft landed with the insignia “LIAT.” or Leeward Island Air Transport.
That came later!
I remember the the first Aircraft overnight at the Airport, while the pilot and others headed to Roseau.
I can tell you by the time it landed as LIAT; Carlton Felix was one or the first aircraft controller on the island.
There were no Terminal Building; at the end of the Runway was a shed, in which they dealt with arrivals, departures, a little distance away near the Bridge was a one truck fire station.
There was something high off the ground about 8 X 10 radio transmitter, and receiver…
My Brother, you seem to have repeated almost all of what DNO had originally written. However, you added some more information. But I fail to see the distortion which you referenced.
“I remember the the first Aircraft overnight at the Airport, while the pilot and others headed to Roseau. I can tell you by the time it landed as LIAT; Carlton Felix was one or the first aircraft controller on the island.”
I did not see you gave the year this “first” LIAT aircraft overnighted at the airport. And as a result, I am forced to go with the DNO version. Even if you have personal experience of the first aircraft landing, as you indicated, you do not have to always be against.
However thank you for the extra information. It is good for students who may one day be doing aviation research in Dominica.
That first overnight was the first landing; it had nothing to do with the arrival of passengers okay!
“Colonel Strong” an English man who owned the Pickard Estate in Portsmouth was present as an World War ll pilot witness the landing and met the pilots who executed the first landing.
I remember also Wallace Plenderleith from the Village of Wesley, also a World War ll pilot was there; both he and Strong went aboard, the aircraft, on their return, I specifically heard Wallace commented that the Piper Aircraft is similar to what he flew over Germany during World War ll he commented the controls and cockpit were still the same.
Prior to the first landing I witness what they term “Spotting” they did that in a series of flights on Sunday’s.
All of that took place in 1958; however, the photograph presented by Lennox was not actually the first landing!
“I remember also Wallace Plenderleith ….. was there; I specifically heard Wallace commented……; Prior to the first landing I witness what they term “Spotting” ”
Hhhmm……This guy Francisco T. must be in the region of 90 years old man!!!!!
So, what if I’m 90 years old?
I agree with God I am going to live to 108 years, and I will gladly go when he calls me after that.
If I am 90, praise God both my long term and short term memory are in tack; I am perfectly sane, with all my faculties functioning perfectly; my brain is not burnt out on drugs and alcohol; I am enjoying life to the fullest!
Cigarette, crack cocaine or marijuana has never touched my lips, can you say that?
When you term me old; add rich to your comment: Say he’s a damn rich old man!
Age is honor, it matters not how old I am; I have a perfect life, at least if you had any commonsense you would not have written such hogwash!
Only stupid people talks about old and aging because you and your …… comments are aging everyday.
From the day we are born we begin to age and die!
Shut up………………….
Hhhmm……This Francisco T. knows ALOT of history, he must be a man in the region of 90 years !!!!! And tech savvy too.
“Dominica was the last main Caribbean island to get an airport.”
Anybody else see a pattern here?
Now we’re the only main island without an international airport.
Historically Dominica has always been playing catch up and trying to dig itself out of a hole. The French and the British left us nothing. Shortly after independence multinationals like Geest, Elrose and CDC left creating an economic void. But to add more insult to injury the US government on behalf of multinationals Dole and Chikita to stop Caribbean bananas from entering the UK under preferential trade agreement, that’s what killed the banana industry, it was not the local politicians but the greedy politicians in Washington.
…..the US government on behalf of Dole and Chikita mounted a campaign to stop Caribbean bananas entering the UK under preferential arrangements. It was successful .