Chalk's International Airlines

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Chalk's International Airlines (IATA: OP, ICAO: CHK, and Callsign: Chalks), formerly Chalk's Ocean Airways, is an airline based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Chalk's has claimed to be the oldest continuously operating airline in the world, having begun operations in 1917 and scheduled flights in February 1919, and having only ceased operations for three years due to World War II, four months due to 1992's Hurricane Andrew, and eleven months due to a crash on December 19, 2005. Though this title is usually officially given to KLM of the Netherlands.

1 History
2 Services
3 Fleet
4 Accidents
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

The airline was founded by Arthur "Pappy" Chalk, and started ad-hoc charter operations in 1917. After "Pappy" Chalk served in the Army Air Corps in World War I, he returned to Miami and commenced scheduled service between Miami and Bimini in the Bahamas in February 1919 as Chalk's Airlines. During prohibition, Chalk's was a major source of smuggling alcohol from the Bahamas to the United States.

In 1926 a landfill island, Watson Island, was created in Biscayne Bay close to Miami. Chalk's built an air terminal there, and operated from the island for the next 75 years.

Chalk continued to be involved in the daily operations of the airline until he retired in 1975. He died in 1977 at the age of 88.

In the 1980s Resorts International purchased Chalk's Airlines, which became the primary air carrier to Paradise Island, near the Bahamanian capital Nassau, where Resorts International owned and operated hotels and other resort facilities. Resorts International sold Chalk's in 1991 to United Capital Corp. of Illinois

United Capital expanded Chalk's service to Key West, Florida. In 1996, United sold Chalk's to a group of investors, who operated the airline under the name Pan Am Air Bridge. In early 1998, Texas-based aircraft lease company Air Alaska purchased 70% of Pan Am Air Bridge, but following the collapse of Air Alaska, Pan Am Air Bridge filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February 1999. Later the same month the company re-emerged as Chalk's International Airlines. Chalk's emerged from Chapter 11 under new ownership on August 2, 1999.

On December 17, 1999, the airline was relaunched as Chalk's Ocean Airways. It is wholly owned by Jim Confalone. In 2006 the company reverted to the earlier name of Chalk's International Airlines.

The airline suspended operations after a December 19, 2005, crash. The airline had planned to resume flights between Fort Lauderdale and the Bahamas on November 9, 2006,^[1] but its airworthiness certificate issued by the Bahamas had expired.^[2] As of mid-November 2006, it is flying from Fort Lauderdale to Key West and to St. Petersburg, Florida, using aircraft leased from and operated by Big Sky Airlines.^[3]

[edit] Services

Chalk's operations base was at Watson Island, adjacent to the Port of Miami near downtown Miami, for 75 years, but it was forced to move most of its flights to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport after September 11, 2001, because of security concerns around the port.

Chalk's International Airlines operates services from Fort Lauderdale to the following internationally scheduled destinations (as of January 2005): Bimini and Nassau.

[edit] Fleet

As of October 2006, the company has leased conventional Beechcraft 1900D land planes from Big Sky Airlines while it works with the Federal Aviation Administration to rebuild its fleet of Grumman G-73T Turbine Mallards.^[1]^[4]

[edit] Accidents

On December 19, 2005, Chalk's Ocean Airways Flight 101 from Watson Island to Bimini crashed off Miami Beach, Florida. Witnesses said they saw smoke billowing from the plane before it exploded, with the right wing separating as the aircraft plunged into the ocean. Twenty people — 18 passengers and two pilots — were on board. The Coast Guard recovered 19 bodies initially, then two Miami-Dade firefighters fishing on their day off found the 20th victim on Friday, December 23.

Investigators later identified cracks in the main support beam connecting the wing to the fuselage. The plane was a Grumman G-73T Turbine Mallard, registration N2969, manufactured in 1947. It was the first fatal passenger accident for Chalk's Ocean Airways.[1][2]