CHALK’S INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES (1): United States (1919-1996) . Arthur Burns (A. B. or “Pappy”) Chalk, an Illinois farmer-turned-mechanic, starts Chalk’s Flying Service on newly formed Watson Island, across the causeway from downtown Miami, on June 1, 1919. Burns had received his first flying lessons in 1911 from the barnstormer Tony Jannus in exchange for repairs on a Benoist flying boat.
With its headquarters under an umbrella at a rented base on Flagler Street, the world’s first air taxi begins flying a float-equipped three-seat Stinson Voyager on charters to Bimini during the 1920s. The heydays of Prohibition, many of Chalk’s best customers are gangsters, including the likes of Al Capone, a sometime resident of nearby Star Island.
A Waco ASO is purchased in 1930, but more importantly, Chalk marries in 1932. Mrs. Chalk will remain an active partner in the airline as long as A. B. owns it. Following repeal of the 18th Amendment in 1933, Chalk’s clientele become somewhat less colorful, although a pet raccoon, remembered by many for the hours it logs, is now acquired. Most are big game fishermen, who base their boats at Bimini for easier access to the sport fishing grounds.
During summer, a newly added Fairchild 71 and the Waco are supposedly employed to rescue Cuban leader Gerardo Machado from Havana. Arriving at Mariel on August 24 to carry the dictator and his party to exile, the aircraft are fired upon by the forces of Fulgencio Batista; too riddled to fly, the Waco must be left behind, but Chalk does manage to fly Machado to exile at Nassau.
This story, repeated down through the history of the Chalk company, is legend, not fact. General Machado had peacefully departed Havana on August 12 aboard a Cubana (Compania Nacional Cubana de Avia-cion, S. A.) Sikorsky S-38 piloted by Cubana’s chief pilot Capt. Arthur Lee. Cubana at that time was a subsidiary of Pan American Airways (PAA) and both the aircraft and flyer had been seconded over from the U. S. carrier.
Chalk continues Fairchild 71 fishing flights in 1934-1935; among his passengers are Wilbur Wright, Howard Hughes, Errol Flynn, and Ernest Hemingway. A formal terminal building (actually just a tiny building built from hand-gathered seashore rocks) replaces the umbrella headquarters on Watson Island in 1936, at which time the company is renamed. A. B. continues to fly charters in 1937-1939, while management is largely left to Mrs. Chalk.
In 1940, the one-plane fleet is tripled by the addition of a pair of Sikorsky S-38s. During World War II, Chalk serves as a ferry pilot, training Navy pilots and flying Civil Air Patrol antisubmarine patrols. Although several Grumman G-21 Geese are acquired by his company, scheduled services are intermittent.
In 1945-1946, the Chalk’s enter into a loose business association with former barnstormer Dean Franklin, who contributes a Stinson SRH and his considerable experience to the operation. At the same time, orders are placed for Grumman G-44 Widgeons.
Services become somewhat more regular following the official postwar announcement of their inauguration on November 21, 1947, the same day Chalk receives certification from the CAB as an irregular carrier.
As an aside, we might note here that it is this official certification date which long caused a debate as to which of two airlines, Chalk’s or KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines, N. V.), is the world’s oldest. The debate will become mute in 1996.
In 1948, a Grumman G-44 Widgeon is finally acquired. Permanent certification is received on July 18, 1950.
For the next 20 years, traffic continues to consist primarily of sport fishermen intent upon flights to Bimini. Frequencies return to their intermittent pattern during the 1950s and early 1960s and income is slight.
In 1955, the City of Miami attempts to evict the carrier from its Watson Island base for nonpayment of rent; fortunately, Chalk and his friends are too politically acute to allow such an event to occur, and squatter’s rights are successfully defended.
In October 1962, 3 Geese are temporarily based at Great Inagua Island in the Bahamas to fly members of the media on charters during the Cuban Missile Crisis. With an excess of 16,000 flight hours in his logbook, 75-year-old Arthur Chalk retires in 1964 following the death of his wife. He does, however, remain chairman of the company.
Longtime Chalk colleague Franklin purchases 100% shareholding in the company from Chalk in 1966 in exchange for an $800-per-month pension and A. B.’s personal Widgeon. During the remainder of the decade and into the next Franklin increases the fleet. In addition to 2 of his own Geese, 2 more are added, and orders are placed for 5 Grumman G-73 Mallards. At the same time, a “Route 9” certificate is acquired from the Bahamian government, which allows the company access to any point in the islands from Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, Palm Beach, Miami, or Tampa.
The first Mallard, formerly operated by the Japanese air taxi service Nitto Aviation, Ltd., is acquired in late 1968; christened City of Miami, it is placed into service during 1969. The company changes its corporate identity to Chalk’s International Airlines in 1970 and also acquires access to Cat Cay. The attraction of taking off from water and low cruising speeds that allow excellent sight-seeing appeals to numerous passengers.
During those years of growth, the most compelling incident occurs on March 7, 1972. After shooting and wounding the pilot, Jim Cothron, and a mechanic on the ground at Miami (MIA), J. W. Brewton and another member of the National Black Liberation Army, armed with shotguns, hijack a Grumman G-73 Mallard and force copilot Douglas McKenzie to fly them to Havana. In 1975, one of the pirates will be shot and killed in Jamaica; the other will return to the U. S. a decade later and will be captured, tried, and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
After this incident, no Chalk’s aircraft is ever fueled sufficiently to reach Cuba.
Late in the month, a sixth Mallard N73556 is obtained from Canada. Chalk’s now operates the largest number of Mallards by a single owner.
The hijacking is extremely bad for publicity and the company begins to fail in 1973. At this point, Franklin sells controlling interest to Pennsylvania contractor Edward F. Dixon. Fiscal difficulties continue and, with the sale of 2 G-73s to Antilles Air Boats, the fleet is reduced to only 4 Mallards.
With Chalk’s near extinction, Dixon, having held the company for less than a year, resells it in 1974 to aviation buff James Crosby, owner of Resorts International. The company, under its new owners, continues flying to the Bahamas, with half of the passengers enplaned for Paradise Island (formerly Hog Island) and the others for Nassau, Bimini, and the islands of south Florida.
Meanwhile, on his 85th birthday, founder and former owner A. B. Chalk makes his final flight, being required by the FAA, successor to the CAA, to surrender his license that day. Chalk will continue to be a welcome visitor at the Watson Island base, where he will feed the birds and regale customers with stories of the early days of aviation.
In 1975, President I. G. Davis Jr.’s fleet comprises the 4 Grumman Mallard amphibians. Enplanements for the year total 40,000. Airline employment in 1976 stands at 40. Another Mallard is acquired and all 5 are now provided new livery. In addition, the company establishes a certified repair station at its new Miami maintenance facility, adding a night shift. Passenger boardings accelerate to 44,762.
Founder Chalk is killed on May 26, 1977, when he falls out of tree at home while pruning it. Operations at his former airline continue apace both during that year and in 1978, when owner Crosby begins to look for a larger seaplane.
Hoping to fill a long-existing need for a medium-sized amphibian for the Caribbean island-hopping scene, company engineers visit Grumman in 1979 and join in the redesign of the HU-16 Albatross, several units of which are made surplus by the government. An order is placed for 13 of the ships. While awaiting the new aircraft, Chalk’s receives its first G-73T Turbo Mallard on November 27.
The surplus HU-16s are modified to 28-passenger configuration at the manufacturer’s St. Augustine facility in 1980. Meanwhile, the Mallard fleet is increased by the addition of 4 additional machines, all G-73Ts. On May 15, gunman James Thomas Wright surrenders to Miami police following his unsuccessful attempt to commander a Mallard to Cuba. Badly managed and overextended, Chalk’s has lost nearly $1.5 million during the past two seasons.
Having been initially test flown on February 13, 1981, the first G-111 Albatross is received in the fall and is placed into service on December 15 over the route from Ft. Lauderdale and Miami to Nassau and Bimini. With added capacity, Chalk’s passenger traffic grows rapidly. A total of 45,000 travelers are boarded on the year.
Two more G-111s join the fleet in 1982 and, with over 32 flights per day offered between Florida and Bimini, Cat Cay, and Paradise Island, customer bookings jump to 118,000.
In 1983, services are maintained and the 115-employee company becomes one of the nation’s most unique amphibious air transport companies and the oldest continuously operated carrier in the world. Enplanements for the year total 93,234.
The fleet in 1984 includes 3 G-111s and 5 Grumman G-73TMallards. Three direct roundtrip flights are offered daily between Ft. Lauderdale and Paradise Island and Nassau and one roundtrip from West Palm Beach. There are five roundtrips between Miami’s downtown Watson Island to Paradise Island and Nassau; four to Bimini Island; two between Nassau and Bimini; and one between Cat Cay Island and Miami. In addition to passengers, the carrier also transports more than 2.5 tons of essential food supplies and perishables each month.
Destinations served in 1985 include Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Bimini, Cat Cay, Nassau, and Walker’s Cay. During the Southern Ocean Racing Conference, company aircraft fly world-class crews and thousands of pounds of hi-tech sails for the racing boats in Nassau Harbour.
During the former year, the company becomes the beneficiary of five years worth of free publicity as its aircraft are prominently displayed in the weekly opening scenes of the popular television police drama Miami Vice.
Enplanements in the latter year total 118,773.
The fleet of the 85-employee small regional in 1986 includes 3 G-111s and 5 G-73T Turbo-Mallards. Following the sudden death of owner Crosby, the airline passes to his sisters. They make plans to construct a STOL strip on Paradise Island, to begin landplane services, and to retire the noisy, uneconomical G-111s. Passenger boardings climb 7.3% to 128,126.
In 1987, Donald Trump purchases Resorts International from the Crosby sisters and authorizes the construction of their 3,000-ft. runway STOL airport on Paradise Island, one capable of handling de Havilland Canada Dash 7s. The seaplane fleet is reduced to 4 Turbo Mallards while all of the Albatross amphibians are withdrawn and placed into storage at Evergreen Air Center at Marana, Arizona.
Customer bookings for the year decline by 11.7% to 112,668.
In late 1988, Resorts International, which has been forced by its junk-bond play to enter Chapter XI bankruptcy protection, is purchased by TV mogul Merv Griffin who sees the airline as a vehicle with which to transport passengers to the newly completed STOLport on Paradise Island. To qualify for Part 121 certification, the airline is renamed Paradise Island Airlines, doing business as Chalk’s International Airlines. General Manager S. P. Allen’s company, having lost its independence, sees the fleet revised to include 4 Grumman Turbo Mallards and the first company landplanes, 2 DHC-7s. Beginning on March 25, the Canadian-built turboprops operate five round trips per day from Ft. Lauderdale to
Paradise Island and four per day from Miami, while the Mallards maintain their earlier routes to the U. S. Virgin Islands. Enplanements for the year grow by 12% to 96,000.
In May 1989, Resorts International, under requirements of its bankruptcy proceedings, splits Griffin’s air transport subsidiary into two divisions: Chalk’s International Airlines and Paradise Island Airways. Retaining the original Chalk’s certificate but not its name, the landplane operation is turned over to Paradise. It is announced that the Chalk’s, retaining its name but with a new Part 135 license, will be sold on December 15. Due to public outcry and a request from the Bahamian government, the sale does not occur and the Mallards continue their amphibious shuttle flights from Watson Island Seaplane Base at Miami to Nassau and Bimini. Because it is operating under bankruptcy protection, the carrier does not release traffic figures.
Miami Vice is cancelled in the spring of 1990 ending five years of free worldwide television exposure for the carrier. During the summer, negotiations are opened with Seth G. and Connie Atwood, owners of Rockford, Illinois-based United Capital Corporation and original investors in Midway Airlines. The Atwoods form a new subsidiary, Flying Boats, Inc., and, in December, purchase from Resorts the new Part 135 operating certificate, the Chalk’s name, and all 16 seaplanes. Meanwhile, the year’s traffic figures are reported with those of Paradise Island Airways.
Seth G. Atwood becomes chairman/CEO with Bill Jones as vice president operations on January 1, 1991. The carrier, Flying Boats, Inc., doing business as Chalk’s International Airlines, is born and an Albatross is reinstated. Four G-73T Turbo Mallards join it in undertaking service between the Watson Island seaplane base at Miami and Bimini, Paradise Island, and Ft. Lauderdale. Additional charters, in the form of air tours, are undertaken over Miami and south to the Florida Keys. In June, the company inaugurates its first domestic route to downtown Key West.
The harbor of Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas joins the route network in 1992. In August, Hurricane Andrew devastates the company terminal at Bimini. Enplanements for the first full year under Atwood’s direction reach 40,000. Airline employment in 1993 stands at 65 and a new Bimini terminal is opened in September. The success of the Atwoods in boosting the company’s fortune leads to the need for a reintroduction of a stored Albatross.
A fifth Mallard is acquired in 1994 by the world’s last scheduled international flying boat (not floatplane) operation is now in its 75th year, but the Key West service is suspended for lack of traffic. If one overlooks the ownership changes and certification date, Chalk’s remains the oldest continuously operated airline in the world, four months and a week senior to KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines, N. V.). At the very least, it is the world’s first air taxi and the oldest water-based operator.
Except for Christmas Day, services continue to be offered all-year-round in 1995. Much of the Mallard fleet is placed into storage at Ft. Lauderdale or in Arizona. Two Mallards, together with an Albatross, work the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale-Bimini-Paradise Island route network. During the summer, new turboprop engines are fitted to the Albatross. Plans are laid to commence service to Havana as soon—or if—the political climate improves. Traffic figures are still not released.
On January 30, 1996, Charles Cobb, Craig Robins, and Chuck Slagle, interested in a possible feeder link with the new Pan American World Airways (2), purchase the historic carrier and rename it Pan Am Air Bridge in honor of the earlier pioneer, Pan American World Airways (1). Although the Chalk’s name will remain (for awhile) on the terminals at Paradise Island, Bimini, Miami, Watson Island, and Ft. Lauderdale, the first repainted Mallard begins Air Bridge flights on March 1.
There is an unofficial website at Http://pages. prodigy. com/jttoad/ pan_am. html.
World History
