Florida Commuter Airlines

Last updated
Florida Commuter Airlines
Fcalogo.jpg
IATA ICAO Callsign
FCA
FoundedJune 13, 1980
Ceased operations1981
Hubs Palm Beach International Airport
Fleet size3
Destinations Gainesville, FL, Tallahassee, FL, Jacksonville, FL, Freeport, Bahamas
Parent company Scheerer Air, Inc.
Headquarters West Palm Beach, FL
Key people Rudolph P. Scheerer, M.D.

Florida Commuter Airlines was a small U.S. regional airline based out of Palm Beach International Airport that evolved directly from Roberson Air, Inc., which did business as Red Baron Airlines. This happened when Dr. Rudolph P. Scheerer bought out Dr. Clive E. Roberson for a 100% stake in the airline on June 13, 1980. The management structure remained the same except for Dr. Clive E. Roberson. On July 24, 1980, Florida Commuter Airlines received its carrier operating certificate as a commuter and charter operator. It was certified to fly 2 DC-3s and a Piper PA-31 Navajo. On September 9, 1980, an interline agreement was signed with Air Florida. An interline and a bilateral agreement was also signed with Eastern Airlines. [1]

Contents

Route

The airline offered weekday flights starting in the morning from West Palm Beach, Florida, and stopping in Gainesville, Florida, before continuing to Tallahassee, Florida, and then Jacksonville, Florida. In the afternoon the route was the reverse. Finally in the late afternoon the flight path was West Palm Beach, Gainesville, Tallahassee, and the reverse for the evening. On Saturday and Sunday, Jacksonville was not a destination. [2]

The airline later became Southern Airlines [3] in 1981 shortly after the Florida Commuter Airlines crash of a Douglas DC-3 in the Bahamas on September 12, 1980, and ceased operations completely soon after that. [4]

Accidents and incidents

See also

Related Research Articles

Silver Airways is a regional airline in the United States with its headquarters in Hollywood, Florida near Fort Lauderdale. It was founded in 2011 with assets from the former Gulfstream International Airlines, and currently operates scheduled flights from its hubs in Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and Tampa, Florida as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico. The airline started flying on December 15, 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport</span> Third busiest airport serving the Tampa Bay area, Florida, United States

St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport is a public/military airport in Pinellas County, Florida, United States, serving the Tampa Bay Area. It is right on the northeast municipal boundary of Pinellas Park, 9 miles (14 km) north of downtown St. Petersburg, 7 miles (11 km) southeast of Clearwater, and 17 miles (27 km) southwest of Tampa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gainesville Regional Airport</span> Airport in within Gainesville municipal boundary

Gainesville Regional Airport is a public airport three miles northeast of Gainesville, in Alachua County, Florida, United States. It is owned by Gainesville-Alachua Co. Auth. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a primary commercial service airport.

Panama City–Bay County International Airport(IATA: PFN, ICAO: KPFN, FAA LID: PFN) was a public airport 3 miles (4.8 km) northwest of Panama City, in Bay County, Florida. It was owned and operated by the Panama City–Bay County Airport and Industrial District. All airline services moved to the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport on May 22, 2010, but the airfield was open to general aviation aircraft until October 1, 2010. The grounds will eventually be turned over to LUK-MB1 LLC, which plans to remove the runways and build homes, shops, walking trails and a marina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palm Beach International Airport</span> Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, US

Palm Beach International Airport is a public airport in Palm Beach County, Florida, located just west of the city of West Palm Beach, Florida, United States, for which it serves as the primary airport. It is also the primary airport for most of Palm Beach County, serving the suburbs and cities of Wellington, Boynton Beach, Jupiter, and Palm Beach Gardens. It is the third busiest airport in the Miami metropolitan area after Miami International Airport and Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport. The airport is operated by Palm Beach County's Department of Airports. Road access to the airport is direct from I-95, Southern Boulevard, and Congress Avenue. The airport is bordered on the west by Military Trail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pensacola International Airport</span> International airport in Pensacola, Florida, United States

Pensacola International Airport, formerly Pensacola Gulf Coast Regional Airport and Pensacola Regional Airport, and temporarily branded Pensacola Intergalactic Airport each February in recognition of the local Pensacon convention, is a public use airport three nautical miles northeast of the central business district of Pensacola, in Escambia County, Florida, United States. It is owned by the City of Pensacola. Despite its name, the airport does not offer scheduled international flights, though chartered international flights are not uncommon. This airport is one of the five major airports in North Florida, and among these is the second largest by passenger count, only behind Jacksonville. The other airports in the North Florida region are: Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport, Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport, Tallahassee International Airport, and Jacksonville International Airport.

Tallahassee International Airport Airport in Florida, U.S.

Tallahassee International Airport is a city-owned airport five miles southwest of downtown Tallahassee, in Leon County, Florida, United States. It serves the state capital of Florida, and its surrounding areas; it is one of the major airports in north Florida, the others being Pensacola, Northwest Florida Beaches, and Jacksonville. Despite its name, it does not service any international destinations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piedmont Airlines</span> American regional airline, operating since 1962, using the current name since 1993

Piedmont Airlines, Inc. is an American regional airline headquartered at the Salisbury Regional Airport in Wicomico County, Maryland, near the city of Salisbury. The airline is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the American Airlines Group and it is paid by fellow group member American Airlines to staff, operate and maintain aircraft used on American Eagle flights that are scheduled, marketed and sold by American Airlines. Piedmont also provides ground handling and customer service for airports in the northeastern and western United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Airways</span> Defunct regional airline of the United States (1949–1979)

Southern Airways was a regional airline in the United States, from its founding by Frank Hulse in 1949 until 1979, when it merged with North Central Airlines to become Republic Airlines. Southern's corporate headquarters were in Birmingham, with operations headquartered at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, near Atlanta.

Chalk's International Airlines, formerly Chalk's Ocean Airways, was an airline with its headquarters on the grounds of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in unincorporated Broward County, Florida near Fort Lauderdale. It operated scheduled seaplane services to the Bahamas. Its main base was Miami Seaplane Base (MPB) until 2001, with a hub at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. On September 30, 2007, the United States Department of Transportation revoked the flying charter for the airline, and later that year, the airline ceased operations.

Grand Bahama International Airport (GBIA) is an international airport in Freeport, Bahamas. It was privately owned until the government of the Bahamas purchased it in April 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daytona Beach International Airport</span> Airport within Daytona Beach city limits

Daytona Beach International Airport is a county-owned airport located three miles (5 km) southwest of Daytona Beach, next to Daytona International Speedway, in Volusia County, Florida, United States. The airport has 3 runways, a six-gate domestic terminal, and an international terminal. Daytona Beach is the headquarters of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

North Palm Beach County Airport, also known as North County Airport, is an uncontrolled (non-towered) general aviation airport located 12 nautical miles northwest of West Palm Beach off the Bee Line Highway in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. The airport is owned by Palm Beach County and operated by the Palm Beach County Airports Department. Opened in 1994, it is the county's newest airport. It is located next to the site of the "fake" town of Apix, Florida.

Mackey Airlines, Inc., later known as Mackey International Airlines, was an American airline that primarily served Florida and The Bahamas. At one point, the airline also operated Douglas DC-8 jetliners in scheduled passenger service between Florida, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ocala International Airport</span> Airport

Ocala International Airport is five miles west of Ocala, in Marion County, Florida, United States. It is also known as Ocala International Airport-Jim Taylor Field and was previously Ocala Regional Airport or Jim Taylor Field.

National Airlines was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1934 to 1980, when it merged with Pan Am. For most of its existence the company was headquartered at Miami International Airport, Florida. At its height, National Airlines had a network of "Coast-to-Coast-to-Coast" flights, linking Florida and Gulf Coast destinations such as New Orleans and Houston with cities along the East Coast as far north as Boston as well as with large cities on the West Coast including Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. From 1970 to 1978, National, Braniff International Airways, Pan American World Airways and Trans World Airlines (TWA) were the only U.S. airlines permitted to operate scheduled passenger flights to Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air New Orleans</span> Airline based in Birmingham, Alabama

Air New Orleans was an airline based in Birmingham, Alabama that was conceived as a commuter air carrier to provide scheduled passenger service to cities throughout the Southeastern United States from Texas to Florida. The airline was founded in 1981 in Panama City, Florida and operated scheduled passenger service between 1981 and 1988.

Red Baron Airlines was a small U.S. regional airline based at Palm Beach International Airport and operating solely within Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida Commuter Airlines Flight 65</span>

On September 12, 1980, Florida Commuter Airlines Flight 65, operating from West Palm Beach, Florida to Freeport, Bahamas, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near West End Settlement on Grand Bahama Island. The Douglas DC-3A used on the flight was not recovered and all 34 persons on board were killed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Airways Express</span> Airline of the United States

Southern Airways Express is a commuter airline operating across the United States with headquarters in Palm Beach, Florida. Southern Airways Express, commonly referred to as 'Southern', acts as a local service airline for dozens of cities across all U.S. time zones. The majority of Southern's routes are subsidized through the Essential Air Service program by the United States Department of Transportation.

References

  1. NTSB Accident Report Archived 2006-09-21 at the Wayback Machine
  2. Florida Commuter Airlines Timetable and route map images
  3. Airline History by David Lyall
  4. {{{1}}} [usurped]
  5. "N75KW Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
  6. "Aircraft Accident Report" (PDF). Air Disaster (originally published by National Transportation Safety Board). Archived from the original on 1 December 2010. Retrieved 24 July 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)