ROGERS HEAVY LIFT HELICOPTERS: P. O. Box 4, Clovis, California 93613, United States; Phone (209) 299-5248; Year Founded 1994. RHLH is established by Robin M. Rogers at Clovis on July 1, 1994 as a subsidiary of Fresno-based Rogers Helicopters. Outfitted with four (later five) ex-military Sikorsky CH-54A Flying Cranes, the company is employed in heli-logging, construction, and most importantly, aerial fire fighting. The 41-employee company will, over the next 4 years, receive contracts for work throughout the Western U. S. and Canada, Alaska, and Mexico.
In the spring of 1998, upwards of 277 large fires break out in the Chiapas area of Mexico, which is the scene of a continuing armed revolt. High winds help to spread the blazes and, as in Brunei, immense clouds of smoke from this “Rio Blanco Fire” spread northward, even being reported on several U. S. evening television news programs. Upon a request from the Mexican government and members of the Texas congressional delegation, the U. S. Agency for International Development (AID) provides a $5-million grant to cover the cost of sending American aerial fire-fighting aircraft to southern Mexico.
In mid-May, SEMARNAP, the Mexican Federal Natural Resources Department, joins AID in contracting with Erickson Air Crane for the deployment of an S-64 to assist with the fire’s suppression.
The agencies also sign agreements with Rogers Heavy Lift Helicopters for the use of one of its five Sikorsky CH-54As. The Rogers Sikorsky is on the scene by the end of the month and will continue to operate from bases near Cintalapa and Zanatepec for the next month.
ROGERS HELICOPTERS: 5484 E. Perimeter Road, Fresno, California 93727, United States; Phone (209) 292-5248; Fax (209) 2925240; Http://www. rogershelicopters. com; Year Founded 1962. A veteran flyer for other helicopter companies and pilot of a Consolidated PBY Catalina waterbomber for a year, Harry Rogers borrows $40,000 with which to incorporate his own company at Clovis, California, in 1962.
Over the next 36 years, the family-owned rotary-wing concern undertakes a large number of miscellaneous activities all over the Western U. S. Among these are crop dusting and aerial seeding along the California coast and in the San Joaquin Valley; the transport of guano from caves in the Grand Canyon; a 10-year support commitment to the Helms Creek-Wishon Hydroelectric project; aerial photography; power line survey and pole lift; fire fighting; and search and rescue flights. The subsidiary Rogers Heavy Lift Helicopters is established under the direction of Robin Rogers in 1994. It is equipped with four (later five) exmilitary Sikorsky CH-54As that will be employed largely in heli-logging and fire-fighting activities.
Wanda L. Rogers is Rogers Helicopters president in 1998 and oversees a fleet that includes 2 each Bell 212s, Bell 222s, Eurocopter AS355F1 Twin Stars, 3 each A350D A-Stars and Bell 206L Lon-gRangers; and 1 each Eurocopter BO-105, Sikorsky UH-1B Huey, and Bell 206B JetRanger. Two fixed-wing aircraft are also flown, a Cessna 210T and a Beech King Air 100.
In the spring, upwards of 277 large fires break out in the Chiapas area of Mexico, which is the scene of a continuing armed revolt. High winds help to spread the blazes and, as in Brunei, immense clouds of smoke from this “Rio Blanco Fire” spread northward, even being reported on several U. S. evening television news programs. Under contract to a local air charter operator, Rogers dispatches one each Bell 206B JetRanger and a Bell 212 to assist with fire fighting.
Upon a request from the Mexican government and members of the Texas congressional delegation, the U. S. AID provides a $5-million grant to cover the cost of sending American aerial fire-fighting aircraft to southern Mexico.
The Rogers aircraft, together with those of its Rogers Heavy Lift Helicopters subsidiary, will be based near Cintalapa and Zanatepec through June. During this time, Rogers will also send down its second Bell 212.
ROLAND AIR, GmbH. (ROA): Germany (1980-1991). Roland is established at Bremen to offer seasonal scheduled services linking Neuen-land Airport with Langegoog and Heligoland in the Frisian Islands. A fleet comprising 1 Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander, 2 Cessna 207s, and 1 Cessna 172 inaugurate flights during the summer of 1980.
During the next four years, frequencies are initiated to Borkum, Juist, Norderney, and Wangerooge. A Piper PA-34 Seneca is added in 1984. Managing Director Franz J. Lennefer acquires another Seneca and a second Islander in 1986. In 1987, a Cessna 202C is acquired. Although the Frisian Islands route network does not change in 1988, the fleet is upgraded by the addition of a BN-2A Trislander. Flights to Dusseldorf begin in 1990. The carrier, caught in financial difficulty caused by recession, stops flying in 1991.
ROMAVIA ROMANIAN AIRLINES, S. A.: 1 Blvd. Cantemir B1-B2, P. O. Box 53/76, Bucharest, R-75121, Romania; Phone 40 (1) 330-1086; Fax 40 (1) 330-1049; Code WQ; Year Founded 1991. Ro-
Mavia, the second state-authorized airline, is established at Bucharest by the Ministry of National Defence on April 3, 1991 to provide state VIP flights, as well as scheduled and charter passenger and cargo services, to domestic and regional destinations. Adrian Golenu is appointed director general, with Aurel Stanciu as managing director.
Revenue flights commence in early June from both the capital and Constanta with 3 locally manufactured British Aerospace (Rombac)
111-561RCs and a mixture of Soviet and U. S. equipment: 1 Boeing 707-3K1C, 2 Ilyushin Il-18Ds, 3 former TAROM Romanian Airlines, S. A. Antonov An-26s, and 3 An-24Vs.
Returning from a test flight from Bucharest on January 10, 1992, the B-707-3K1C with 13 crew, lands hard in a left wing low attitude. The No. 1 and 2 engines hit the runway, with the wing beyond the No. 1 engine breaking off. Although the aircraft is damaged beyond repair, there are no fatalities.
Two more ex-TAROM An-26s are placed into service during 1993 as options are taken on two McDonnell Douglas MD-83s and an MD-11.
Operations continue apace in 1994, with a fleet that includes 2 each An-24Bs and Il-18Ds, 2 Mil Mi-8 helicopters, 5 An-26s, and 3 Rombac 111-561RCs, 2 of which are leased to Aero Asia. Destinations visited include Billund, Copenhagen, Karachi, London, St. Petersburg, and Sofia.
An An-24B with 4 crew and 41 passengers fails its takeoff from Verona, Italy, on December 13, 1995, and crashes in flames just outside the airport perimeter; there are no survivors.
Flights continue during the remainder of the decade and services are started to such Mideast destinations as Qatar and the UAE. The company acquires a pair of U. S.-built helicopters: a Bell 222SP, which is flown for Columna Bank, and a Bell 407 operated on behalf of AMA Industries.
A total of 280 workers are employed at the beginning of 2000.
RONSON AVIATION: Trenton-Mercer Airport, Trenton, New Jersey 08628, United States; Phone (609) 771-9500; Fax (609) 771-4366; Year Founded 1995. Ronson is set up at Trenton-Mercer Airport by L.
V. Aronson II in 1995 to operate scheduled commuter flights to Newark and other New Jersey communities. Revenue flights begin with a pair of Beech 99s. A Beech Super King Air 200 is also employed in 1996-2000.
ROOTS AIR LTD. See SKYSERVICE AIRLINES, LTD.
RORAIMA AIRWAYS, LTD.: Georgetown Ogle Airport, Georgetown, Guyana; Phone 592 (2) 59648; Fax 592 (2) 59646; Http://www.
Roraimaairways. com; Code ROR; Year Founded 1992. Roraima is established by Capt. Gerald Gouveia and his wife, Capt. Debra Gouveia, at Georgetown in August 1992 to offer domestic flights to points within Guyana. Employing a fleet of 2 Britten-Norman BN-2 Islanders and 1 Cessna 402B, revenue flights are started in support of the operations of the Omai Gold Mines, Ltd. and the Golden Star Resources, Ltd. Contract geotechnical survey support, aerial surveys, aerial photography, and medical evacuation services follow in 1993.
Managing Director Gerald Gouveia, a former Army Air Corps chief pilot, is joined by another former Army Air Corp chief pilot, Capt. Owen Sandiford, in 1994, becoming Roraima’s chief pilot and director of helicopter operations. He also flies the newly acquired Bell 206L LongRanger helicopter. In 1995, a ground handling and general sales agency division is set up at Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri.
Various kinds of services continue to be flown in 1996-1999. During these years, flights are also begun to Eterinbang, Lethem, Mabaruma, and Skeldon. In addition to contract services on behalf of the Omai Gold Mines and Gold Star Resources, Roraima also supports the activities of the Roraima Mining Co., Ltd., Texaco (West Indies), GT&T, Demerara Timbers, Ltd., the Guyana Defence Force, the Guyana Police Force, the U. S. Embassy, and the Guyana Ministry of Health.
A joint-venture agreement is signed by Managing Director Gouveia and Vice President Capt. Eugenio Molina Anaya of RUTACA (Rutas Aereas, C. A.) on July 19, 2000 providing for twice-weekly, dual-designator roundtrips between Cheddi Jagan International Airport to Puerto Ordaz, Caracas, Venezuela. The government of Guyana approves the route application in early September, clearing the way for the initiation of the new services. Employing a single Embraer EMB-120 Bandeirante, RUTACA opens the route on September 28. Roraima, for its part, provides ground handling and sales.
ROSCOE TURNER AERONAUTICAL CORPORATION. See TURNER AIRLINES
ROSE AVIATION: United States (1968-1969). Based at Hawthorne, California, Rose begins scheduled Piper PA-23 Apache and Aero Commander 500B passenger and commuter flights over local routes on October 6, 1968. The service is maintained for less than a year.
ROSENBAUM AVIATION: United States (1978-1990). Rosenbaum is established at Ypsilanti, Michigan, in 1978 to provide jet freighter contract and leasing services. Employing 1 Douglas DC-8-61CF, 1 DC-8-20F, 5 DC-8-30Fs, plus 1 DC-6BF, the company undertakes flights from bases at Medford, Oregon, and Detroit, many on behalf of Emery Worldwide.
The DC-6BF is destroyed in a hangar explosion at Willow Run Airport on July 17.
A total of 2.1 million FTKs are flown in 1980. That figure plunges 88.4% in 1981, down to 244,000 FTKs. Operations are suspended at year’s end.
Services are resumed in 1982 exclusively on behalf of Emery Worldwide. As the flights are all provided under contract, separate traffic figures are not reported, but are included with those of Emery Worldwide. Sources report, independently, that the DC-8s are flown, with full loads, for approximately 6,000 hours.
Operations, still without firm data, continue apace in 1983-1984 as the fleet is upgraded to include five hush-kitted DC-8-73Fs.
The 150-employee company operates a total of 159 million FTKs in 1985.
Rosenbaum returns in 1986 to its earlier practice of not reporting traffic figures. The fleet, however, is increased and now features 5 DC-8-73Fs and 10 DC-8-63s.
FTKs operated total 662.71 million.
The figure for the 235-employee carrier climbs 14.1% in 1987 to 771.48 million FTKs. Revenues reach $37 million and costs allow a $13.6-million operating profit. Net gain is $8.2 million.
Airline employment increases by a huge 106.6% in 1988 to 486 and the fleet now includes 7 DC-8-73Fs, 14 DC-8-63Fs, and 5 DC-8-62Fs.
Cargo advances by another 37.3% to 1.04 billion FTKs and revenues ascend 24.8% to $46.3 million. With costs held down, operating income moves to $13.81 million and the net profit is $8.23 million.
Traffic remains virtually level in 1989, growing only 0.9% to 1.06 billion FTKs. As a result of this performance, the number of workers is reduced by 5.3% to 460.
On the other hand, revenues zoom upward by 21.6% to $56.26 million. Costs rise 17.9% to $38.26 million and allow an operating profit of $18 million. Net profit climbs to $12.76 million.
The payroll is cut another 34.8% in 1990 to 300 and the DC-8-62Fs are withdrawn.
Cargo declines again, dropping 7.3% to 1.04 billion FTKs. Revenues again ascend, by 45.1%, to $81.66 million, expenses rise 91.3% to $73.21 million, and operating income drops to $8.44 million. The net profit of a year earlier is turned into a $1.92-million loss. Purchased by new ownership, the company is renamed Flagship Express.
ROSS AVIATION: P. O. Box 9124, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87119, United States; Phone (505) 845-4091; Fax (505) 845-6715; Code ZD; Year Founded 1953. Established at Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1953, Ross is now a specialized carrier, the prime function of which is to offer services for the U. S. government’s nuclear scientists. Initially, the company conducts pilot training for the U. S. Army at Fort Rucker, Alabama.
The fleet is upgraded over the years from Douglas DC-3s and Beech 18s in the 1950s and 1960s to turboprops in the 1970s and later. In 1970, Ross wins the U. S. Department of Energy contract to operate its airplanes away from Carco. Scheduled services are introduced in 1975 linking the company’s base with Los Alamos, site of the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory.
Undertaking its operations under appropriate government regulations, all nonscheduled flights over other than its single announced scheduled route will remain secret. During the first 20 years, only one fatal crash is recorded. On May 19, 1972, a Beech B-80 Queen Air crashes at Albuquerque, killing all nine aboard. The first jetliners, two DC-9-15s, are purchased from Emerald Air and Air Florida in 1979.
By 1981, the carrier, which also undertakes charters for the U. S. Department of the Interior, owns a fleet that comprises 2 Douglas DC-9-15s, 1 Fokker F.27F, 2 Fairchild Hiller FH-227Bs, 3 de Havilland Canada DHC-6-200 Twin Otters, and 2 Piper PA-23 Aztecs. In 1982-1983, the Fokker is replaced by a Beech Super King Air 200.
A DHC-7-102 is acquired in 1986 as the Fairchilds are withdrawn. President Lewis Pierce acquires a Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain in 1987. Traffic over the scheduled route to Los Alamos still fluctuates with the conferences, programs, and other activities at the national laboratory.
Continuing to operate charters for the Departments of Energy and Interior, Ross in 1988 operates a fleet of 13 aircraft: 2 DC-9-15s, 2 FH-227Bs, 4 DHC-7-102s, 1 Beech King Air 200,2 Twin Otters, and 2 DC-6s. The aircraft sport a variety of paint schemes, carry no aircraft name, and the larger units operate under the public-aircraft regulations that apply to government-owned airplanes.
A total of 32,608 passengers are flown on the Los Alamos route, a decline of 12.3%.
Customer bookings on the Los Alamos run fall another 8.7% in 1989 to 29,759. Consequently, the fleet servicing that route is reduced to 3 DASH-7s and 1 Twin Otter. The DOE contract, periodically won for almost two decades, is secured again during the year, along with a $175-million payout.
Passenger traffic declines for the Part 121 carrier by 9.3% in 1990 to 27,005 passengers flown.
Passenger boardings on the Los Alamos service drop again in 1991, down by 35.3% to 17,594.
Company employment is reduced by 5.4% in 1992 to 156. Two DASH-7s are replaced by another Twin Otter, a Learjet 35, and a Beech Super King Air 200.
Customer bookings fall another 5.1% to 18,777 and cargo declines 18.6% to 143,000 FTKs.
The payroll is cut another 5.8% in 1993 and the fleet includes 3 leased DC-9-15RCs, 2 chartered DHC-6-300s, and 1 DHC-7-102.
Enplanements halt their free fall and climb 13.4% to 21,290. Freight also rises, by 28.3%, to 543,000 FTKs. Revenues skyrocket 120.8% to $1.66 million.
There is no change in equipment during 1994 as the twenty-fifth anniversary year is celebrated. A total of 22,110 passengers are flown over the Albuquerque to Los Alamos DOE contract route, a 3% increase.
The DOE’s contract airline stops flying to Los Alamos National Laboratory on September 30, 1995. A total of 10,500 passengers are carried prior to the suspension of the company’s unique scheduled service.
Ross now returns to the operation of charter services on behalf of private enterprise. The fleet of President Pierce is not changed during the remainder of the decade.
ROSS-THOMPSON AIRCRAFT COMPANY (PTY.), LTD.: South Africa (1921-1944) . Formed at the end of the previous year by two former military flyers, C. G. Ross and C. R. Thompson, Ross-Thompson attempts to pick up in 1921 where the pioneering South African Aerial Transport (Pty.), Ltd. left off. Employing a pair of Avro 504Ks purchased from the assets of that failed concern, the two operate air charter services throughout Natal and the Transvaal. Flight-seeing and barnstorming demonstrations are also provided at community celebrations, fairs, and holidays.
Flights end in 1924, at which point Maj. Ross joins the South African Air Force, Thompson finds employment with a Johannesburg concern, and the two Avros are sold.
ROSSAIR (PTY.), LTD.: Australia (1975-1994). Rossair (Pty.), Ltd. is started as a general aviation company at Adelaide’s Parafield Airport in South Australia in May 1975. Small planes provide flight training and passenger and cargo air taxi flights. Employing a Cessna 402 and a Cessna 310, scheduled commuter services are inaugurated in 1979 between Adelaide and Mount Gambier in association with Airlines of South Australia (Pty.), Ltd. , the Ansett subsidiary.
By the middle 1980s, the route network has been increased through the addition of stops at Ceduna, Port Lincoln, Streaky Bay, and Whyalla. The fleet, too, is increased as three more Cessna 402s are purchased. Unable to maintain its viability, the regional ceases scheduled flying in 1986.
Charter and contract service flights, however, continue and in 1993, General Manager Jim Hunt’s 85-employee company operates a fleet of 2 Cessna 402s, 3 Cessna 414s, and 1 Cessna 441.
Operations cease in 1994.
ROSSAIR EXECUTIVE AIR CHARTER (PTY.), LTD.: Lanseria Airport, Lanseria, 1748, South Africa; Phone 27 (11) 659-2980; Fax 27 (11) 659-1389; Http://africa. cis. co. za:81/buy/ad/iam/rossair1. html; Year Founded 1956. Rossair is established at Lanseria Airport in 1956 to provide executive and small group passenger flights throughout the nation, including flight-seeing to big game preserves.
By 1998, Rachel Muir is operations director and schedules the work of 11 pilots. The fleet includes 1 Canadair 600 Challenger and 2 Cessna 560 Citation Vs. In addition to the bizjets, the company also operates 4 Beech Super King Air 200s, 2 Beech 1900Cs, 1 King Air 90, and 1 Cessna 208 Caravan I.
Having suffered crushing financial losses, the Air Lesotho subsidiary is shut down in February 1999.
Flying under contract to DHL Worldwide Express, the Cessna 208 Caravan I with a pilot and three passengers fails its takeoff from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on a November 26 service to Dar es Salaam. The plane crashes back onto the runway and catches fire; there are no survivors.
The first of their kind to be converted from passenger to freighter configuration, two Avions de Transport Regional ATR42-320Fs are delivered, one each in September and December 2000. The two are operated by affiliate Rossair Contracts (Pty.), Ltd. across Africa on behalf of their owner, DHL Worldwide Express. The new cargo planes and their service are profiled in “Conversion Factors,” Regional Airline World (December 2000).
ROSSIYA AIR COMPANY: 2 Pervaya Reisovaya, Vnukovo Airport, Moscow, 103027, Russia; Phone 7 (095) 436-8135; Fax 7 (095) 436-2328; Code R4; Year Founded 1992. To earn the funding needed to cover its costs, Rossiya (Russia) Air Company, the government executive unit of Aeroflot Russian International Airlines (ARIA, set up as a separate division at Moscow’s Unokovo Airport in 1992. It is to provide charter passenger and cargo services throughout the Russian Federation, other nations in the CIS, Europe, and Asia. Alexander A. Larin is general director and he begins flights with a fleet that includes 10 Ilyushin Il-62Ms, 20 each Tupolev Tu-154M, Tu-134s, and Yakovlev Yak-40s, 3 Il-18s, and 7 Mil Mi-8 helicopters. Orders are placed for 2 Antonov An-124-100s and enplanements total 318,354.
Despite the national economic downturn, Rossiya, unlike many of its fellow start-up Russian carriers, is able to increase its traffic during
1993. Passenger boardings grow 3% to 328,200 while freight rises 12.7% to 107.7 million FTKs.
During 1994, in a joint venture with HeavyLift Cargo Airlines, Ltd.
Of the U. K., the company places a pair of Antonov An-124s into service on executive support flights. In addition, two of the new Tu-204s join the fleet, which now also includes 11 Il-62s, 2 Il-18s, 8 Yak-40s, 11 Tu-154s, and 14 Tu-134s.
Customer bookings swell 4.6% to 342,500, but cargo drops 13% to 94 million FTKs.
Holiday charter operations begin late in 1995. For the year, enplanements fall 12.8% to 816,600, but freight skyrockets 109.2% to 27.4 million FTKs.
Flights continue without fanfare in 1996-1998. Enplanements during the latter year total just 239,000.
Rossiya is much in the news early in 1999.
Just after landing at Moscow on February 10, the tail of the ARIA Rossiya Il-96 returning President Yeltsin from the funeral of King Hussein at Amman, Jordan, strikes the wing of the Alitalia, S. p.A. MD-82, which has just brought Italian Prime Minister Massimo D’Alema to the Russian capital for talks. No injuries are reported aboard either aircraft, although the Italian plane sustains a cracked fuselage and is thus damaged to a point where an aircraft will be sent to replace it.
After an investigation determines that Rossiya’s ground services had improperly directed Italian Prime Minister D’Alema’s transport on February 8, Prime Minister Primakov on February 18 personally fires that division’s manager, Vladimir Kachnov.
As the European diplomatic situation with regard to the Yugoslav question darkens, Prime Minister Primakov is en route to the U. S. on March 23 for discussions with President Clinton on other matters. Just after refueling in Iceland, the Primakov learns from Vice President Al Gore that NATO will begin a military campaign, Operation Allied Force, the next day; the Russian leader orders his Rossiya Il-96M to return to Moscow.
At the direction of President Yeltsin and accompanied by Foreign Minister Igor Ivano, Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev, and other top-level delegates, Prime Minister Primakov, aboard a Rossiya Il-96, flies to Belgrade on March 30 for discussions with Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic. There is some hope that Russia, a traditional Serbian ally, might be able to bring a resolution of the Kosovo crisis. Six hours later, the Russians return home, their peace mission a failure.
Rossiya will remain occupied over the next ten weeks transporting Russian officials throughout Europe in a search for a diplomatic conclusion to the Kosovo crisis. Combat ends on June 11.
Flights in support of the Russian government continue apace during the remainder of the year. Two specialized Antonov An-124-100s acquired in 1995 to provide cargo support for state trips by President Boris Yeltsin, are sold to the Antonov Design Bureau subsidiary Antonov
Airlines, the Russian partner of Air Foyle, Ltd.
Nickolai Shipil replaces Yuri Lengaro as director general of the VIP carrier on May 17, 2000. Shipil, who is close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, had previously been employed at Pulkovo Airlines.
During the summer, MATK RusAvia contracts with a capital tour operator to fly travelers to Thailand, Indonesia, and other Southeast Asian points in nine flights late in the fourth quarter. Unhappily, the company does not have sufficient aircraft or funds to complete its obligation, leaving hundreds of people stranded. The civil aviation department of the Russian Ministry of Transport (GSGA) arranges for the return of the defunct line’s customers. Special flights are operated under contract by Aeroflot Russian International Airlines (ARIA), Domodedovo Airlines, Pulkovo Airlines, and Rossiya Air Company. GSGA then suspends the operating certificate of MATK RusAvia.
Biweekly return charters are inaugurated on October 28 between Moscow and Tel Aviv.
A Rossiya Tu-154M, en route from Moscow to Ankara, also on October 28, carrying Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, is forced to make an emergency landing at the Turkish capital after an onboard fire alarm is activated.
In March 2001, it will be announced that Rossiya Air Company had joined in an alliance on December 29 with St. Petersburg-based Pulkovo Airlines, Kazan-based Aviation Production Association (KAPO), and the St. Petersburg International Bank. The new pact will reportedly sponsor an intensified timetable for production of the new Tu-214 at the Kazan plant, while Rossiya will coordinate its fleet with Pulkovo for commercial purposes. Sales and ticketing for the two airlines will be handled by Pulkovo.
ROSVERTOL A/O: Russia (1993-1996). Established at Rostov-on-Don in the spring of 1993, Rosvertol, the operating arm of the Rostov helicopter plant that builds Mil helicopters, names H. V. Nagibin as its new general director. He assembles a fleet of Antonov An-12s and Mil Mi-26s with which to launch ad hoc freight and aerial support charters.
While on approach to Tyumen’s Roshino Airport on a charter from Khabarovsk on September 25, an An-12 crashes short of the runway. With insufficient fuel reserves, the aircraft’s crew had decided to push on rather than pay the landing costs of diverting to another airfield.
Operations continue apace in 1994-1995.
ROSWELL AIRLINES: United States (1976-1981). Callens Flying Service owner Dick Callens establishes a scheduled airline division of his charter company at Roswell, New Mexico, in 1976. Employing a Piper PA-34 Seneca, regularly scheduled commuter flights are inaugurated to Ruidoso via Albuquerque and Artesia. Operations continue apace until June 1981.
ROTA AIR, A. O.: Ataturk Airport, Konakli Sokak Villa Ocak, No. 3/2, Florya, Istanbul, 34810, Turkey. Established as an FBO at Istanbul in 1995, Rota also operates executive and small group passenger charters. Under the direction of General Manager Capt. Bulent Karasoy, the company’s 3 pilots fly 1 each Cessna 560 Citation V and a C-650 Citation VII.
ROTTERDAM AIRLINES, B. V. (RAL): The Netherlands (19771984). Organized in early 1977 at Zestienhoven Airport, Rotterdam, this charter operation is owned by the city’s travel agents, Christoffel. Employing leased Fokker F.28s, the company initiates nonscheduled flights to various European destinations, including London (LGW).
Late in 1983, the carrier leases a B-737-200, christening it the Delf-shaven, and uses it to inaugurate scheduled services to London (LGW), following this early in 1984 with a frequency from Rotterdam to Innsbruck. Having chosen a time of recession in which to expand, the carrier is unable to generate sufficient traffic to cover costs and suspends services. Although company officials announce plans to reorganize and restart operations with leased DC-8s, these are not realized.
ROTTNEST AIRBUS (PTY.), LTD.: Fauntleroy Airport, Perth, Western Australia, 6105, Australia; Phone 61 (9) 478-1322; Fax 61 (9) 2774198; Code DW; Year Founded 1985. Rottnest Airlines (Pty.), Ltd. is
Formed by Allied Aviation, Ltd. at Perth Airport in January 1985 to offer low-cost scheduled services to Rottnest Island in competition with those already provided by Skywest Airlines (Pty.), Ltd. Equipped with a Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander, five-to-nine-times-per-day services commence at the end of February. The fleet in 1986 grows to include 2 Islanders and 1 Beech B-58 Baron. On September 1, a Sikorsky S-61 is acquired and is employed to begin Island Hopper Chopper Service on September 20.
On April 2, 1987, the carrier is purchased by Havsin (Pty.), Ltd.; Bernie Baldwin is general manager with Francis Anthony appointed managing director. The S-61 scheduled helicopter service ends on April 30 and two Bell 206B JetRangers replace the Sikorsky, offering overwater charter services. A new Pilatus-Britten-Norman PBN-2 is placed in service in August.
In 1988-1992, the route is maintained and the fleet is upgraded to include 2 new PBN-2s, 2 Beech B-55 Barons, and 1 Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain.
Operations continue in 1993, at which time the fleet includes 2 Beech 55s, 1 Islander, and 1 Navajo Chieftain. A new corporate identity, Rottnest Airbus (Pty.), Ltd., is chosen along with appropriate new aircraft livery.
A total of 35 weekly frequencies between Rottnest Island and Perth are flown during the remainder of the decade.
ROUSSEAU AVIATION, S. A.: France (1963-1973). Rousseau Aviation is set up in 1963 to offer scheduled passenger and cargo services from Paris (ORY) with a small fleet of DC-3s. Flights continue during the remainder of the decade, many as replacement operations on behalf of Air Inter (Lignes Aeriennes Interieures, S. A.).
By 1970, the fleet has been increased to include a number of Hawker Siddeley HS-748s and 8 Nord 262 Fregates. The latter type are employed to offer return service to London (LGW) and other points. In 1973, Rousseau becomes a part of TAT (Touraine Air Transport, S. A.).
ROYAL AIR: United States (1978-1980). Less than a month after President Carter signs the Airline Deregulation Act in October 1978, Royal Air is established at Kansas City, Missouri, to undertake Essential Air Service (EAS) flights to Columbia, Manhattan, Topeka, and Emporia. Employing several small Cessnas and an Embraer EMB-110 Ban-deirante, Royal inaugurates daily roundtrips on November 15, maintaining them until January 1980.
World History
