RIMOUSKI AIRLINES, LTD.: Canada (1946-1953). Le Syndicat d’Aviation de Rimouski is formed in 1946 to offer charter and contract service flights in the Gaspe Peninsula area of the St. Lawrence River near its Rimouski base. Operations begin with two Norduyn Norsemen Vs. The enterprise is renamed Rimouski Airlines, Ltd. in 1947 and a Beech 18 is acquired.
Several of the scheduled flights operated on both sides of the St. Lawrence by the Canadian Pacific Air Lines, Ltd. (CPAL) subsidiary Quebec Airways, Ltd. are assumed in 1948-1949. Among the small communities now served are Matane, Mont-Joli, Forestville, Baie Comeau, and Sept-Iles. On July 26 of the former year, a chartered Douglas DC-3, with 29 aboard crashes into a mountain on the Gaspe Peninsula; there are no survivors.
Scheduled services to additional points on the Gaspe Peninsula and throughout the St. Lawrence area are undertaken in 1950-1952. In 1953, Rimouski and competing Gulf Aviation, Ltd. merge to form Quebe-cair, Ltd.
RIO AIRWAYS: United States (1963-1987). Rio Airways is begun as a charter operator in 1963 to provide on-demand passenger and cargo services to destinations throughout the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. In August 1966, the company begins to operate a single Austin-Houston scheduled air taxi route with a Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain. In 1970, Killeen-based Hood Airlines purchases Rio.
The fleet of owner/operator Mark C. Connell in 1971 includes the Rio Piper plus a Douglas DC-3 and a Cessna 402.
A Beech 99A with 2 crew and 13 passengers is destroyed as the result of a bad landing at Killeen, Texas, on January 12; there are no fatalities.
With assistance from Air South president/CEO F. E. “Pete” Howe, then in the process of transferring to a similar post with Hood Airlines, Chairman Connell is able to acquire a new intrastate route from Dallas to Wichita Falls on November 15.
Howe’s presidency begins on January 1, 1972 and on May 1, the merger of Hood Airlines into Rio is completed. The Hood name disappears and reborn operations of a strengthened Rio Airways begin.
On March 7, 1973, Rio inaugurates service from Dallas to Temple and this route is followed by the launch, on February 3, 1974, of frequencies to Waco. The fleet is altered as eight Beech 99s are placed into service.
Enplanements for the year total 122,318.
A strike at Texas International Airlines helps the commuter to boost its passenger enplanements by 28.87% to 172,047 during 1975.
The workforce is increased by 15% in 1976 to 182. Two de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300s are purchased as customer bookings jump 9.1% to 187,677.
A third Twin Otter joins the fleet early in 1977. After acquiring Davis Airlines in late November, the growing intrastate begins flying between Bryan and College Station and between Houston and Dallas on December 1.
The Texarkana market is entered on July 15, 1978. Passage of the Airline Deregulation Act now brings intense competition into the Texas airline industry. Rio is initially safe, feeding much of its traffic to American Airlines.
New frequencies are initiated to San Angelo on May 15, 1979. Other destinations launched include Lawton, Hot Springs, and Little Rock.
With much of its traffic being fed to American Airlines, Rio has made steady post-deregulation progress with enplanements now reaching an all-time high of 476,101.
The company fleet in 1980 numbers 10 Swearingen Metro IIs and 10 de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otters. Orders are placed for 6 DHC-8s. This year these airliners fly the first of 4 years’ worth of declining traffic as the number of passengers carried drops to 443,218, down 6.9%.
Increased costs led by fuel prices, coupled with recession and the PATCO air traffic controllers’ strike of summer 1981, now spell significant problems for Rio. Service is started to Jonesboro, Arkansas, as an 11th Metroliner joins the fleet. ATC restrictions imposed by the strike cost Rio 60% of its Dallas slots and contribute to a decline in bookings for the year to 438,727.
The fleet begins 1982 comprising 11 Metro IIs and 10 Twin Otters. Four new DHC-7-102s are acquired and replace seven deleted Metro-liners and four Twin Otters.
Enplanements continue to drop, declining to 408,447.
Flight equipment available in 1983 includes the 4 DASH-7s, 6 Twin Otters, and 3 Metro IIs. Upset with U. S. policy toward Iran, Iranian immigrant Hussein Shey Khlya hijacks Flight 252, a DHC-7 with 20 other passengers en route from Killeen to Dallas (DFW) and diverts it to Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, on February 15. Following several hours of negotiations, Khlya frees his hostages and surrenders to police. He will receive a prison term of eight years.
Passenger boardings dip 1% to 404,469.
Rio, by spring 1984, has shrunk back to its 1975 route system and is no longer profitable. On June 1, Rio joins the “Delta Connection” commuter network of Delta Air Lines and begins giving the bulk of its connecting traffic to that major at Dallas (DFW).
In the fall, the company disposes of its remaining Twin Otters and receives the first of five ordered Beech 1900s.
Affiliation with the Atlanta-based major gives the large commuter a 1% boost in passenger enplanements over the next 6 months, leading to a total of 408,798 for the year.
The remaining four Beech 1900s are received by March 1985 and in the spring, Rio takes on new markets (including its first interstate station, Lawton, Oklahoma) in direct competition with American Airlines’ American Eagle partner Metro Airlines (Metro Express II). The carrier is badly battered in the duel and undertakes merger discussions with Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA), also a “Delta Connection” carrier.
The talks fail and Rio retrenches, cutting back services and selling off its four DASH-7s, which are replaced by three more Beech 1900s. The carrier fails to release its traffic figures, a certain indication of difficulty.
President Howe’s company in 1986 maintains routes through Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma with 7 Beech 1900s. The downward plunge continues until owner Ted Connel sells the airline in October to a group of New York and Houston investors led by Hugh Seaborn, brother of Metro Airlines’ CEO Jay Seaborn. On December 5, the Delta affiliation is lost, being transferred to Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA), which begins flying out of Dallas (DFW) on December 15.
In January 1987, a new code-sharing agreement is signed, this time with Braniff, Inc. At the same time, it is announced that a feeder arrangement has been worked out with TranStar, the subsidiary of Southwest Airlines. The Seaborn buyout is consummated at mid-month and on February 20, Allison of Pasco purchases 52% of the carrier for $300,000, covering operating expenses, leases, and salaries.
The move comes too late. Despite, and perhaps because of, these many changes, Rio declares Chapter XI bankruptcy on February 27. Chairman Seaborn attempts to locate additional capital and resume operations, but he becomes embroiled in a dispute with Allison. This disputes his authority to take the bankruptcy action and his attempt at resumption of service is unsuccessful.
RIO GRANDE AIR: P. O. Box 1617, El Prado, New Mexico 87529, United States; Phone (505) 737-9790; Http://www. iflyrga. com; Year Founded 2000. Rio Grande Air is established at the beginning of 2000 to offer scheduled passenger flights from Albuquerque Sunport. Employing a Cessna Grand Caravan, twice-daily return revenue flights commence on February 1 to Taos and Durango. On February 12, twice-daily roundtrips from Albuquerque to Farmington.
The only commuter airline based in New Mexico continues operations without incident or headline during the remainder of the year.
RIO-SUL (EMPRESA RIO-SUL SERVICOS AEREOS REGION-ALS, S. A.): Av Rio Branco 85, 10th Floor, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 20 040-004, Brazil; Phone 55 (21) 263-4282; Fax 55 (21) 253-2044; Http://www. rio-sul. com; Code SL; Year Founded 1976. On November 12, 1975, the federal government establishes the Sistema Integrado de Transportes Aereas Regional, a system calling for the formation of five regional airlines to provide third-level feeder service to outlying areas. A promise of subsidy is made, based on 3% surcharge on tickets sold on trunk routes.
Rio-Sul is formed at Rio de Janeiro on August 26, 1976 with VARIG Brazilian Airlines (Viacao Aerea Rio-Grandense, S. A.) holding 51.67% majority interest; large blocks of shares are also held by the insurance companies Sul America Terrestres Maritimos e Acidentes and Atlantica Boa Vista.
Equipped with 4 Piper PA-31-310 Navajos and 1 Embraer EMB-110C, flight services Porto Alegre to Pelotas begin on September 8.
A significant expansion begins on January 1, 1977. Rio launches flights from Rio de Janeiro to Campos, an oil-drilling center, and from Rio to Porto Alegre via Sao Jose dos Campos, home of automobile, defense, and Embraer plants.
Services are expanded over the next 3 years and a total of 27 cities are in the route network by the end of 1980. The fleet is increased to include 11 more EMB-110s and 2 business jets for charters (a Gates Learjet and a Rockwell Sabreliner 60).
In 1981, the company is flying to a variety of southeastern Brazilian destinations in the states of Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul, and Parana, plus Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.
Sul America Terrestres Maritimos e Acidentes sells its shareholding to Fundacao Rubem Berta and to Cruzeiro; thus the VARIG group gains 66% shareholding, with control over 95% of the voting shares.
Enplanements for the year total 113,659.
Dr. Humberto J. de Almeida Costa becomes president in 1982 as the fleet is increased by the addition in late April of the first of three Fokker F.27-200 Friendships to be received during the year. The new Dutch-built turboprop enters revenue service on May 17.
While on final approach to Florianopolis on May 22, an EMB-110P-1 with two crew and two passengers undershoots the runway by about a mile and crashes into a swamp; there are no fatalities.
Passenger boardings climb to 123,134.
In 1983-1985, the number of stops climbs to an excess of 30 as airports and airfields in the states of Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo are added. The fleet now comprises 4 Friendships and 7 Bandeirantes; airline employment stands at 440.
After landing at Rio de Janeiro from an August 6, 1984 training flight, an F.27-200, with seven crew overruns the runway into Guanabara Bay; there are no fatalities.
Customer bookings grow steadily during these years, coming to total, respectively: 146,696; 150,887; and 163,302.
A total of 32 points are regularly visited in January 1986. Flights between the nation’s second and third largest cities, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte, commence on August 2. Simultaneously, the I'bo Direto ao Centro (Flight to the Center) route is inaugurated from Rio de Janeiro to Curitiba via Belo Horizonte and Sao Paulo.
In October, the carrier receives the first Alberto Santos-Dumont Safety Award in recognition of its decade of accident-free service. The year’s profit margin is $170,000. Operations continue without report in 1987.
In 1988, President Costa’s employee population grows to 468 as frequencies are increased and the fleet is upgraded in May of the latter year with the addition of an Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia, the first placed into service by a Brazilian airline.
Customer bookings accelerate 11.2% to 335,566.
By 1989, airline employment stands at 468 and the fleet also includes 2 additional F.27s, 1 less EMB-110, and 2 more EMB-120 Brasilias. In December, Rio-Sul becomes the second Brazilian regional after TAM (Transportes Aereos Regionais, S. A.) to begin an alternative Rio de Janeiro-Sao Paulo shuttle service. This is in competition with the air bridge operated by the nation’s majors, Transbrasil, VASP Brasilian Airlines (Viacao Aerea de Sao Paulo, S. A.), VARIG Brazilian Airlines (Viacao Area Rio-Grandense, S. A.), and Cruzeiro do Sul, S. A. An investment of $10 million allows the large commuter to offer six roundtrip flights per day.
Passenger boardings rise 12.5% to 179,238 and freight moves upward by 9.8% to 202,000 FTKs.
Company employment skyrockets 92.3% in 1990 to 900 as 4 Friendships are sold and replaced by 3 more EMB-120s. These are employed on the Sao Paulo-Rio de Janeiro air shuttle flights.
Enplanements for the year increase to 478,101.
Two Bandeirantes are sold in 1991 as another Brasilia is acquired. Orders are placed for two Fokker 50s and arrangements are made to obtain jetliners.
The fleet is down to only 3 EMB-110s in 1992 as the number of Brasilias is increased to 11; the Fokker count remains the same.
When the Fokker 50s arrive in midyear, they replace F.27s. During October, President de Almeida Costa’s carrier receives its first jet equipment, two leased Boeing 737-5Y0s.
The new jetliners enter service in early January 1993. Rio-Sul thus becomes the first South American operator of the Dash 500 version of the “Baby Boeing.”
The undercarriage of an EMB-120RT with 1 pilot and 17 passengers fails upon landing at Rio de Janeiro on May 12; there are no fatalities.
During the first 11 months of the year, the 870-employee airline sees its enplanements skyrocket 76.9% to 599,000 and freight traffic climb 13.8% to 3.56 million FTKs. During November, the company inaugurates daily B-737-5Y0 roundtrips between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, competing with other airlines in the shuttle market.
Airline employment is increased by 26.4% in 1994 to 1,100 and 2 more chartered B-737-5Y0s are acquired. Late in the year, plans are completed for the $7-million purchase of competing regional Nordeste (Linhas Aereas Regionais, S. A.), which will be merged by the following March, and for the initiation of revenue flights from Sao Paulo to Salvador. The company also agrees to take over Nordeste’s order for three Fokker 50s.
For the full year, passenger boardings increase by 44.7% to 957,550 while cargo advances 51% to 6.06 million FTKs. Revenues reach $168.63 million.
There is no change in the workforce during 1995. Early in the first quarter, a B-737-5Y0 inaugurates daily return service from Sao Paulo to Salvador. The Nordeste merger is completed in March; the combined carrier’s complement of 450 pilots will come to fly more than 200 daily departures.
Traffic figures are reported through the same period and show en-planements up a dramatic 70.9% to 243,952. Cargo increases during the same period by 106.6% to 1.15 million FTKs. Operating income jumps 26.9% for the year to $231 million.
Fifty additional employees are hired in 1996 as the Fokker 50s enter service.
Customer bookings accelerate for the whole year to 1,745,496 and 106.5 million FTKs are operated. Revenues increase to $289.55 million and allow a net gain of $42.1 million.
The employee population increases 52.7% in 1997 to 1,757. Destinations visited from hubs at Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and Porto Alegre include Araguaina, Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Campinas, Campos, Cas-cavel, Caxias Do Sul, Chapeco, Crisciuma, Curitiba, Florianopolis, Goiania, Iguassu Falls, Imperatriz, Joinville, Lages, Livramento, Lond-rina, Maringa, Navegantes, Passo Fundo, Pelotas, Ponta Grossa, Recife, Ribeirao Preto, Rio Grande, Santa Maria, Santo Angelo, Sao Jose Dos Campos, Sao Jose Do Rio Preto, Uberlandia, Uruguaiana, and Vitoria.
In May, the VARIG subsidiary orders 10 EMB RJ-145 Amazons and 10 EMB-120 Brasilias. The first Amazon, known as Jet Class by Rio, is delivered in August, making Rio-Sul the first—and only-national company to acquire the first jetliner designed and built in Brazil. As the Amazons enter service, they fly over numerous main routes from Rio de Janeiro, including those to Belo Horizonte, Vitoria, Campinas, Brasilia, Porto Alegre, and Joinville.
Traffic figures are reported through November and show enplanements up 16.6% to 2,035,000. Cargo is also up, by 10.3%, to 8.2 million FTKs.
The Brazilian Department of Civil Aviation (DAC) indicates on December 30 that it will begin to institute domestic airfare deregulation in January.
Prior to internal air force opposition that slows the process, DAC deregulation continues in January 1998. As part of the liberalization, the government decrees that the monopoly the company shares with its parent, plus Transbrasil, S. A. (Linhas Aereas) and VASP Brazilian Airlines (Viacao Aerea de Sao Paulo, S. A.) on the Rio de Janeiro to Sao Paulo air bridge, must end.
Simultaneously, trunk lines are granted permission to compete with regional carriers on services between the downtown city-pairs of Sao Paulo and Brasilia or Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte or Brasilia. Further, airlines will be allowed to offer discounts of up to 65% on internal flights and any carrier will be allowed to fly charters on any route, with certain conditions. The move will have the desired end of increasing new business, but it will also set off a devastating fare war.
In February, a B-737-5Q8 arrives under charter from ILFC. A second follows in April.
In June, VARIG Brazilian Airlines (Viacao Area Rio-Grandense, S. A.) announces that it will drop out of the joint Rio de Janeiro-Sao Paulo air bridge shuttle and will, in cooperation with Rio-Sul, offer its own competition against its former partners, Transbrasil, S. A. (Linhas Aereas) and VASP Brasilian Airlines (Viacao Aerea de Sao Paulo, S. A.).
The new linked air bridge flights commence in July. The World Cup now leads to a significant reduction in the number of Brazilians traveling, as they prefer to remain home and watch the month of matches from France on television.
During late summer, a major shakeup at the parent airline is begun. The change is due largely to a report that a $168-million loss has been incurred during the year’s first half. In September, the livery of Rio-Sul aircraft is changed; the planes become identical to those operated by the parent company in all but titles.
On September 1, twice-daily EJR145 roundtrips are initiated between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.
The Brazilian DAC scraps its last regulations over passenger airline fares on December 30, a year to the day after it had launched domestic deregulation. DAC does, however, indicate that it will remain vigilant to abuse, including dumping, cartels, monopolies, and predatory pricing. As domestic competition stiffens, additional alliances with foreign airlines are expected.
Passenger boardings increase 54.1% to 3.13 million, while cargo jumps up 37% to 11.29 million FTKs.
Between November 1 and 3, the company takes delivery of 3 more ERJ-145s; it now operates a total of 14.
Passenger boardings surge 13.8% to 3,570,000, while freight traffic rises 12.9% to 12.74 million FTKs. Revenues fall 15.9% to $349.12 million while costs drop 14.7% to $349.8 million. The $682,000 operating loss is exceeded by a net loss of $18.99 million.
Airline employment at the beginning of 2000 stands at 2,250, a 28.1% increase over the previous 12 months. The “classic” B-737 fleet still includes 1 each Dash-3Y0 and Dash-33A, plus 4 Dash-5Y0s, 4 Dash-53As, 5 Dash-5Q8s, and 1 Dash-58A. A total of 402 workers are employed at the beginning of the year.
During June, a restructuring of VARIG Brazilian Airlines (Viacao Aerea Rio-Grandeuse, S. A.), begun in the first quarter, continues. A new holding company, FRB-Par, is created for the VARIG business group, with VPTA and VPSC becoming two of its three subsidiaries, with the original holding company, VARIG Brazil, named the third. The group’s first charter organization, Rotatur, is incorporated, while the subsidiary carriers Rio-Sul and Nordeste (Nordeste Linhas Aereas Re-gionals, S. A.) are granted their independence from VARIG and are placed under the control of VPTA.
During the first nine months of the year, customer bookings advance by 10.7% to 2.9 million, while net profit, over the same period a year earlier, grows 4.7% to 27.4 million reals.
A B-737-53A is subchartered to Air Nippon Company, Ltd. on March 27. Atotal of 16 additional ERJ-145s are ordered on October 5.
Previously operated by Virgin Express, Ltd., a B-737-341 is leased from VARIG Brazilian Airlines (Viacao Aerea Rio-Grandense, S. A.) on November 13. On November 24, a B-737-59D previously operated by British Midland Airways, Ltd. is received under lease.
Delivery of the 16th ERJ-145 Amazon is accepted on December 4. As the year ends, the company is faced with a new competitor, Gol Trans-portes Aereos, S. A., which will launch B-737-700 service in January linking Congonhas Airport at Sao Paulo with Porto Alegre, Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Belo Horizonte, and Florianopolis.
RIPSA (RUTAS INTERNACIONALES PERUANAS, S. A.): Peru (1961-1968). RIPSA is formed at Lima in March 1961 as an international all-cargo operation. During the next year, a fleet is assembled comprising two Curtiss C-46 Commandos and a Douglas DC-4.
Revenue flight operations commence in March 1962 over a route from Lima to Miami via Panama City. Operations continue apace in 1963-1964.
On August 4, 1965, a C-54D freighter with three crew and four passengers fails its takeoff from Panama City for a flight to Miami and crashes; there are no survivors.
In September 1966, a Lockheed L-749 freighter is purchased from Paramount Airways, Ltd. of the U. K.
Flights continue apace in 1967-1968. After the Constellation is caught smuggling illegal goods during a flight to Lima in the latter year, the Peruvian government lifts RIPSA’s operating certificate.
RITCHIE AIR SERVICES, LTD. See NEW ZEALAND TRANSPORT AND TRAVEL, LTD.
RIVAIR FLYING SERVICE: 4400 Glen Curtis Drive, Suite 202, Dallas, Texas 75248, United States; Phone (918) 299-1234; Fax (918) 299-1235; Year Founded 1991. Walter Kostich sets up Rivair at Dallas (DAL) in 1991 to operate passenger cargo services to domestic and regional destinations. Revenue flights commence to destinations in the U. S., Canada, and Mexico.
In 1998-1999, the workforce includes 15 full-time and 5 part-time staff. The fleet, several of which units are now also based at Tulsa, Oklahoma, includes Learjet 24s and Cessna 421 Golden Eagles.
THE RIVER PLATE AVIATION COMPANY, LTD. See CRPA (COMPANIA RIO PLATENSE DE AVIACION, S. A.)
RIVERSIDE AIR SERVICE: 6741 Germende Drive, Riverside, California 92504, United States; Phone (909) 689-1160; Fax (909) 689-1380; Http://www. riversideairservice. com; Year Founded 1959.
Riverside Air Service is established at Riverside Airport in 1959 to provide FBO, aircraft repair, and flight instruction services. Over the next 41 years, the company also enters the air charter business, providing Cessna 172 and Grumman Gulfstream G1 passenger services to points initially throughout the West and then, nationwide.
By 1998-1999, the company operates from three facilities.
Yvette Bowman schedules the work of 10 pilots at Riverside Municipal Airport. They fly 2 Beech C24R Sierras, and 1 each Grumman G-1159 Gulfstream I, Piper PA-34 Seneca, Beech A36 Bonanza, and Eurocopter AS-355F Twinstar helicopter. The concern in 2000 generates estimated annual sales of between $1 million and $2.5 million.
Owner Joe Pagan personally heads the company’s 11-person charter department at Houston (HOU). He oversees the schedule of 6 pilots who fly from the Texas base with 1 each Citation I and a Beech 18 freighter. Pagan also stations a single Citation I at Merida Airport in Mexico. These two branches generate almost as much in annual revenues as does the parent organization.
RLA (REGIONAL LINEAS AEREAS, S. A.): Calle Agueboi 7, Madrid, E-28042, Spain; Phone 34 (1) 329-0500; Fax 34 (1) 3293323; Http://www. irinfo. es/aviacion/regional. html; Code XG; Year Founded 1995. In April 1995, the French regional carrier Regional Airlines, S. A. joins with the Spanish air taxi Gestair Executive Jet, S. A. (51% majority shareholder) to establish this Spanish subsidiary at Madrid. Although $205,000 capitalization is provided, the new subsidiary, led by President Jesus Macarron, is prevented from launching service by the faster acquisition by Air Nostrum, S. A. of a coveted route from Vitoria to Bilbao. The firm will remain a paper enterprise for some time. Instead, a code-sharing agreement is by reached by Regional Airlines, S. A. with Iberia Spanish Airlines (2) (Lineas Aereas de Es-pana, S. A.) for French-Spanish services.
During the spring of 1996, RLA is given a Regional Airlines, S. A. SAAB 340B and is able to inaugurate a single route from Porto to Toulouse via Madrid. It continues without change, remaining an embryonic operation into 1998.
A code-sharing agreement is signed with PGA-Portugalia Airlines (Companhia Portuguesa de Transportes Aereos, S. A) in January 1999. Under its terms, the two are able to sell tickets on each other’s new direct, twice-daily roundtrips between Lisbon and Casablanca. The service is operated with a Beech 1900D, newly acquired by RLA. The new partnership service will be flown thrice weekly beginning on October 29, 2000.
ROADWAY GLOBAL AIR: United States (1993-1995). A subsidiary of the giant trucking concern Roadway Services, Roadway Global Air is formed in summer 1993 to offer all-cargo services to 21 cities from a hub at Terre Haute, Indiana. Revenue services commence on September 21 with 2 former Continental Airlines Douglas DC-9-15RCs that have been converted into freighters.
Contracts are signed with Kitty Hawk Air Cargo and Express One
And the new entrant begins to fly, on their behalf, 1 each Boeing 727-23F, B-727-25F, B-727-35F, B-727-81F, and B-727-82F. Traffic and financial figures are not separately released.
In February 1994, the fleet is expanded by the addition of a third DC-9-15RC; two leased Convair 600Fs and three CV-640Fs are also received.
Operations continue apace in 1995. During the third week of November, Roadway Services announces its intention to exit the air freight business and sell off RGA’s assets.
ROAN AIR, LTD.: Zambia (1948-1999). Originally established as Northern Rhodesia Aviation Services, Ltd. in 1948, this operator exists only to operate charter services on behalf of the area’s Copperbelt mining industry. In 1965, the company, a subsidiary of the Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines, Ltd., is reformed and renamed Mines Air Services, doing business as Roan Air, Ltd. In addition to its corporate business, the carrier now offers public charters from Lusaka to Ndola, Kitwe, Mfuwe, Livingstone/Victoria Falls, Kasaba Bay, and Chipata.
In April 1998, Mines Air Services is privatized through a management buyout. The reformed company is now known exclusively as Roan Air, Ltd. Scheduled services are introduced between Lusaka, Ndola, and Kitwe. Under the leadership of Gregory Havermahl, the company is purchased by Zambian ownership on September 2, 1999 and is renamed Zambia Airways, Ltd.
ROBERTSON AIR. See RED BARON AIRLINES (2)
ROBERTSON AIR LINES. See ROBERTSON AIRPLANE SERVICE COMPANY
ROBERTSON AIRCRAFT CORPORATION: United States (1921-1929). Brothers Frank and William Robertson, ex-military pilots, establish Robertson Aircraft Corporation at St. Louis, Missouri, in 1921. With financial investment from local businessmen, the two bid on Contract Air Mail (CAM) Route No. 2, St. Louis to Chicago, during the summer of 1925. After the U. S. Post Office makes the award on October 7, a total of $30,000 is invested in establishing the carrier. Four de Havilland DH 4Bs are purchased and converted into DH 4M mailplanes; painted aluminum and red, the quartet receives numbers 109 to 112. Three Curtiss Orioles are also obtained.
Once the spring 1926 services of three pilots are obtained, plane no. 109 inaugurates scheduled mail service to Chicago via Springfield and Peoria on April 15. The pilot is Charles A. Lindbergh and this is the first of many routes he will open over the next decade. Flights continue throughout the remainder of the year.
Lindbergh encounters heavy fog while attempting to land DH 4M no. 112 at Chicago on September 16. When the plane runs out of gas, the pilot bails out over Ottawa, Illinois. Caught in snow and darkness in DH 4M no. 109 near Covell, Illinois, on November 3, Lindbergh is again forced to bail out. Subsidy payments received during the year are $71,644.
DH 4M no. 110 is wrecked during January 1927. In February, Lindbergh details his survival experiences in a brief U. S. Air Services article, “Going Over the Side in a Parachute,” (pp. 42-43).
RAC alumni Lindbergh wins world fame in May when he becomes the first to fly across the Atlantic alone. Caught in a storm over Ellsmore, Missouri, on June 28, pilot Leslie Smith crashes DH 4M no. 111 into a hill; his is the only death suffered by the company. Having lost all of its single-engine mailplanes, Robertson now acquires two new Ford 4-ATs, several Douglas M-4s, and a Travel Air 5000. By year’s end, the St. Louis-Chicago route is fully lighted.
Famous after his transatlantic flight, Lindbergh returns to a hero’s welcome at Robertson’s facilities in late February 1928. He agrees to participate in a special February 20-21 St. Louis-Chicago mail flight using the Douglas mailplanes and the Travel Air. All of the company’s pilots participate in the operation and “Lindy” flies with each a part of the distance: Philip R. Love, Thomas P. Nelson, Harlan E. “Bud” Gurney, E. L. Sloniger, and Leslie Smith. A total of 4,278 pounds are transported comprising 250,000 pieces, the letters among them being stamped “Lindbergh Again Flies the Air Mail.”
On June 28, Leslie H. Smith is killed when his DH 4B is caught in a storm at Ellsmore, Missouri, and crashes. Also in June, plane no. 111, a DH 4B, is lost in a nonfatal crash. During the spring, negotiations are concluded with the Illinois Central Railroad for a ticket interchange. In addition to mail, the Fords (flown by Gurney and Sloniger) and Travel Air are employed to open passenger service on August 20; the $40 oneway flight requires three hours flying time. On November 15, a new two-and-a-half hour nonstop passenger service is inaugurated across Missouri to Kansas City.
On December 31, 1929, the company is one of the first acquired by the new Universal Aviation Corporation (for $300,000), which converts it into an operating subsidiary and where the remainder of its story is told. The Robertson Aircraft Corporation continues in a nonflying capacity and joins with Clement M. Keys to form the Curtiss-Robertson Company for the manufacturer of Curtiss Robins. Later, Robertson obtains CAM-28 St. Louis-Kansas City-Omaha and sells access to the first segment to U. A.C.
ROBERTSON AIRPLANE SERVICE COMPANY: United States (1930-1934). Following the sale of the air transport division of their Robertson Aircraft Corporation to Universal Aviation Corporation, Frank and William Robertson establish this subsidiary in the spring of 1930 to offer scheduled, multistop passenger service from St. Louis to New Orleans. The pair had previously operated the St. Louis-based Cur-tiss-Robertson Company for the manufacture of Curtiss Robin aircraft,
Equipping their carrier with a Ryan B-1 Brougham and three B-5s, the brothers inaugurate scheduled passenger services from St. Louis to New
Orleans on April 27 via Memphis, Tennessee, and Clarksdale, Greenwood, and Jackson, Mississippi.
Operations continue into 1931 as application is made for an airmail route and merger discussions are held with the New Orleans-based Wedell-Williams Air Service Corporation. Noting that the Robertsons did not qualify for airmail subsidy under terms of the McNarry-Waters Act, Postmaster General Walter Fogler Brown awards all available routes in their area to American Airways on June 15.
Following this setback, passenger service and the on-again, off-again discussions with Wedell-Williams Air Service Corporation continue in 1932. Operations effectively end in December 1933, as the company has only carried 884 passengers and 12 pounds of air express in the previous 6 months.
When the government relets bids for the nation’s airmail routes following the Air Mail Scandal and the Army’s unsuccessful attempt to carry the mail in February and March 1934, the Robertsons make application for subsidy for CAM-8 Chicago-New Orleans and CAM-20 New Orleans-Houston.
Although CAM-20 is won, the Robertsons lose the Mississippi Valley CAM 8 to Pacific Seaboard Airlines, which underbids them by one cent per mile. The former American Airlines CAM-20 is inaugurated on July 25. Wedell-Williams Air Service Corporation acquires CAM-20 at the end of December when Frank Robertson becomes ill, forcing the brothers to leave the airline business.
ROBIN AIR LINES: United States (1951-1952). “One of history’s unluckiest airlines” is the epitaph that might be applied to Robin Air Lines. Originally established as North Continent Air Lines in the summer of 1951, the company, based at New York, acquires a Curtiss C-46 Commando with which to operate passenger charters.
Hardly do flights begin when the aircraft makes a belly landing at Cobourg, Ontario, on December 20. Although no injuries are reported, the aircraft is badly damaged; unknown at the time, it will take longer to repair it than the company has left to fly.
A replacement Commando is leased on March 28, 1952. While on ILS approach to the airport at Burbank, the aircraft, piloted by Capt. Lewis R. Powell and operating as Flight 416W from Chicago via Phoenix with 4 other crew and 25 passengers, descends below minimum altitude and crashes at Whittier, California, on April 18 (29 dead). There will be no third aircraft sought as the company immediately goes bankrupt.
ROBINSON AIRLINES: United States (1945-1953). Beginning in early 1945, local Ithaca, New York, businessman C. S. Robinson employs a Fairchild F-24W to fly to Teterboro, New Jersey near New York City, site of his business. So many acquaintances seek transport that the entrepreneur elects to acquire a small Cessna and establish a charter operation, Robinson Aviation, Inc.
On April 6, an airline division is organized. A second Fairchild F-24W is purchased and two more pilots are hired, including Robert E. Peach, future executive vice president. Two Cessna T-50s join the fleet in the fall and a total of 900 passengers are carried on the year.
In 1946, capacity requirements force Robinson to sell his Fairchilds and Cessnas and replace them with four larger Beech 18s. In 1947, company officials plan to enlarge their carrier from a small intrastate shuttle to a regional airline and argue for this plan before the CAB.
To help convince the regulatory body of its viability, Robinson demonstrates support from various community segments, including a large investment from the Ithaca-based farm co-op Grange League Federation. Service is inaugurated between Westchester County Airport and upstate New York on November 4.
On February 28, 1948, the division is upgraded into an air transport company and is renamed Robinson Airlines. Edwin A. Link, inventor of the trainer named for him and a member of the board of directors, lends Robinson $75,000 to help finance the acquisition of three Douglas DC-3s.
With its local service authority achieved from the government in February, the company is able to seek additional private investments (convertible debentures) totaling $456,000 from prominent businessmen along the proposed route network to New York City. Much of this activity is led by Robert Peach, now general manager and executive vice president. Scheduled Douglas flights commence on September 18. Service from Albany to the southern tier is undertaken as of November 6.
During 1949, the fleet is increased to a total of 5 DC-3s and enplane-ments for the first full year of service are 43,000. Five more Douglas transports join the fleet in early 1950. Peach expands the route network, adding an east-west service connecting Buffalo and Albany and a north-south link to New York City from Watertown.
Service is inaugurated on August 29 from Newark to Utica and Rome, New York. En route from Utica to Newark on September 4, a DC-3 with 3 crew and 20 passengers, after losing engine parts 50 feet up after takeoff, crashes into trees near Oneida County Airport. No one survives and an entire family of five is among the victims.
Despite the tragedy, bookings continue to accelerate in 1951-1952 and on July 11 of the latter year, daily Albany to Buffalo service is begun. On January 1, 1953, Robinson is renamed Mohawk Airlines (1).
ROCKFORD AIR CHARTER: United States (1964-1968). Organized at Rockford, Illinois, in the fall of 1964, RAC begins Cessna light-plane all-freight flights to Chicago on November 20. These nonsched-uled all-cargo operations continue until the spring of 1968.
ROCKHAMPTON AERIAL SERVICES (PTY.), LTD.: Australia (1931-1936). RASL is formed at Rockhampton, Queensland, in the fall of 1931. Equipped with de Havilland DH 50As, the carrier begins twice-weekly Brisbane-Rockhampton services on October 2. This route is maintained through 1932-1933.
On February 18, 1934, a weekly, subsidized frequency is started from Rockhampton to Mount Coolon. Traffic declines in the face of depression in 1935 and on September 14, 1936, the company is purchased by Airlines of Australia (Pty.), Ltd.
World History
