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Chief pilot and Captain

Byron Field Sherrill
An important and generally unknown member 
of “Overseas National Airways” has gone West.
 
“Byron Field Sherrill”, was a major 
participant in the original formation of 
ONA as was Captain Ed Starkloff who is 
the only remaining member of that group. 

Although the original intention was to 
provide an aircraft for  "United Nations 
Personnel” that did not occur and the 
plan quickly morphed into the airline 
we know as ONA. 

These were the days of many start-ups 
and the surplus C-54's, known as DC-4's 
in civilian category, were the "big iron" 
of that day.

Byron Field Sherrill was the first Chief 
Pilot Of Overseas National Airways. 
Jack Hogan flew co-pilot for him.

Captain Starkloff called contributed
following information.
 
Byron Field Sherrill, was responsible 
along with others, of starting ONA in 1950, 
thus beginning what we of ONA are all about, 
which of course is skill and professionalism 
and here I am very sincere because ONA was 
demanding of flight crews and ground crews 
and all of us who made up the airline. 

We were a supplemental airline, a non-sked, 
who carried military troops to the battlefield 
countries of our adversaries or vacationing 
groups to their choice of exotic destinations 
all over the world with extra expensive 
aircraft that could be converted to maximum 
seating or cargo only configurations, an 
option that government and tourists alike 
enjoyed. ONA once carried more passengers 
on the Atlantic Ocean crossing than Pan 
American Airways. 

This little bit of history of ONA is fragile, 
there is only one left of that original 
startup, Captain Starkloff.

Best regards,
Captain George Flavell