Getting around made easy

As many had predicted, in America, the end of World War II heralded a boom in commercial passenger aviation. The bonanza wasn’t limited to the major trunk operators. Not only were surplus aircraft available in large numbers (at bargain prices) but so were ex-military pilots, navigators and aircraft mechanics to fly and service them. Non-scheduled operations such as air taxis and charters sprang up overnight, many becoming “FBO’s,” or Fixed Base Operators. The FBOs, originally categorized by the CAB as “Others,” in 1947, were subsequently deemed “Small Irregular Carriers,” and in 1952, the CAB granted this category exemption to operate scheduled services.

By the early 1960s, scheduled air taxi operators were beginning to reach out beyond purely local services to intra-city services on short routes. This resulted in their being given a new designation — “third-level,” or “regional,” carriers. But the carriers themselves never officially accepted the third-level designation, preferring the more popular “commuter airlines.”

For their part, the trunk airlines were happy to turn over some of their shorter routes to their airline brethren, no matter what they called themselves. The commuter services multiplied so quickly that the CAB could scarcely keep pace with certification. By 1965, official listings nationwide numbered more than 50 airlines.

Though growth of the category continued unabated in the years that followed, in 1978, the Airline Deregulation Act signaled the beginning of the end. Competitive pressures obliterated the relative security of a regulated fare structure. Aggressively promoted low fares jeopardized the chances of profitability of small or even medium size companies. As the eighties unfolded, big fish swallowed smaller ones in a feeding frenzy. The era in which airlines could express an individual or regional identity and character was swallowed up with them.

Among the many colorful commuter airlines which at one time or another vied for space in Florida skies, four are showcased below. Readers looking for additional information will find an invaluable resource provided by Sunshine Skies – Sunshine Skies, a website wholly dedicated to showcasing commuter and regional airlines serving Florida and Georgia.

Chalk’s Flying Service a category pioneer

South Florida’s Chalk’s Flying Service was one of the earliest operators to fit the category of a commuter airline. Founded in 1917 by World War I pilot Arthur Burns “Pappy” Chalk (who subsequently billed his airline as “The World’s Oldest Airline”), Chalk’s began life as Red Arrow Flying Service, operating charter flights between Miami and Bimini. The service consisted of a single 3-seat Sinson Voyager fitted with floats, docked at the Royal Palm Hotel. Burns’ ticket office was a small table under a beach umbrella and his reservations system a crank telephone hanging from a pole. For the next 90 years, Chalk’s was to become a beloved South Florida fixture.

During Prohibition, Chalk’s thrived, ferrying bootleggers and their customers to Bimini. With business thriving, in 1926 Burns established a base on Watson Island between Miami and Miami Beach and upgraded his inventory. Watson Island was to become the airline’s home for the next 75 years. By the time Prohibition was repealed, in 1933, Chalks was well established, operating regularly scheduled flights to Bimini and Nassau. A new “Stay through May” tourist slogan emphasized turning Miami into a year-round playground, and despite the Depression, those seeking fun, glamor and a booming nightlife could find it in the Magic City.  Chalk’s clientele included a number of the glamorous set. Ernest Hemingway enjoyed the big game fishing in Bimini and was reputedly a frequent flier. Errol Flynn, Ava Gardner, Lana Turner, Judy Garland, and Howard Hughes were all Chalk’s fans as was gangland mobster Al Capone. Over the ensuing decades the airline continued to safely and reliably carry passengers to the islands, including British royalty, rockstars and business titans.

Burns retired in 1966, and in 1970 sold Chalk’s to Dean Franklin, a Chalk’s pilot of 30 years. In 1974, the airline was acquired by Resorts International, the Bahamian casino operator owned by Donald Trump (and, subsequently, following a bitter takeover battle, by television entertainer Merv Griffin). It was used to shuttle gamblers to the resort’s Paradise Island casino. Resorts built a runway near the casino and modernized Chalk’s fleet with landplanes. However, the iconic seaplanes remained on view, still so much a part of the Miami scene that the opening montage of the 1980s TV series, “Miami Vice,” featured a Chalk’s plane swooping past palm trees and ocean liners. Burns himself did not live to see the series, having passed away in 1977, just shy of his 90th birthday.

As maintenance costs mounted and casino subsidies ceased, Chalk’s struggled financially. Attempts to diversify routes, including Miami–Key West flights, weren’t profitable. Ownership passed through multiple hands—briefly rebranded as Pan Am Air Bridge—before entering bankruptcy in the late 1990s.

Former Eastern Airlines pilot James Confalone purchased the airline in 1999 and relaunched it as Chalk’s Ocean Airways with a fleet expansion. After relocating to Fort Lauderdale post-9/11 due to security concerns, tragedy struck in 2005 when Flight 101 crashed off Miami Beach, killing all on board. Metal fatigue was cited as the cause, and in 2007, the airline’s operating authority was revoked, ending its 90-year legacy.

At left: Chalk’s route map, courtesy Glenn L. Martin Maryland Aviation Museum

Florida Air Lines racks up passengers and routes

One of the most successful commuter airlines to spring up after World War II was Florida Air Lines, which began life in 1945 as Florida Air Taxi, operating between Peter O’Knight Airport in Tampa and Albert Whitted Field in St. Petersburg. By 1966 it had been renamed Florida Air Lines, had 24 employees, a fleet of 10 planes and was flying five flights daily between Fort Meyers and Tampa, supplementing NAL’s service to the two cities. It also provided service to Ocala, Gainesville and Jacksonville. By 1970 its fleet had grown to 15 aircraft and its route had expanded to include Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte, Sarasota and Bradenton. That year, the CAB also gave Florida Air Lines permission to operate DC-3s, which became the backbone of the airline’s feet (in the 1970s Florida Air Lines claimed to have the largest fleet of DC-3s in the world). As the decade advanced, Florida Air Lines became one of the largest commuter carriers in Florida, acquiring both Air South and Shawnee Airlines in 1975, which it operated as subsidiaries. Its acquisition of Shawnee allowed it to expand its routes to Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Orlando, Freeport and Nassau.

The combination of a sluggish economy and the changing aviation landscape brought about by the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 took a toll on Florida Air Lines, as it did on so many others. On January 11, 1980, Florida Air Lines filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11.

Passing the torch

On December 31, 1979, Arsdale Sr. stepped down as president, and his two sons, John Jr. and Peter, took over the helm. It was at this time that the airline officially adopted the shorter name, “PBA,” on its branded materials and schedules, dropping all references to Naples Airlines. The early 1980s saw a period of rapid expansion, with PBA’s new leadership taking the airline public in 1981. Interline agreements were signed with Delta and Eastern and additional aircraft were added to the fleet.

By the middle of the decade, in addition to Provincetown, Boston, and Hyannis, PBA’s northern routes encompassed Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, New Bedford and Burlington. PBA’s Florida routes covered the entire state from Tallahassee to Jacksonville to Tampa, Naples, Sarasota-Bradenton, Ft. Meyers, Key West, Marathon and Miami, as well as smaller cities in between. An article appearing in “Florida Trend,” in February 1984 states that at that time, PBA’s fleet numbered about 79 planes, the largest being the Japanese Nihon YS-11s. Its workhorses were its dozen DC-3s, supplemented by a number of Cessna 402s and Martin 404s. The Brazilian built twin-engine turbo prop, the Embraer Bandeirante, had also just been added to the fleet. This versatility allowed PBA to match the appropriate aircraft size to passenger demand in both markets.

By late 1984, after buying Marco Island Airways in October, PBA was headed towards another banner year. In addition to Marco Island, five new Bahamas destinations now added to its route system. On November 1, PBA added another five destinations—Gainesville, Panama City, New Orleans, Charleston, and Savannah—raising its 1984 total to 11 new markets in 10 months. Three more were slated to be added before the year’s end. In early November, John Jr. was able to proudly announce to employees that PBA was the first commuter airline in the country to board a million passengers in a single year, making it America’s leading regional airline.

First sign of trouble

However, for the first time in the company’s history, in early September, PBA had suffered a disaster involving a fatality. On a flight from Tampa to Naples, both engines suddenly shut down. The pilot managed to land the crippled aircraft in a field, but it burst into flames upon impact. One passenger was killed and five others injured. Investigators subsequently determined that the aircraft, a Cessna 402, had been incorrectly fueled with jet fuel rather than aviation gasoline. The airline was grounded for this and other safety violations by the FAA in November but allowed to resume service two weeks later. Then, on December 6th, tragedy struck again. Thirteen people were killed when the tail of an Embraer Bandeirante Bandit detached from the aircraft shortly after takeoff from Jacksonville. Though a subsequent investigation determined that the crash was caused by a design flaw and was not the responsibility of the airline, public backlash was intense. Passengers began to stay away in droves and the airline’s profits nosedived, causing it to enter a downward spiral.

Help arrives but is short-lived

In February 1, 1985 PBA was given a new lease on life by Hugh Culverhouse, the founding owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who took over the airline in a non-cash deal in exchange for voting control of the stock. Culverhouse injected $1 million in capital into the ailing airline. Peter Van Arsdale, then president, was reassigned to a No. 2 spot, as Vice President. However, the financial situation of the airline was worse than thought. On March 13, the company filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 11. In October, competition from a new jet-served commuter service to ten Florida cities, Piedmont Shuttle, put another dent in PBA’s operations and further alarmed anxious bank creditors. Under pressure, Culverhouse withdrew his support and returned voting control of the airline back over to the Van Arsdales, with Peter Van Arsdale back in charge. PBA had to agree to scale back its operations considerably to appease the banks, laying off a fourth of its staff to avoid being shut down by the bankruptcy court. By May of the following year, half of the Florida cities it served had been eliminated from its route maps and a third of its planes had been sold or remained on the ground.

A proud history comes to an end

In May 1986, People Express took PBA out of bankruptcy, and restructured its routes to feed its Newark hub. PBA’s Miami base was closed. The ensuing years were marked by additional airline consolidations and PBA was never again able to regain its position as an autonomous airline. As the decade came to an end, in late 1988, even its Boston-Provincetown route was discontinued. On September 7, 1988, PBA’s operating certificate was officially retired, marking the end of a proud history encompassing four decades of leading regional services.