Red Baron Airlines

Infobox_Airline | airline=Red Baron Airlines
logo=Redbaronairlines.jpg
logo_size=100
IATA=
ICAO=
callsign=
parent=Roberson Air Inc.
founded=June 11, 1979
ceased=June 13, 1980
headquarters=West Palm Beach, FL
key_people=Clive E. Roberson, M.D. and Rudolph P. Scheerer, M.D.
hubs=Palm Beach International Airport
frequent_flyer=
lounge=
alliance=
fleet_size=
destinations=Gainesville, FL, Tallahassee, FL
website=

History

Red Baron Airlines was a small U.S. regional airline based out of Palm Beach International Airport and operating solely within Florida. It was started as a joint venture between Clive E. Roberson and Rudolph P. Scheerer [ [http://amelia.db.erau.edu/reports/ntsb/aar/AAR81-05.pdf NTSB Accident Report] ] . It was a member of the Commuter Airline Association of America. It offered weekday flights starting in the morning from West Palm Beach, FL and stopping in Gainesville, FL before continuing to Tallahassee, FL. In the afternoon the route was the reverse. The airline was expecting to benefit from the large number of students that would travel to/from The University of Florida in Gainesville and Florida State University in Tallahassee. [ [http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/red.htm Red Baron Airlines Timetable and route map images] ] In May of 1980 an FAA Special Investigative Team found discrepancies in the company's maintenance manuals and recommended that a recertification be required. On May 23, 1980 the company voluntarily ceased operations while the discrepancies were corrected. An on-scene inspection verified these corrections and its air carrier certificate was returned on May 30, 1980. On June 13, 1980 Scheerer Air acquired 100% of Roberson Air Inc. [ [http://amelia.db.erau.edu/reports/ntsb/aar/AAR81-05.pdf NTSB Report] ]

The airline later became Florida Commuter Airlines. The airline name changed to Southern Airlines [ [http://www.airlinehistory.co.uk/Americas/USA/Airlines.asp#F Airline History by David Lyall] ] in 1981 shortly after their Douglas DC-3 crashed in the Bahamas on September 12, 1980. [ [http://www.airdisaster.com/cgi-bin/view_details.cgi?date=09121980&reg=N75KW&airline=Florida+Commuter+Airlines Accident Database] ] .

References