NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Chalk's International Airlines

Chalk's International Airlines (IATA: OP, ICAO: CHK, and Callsign: Chalks), formerly Chalk's Ocean Airways, is an airline based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. IATA airline designators, sometimes called IATA reservation codes, are two-character codes assigned by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to the worlds airlines in accordance with the provisions of Resolution 762. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with ICAO airline code. ... Most airlines employ a distinctive and internationally recognised call sign that is normally spoken during airband radio transmissions as a prefix to the flight number. ... A Boeing 747-400 of Virgin Atlantic Airways An airline provides air transport services for passengers or freight. ... Nickname: Venice of America Location of Fort Lauderdale in Broward County, 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. Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... Lowest pressure 922 mbar (hPa) Damage $26 billion (1992 USD) $45 billion (2005 USD) Fatalities 65 (26 direct, 39 indirect) Areas affected Bahamas; South Florida, Louisiana, and other areas of the Southern United States Part of the 1992 Atlantic hurricane season Hurricane Andrew was the second most destructive hurricane in... December 19 is the 353rd day of the year (354th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... KLM (in full: Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij, literally Royal Aviation Company; usual English: Royal Dutch Airlines) is a subsidiary of Air France-KLM. Before its (agreed) take-over by Air France, KLM was the national airline of the Netherlands. ...

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. The Army Air Corps is a vital component of the British Army. ... Combatants Allied Powers: France Italy Russia Serbia United Kingdom United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Commanders Ferdinand Foch Georges Clemenceau Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna Nicholas II Aleksei Brusilov Herbert Henry Asquith Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Paul von Hindenburg Reinhard... Bimini Island from space, June 1998 Map of the Bahamas with the Biminis positioned center left (click to enlarge). ... Prohibition is any of several periods during which the manufacture, transportation, import, export, and sale of alcoholic beverages is restricted or illegal. ...

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. Watson Island is a small island off the coast of Miami, Florida. ... Biscayne Bay separates Miami on the mainland from Miami Beach on the barrier islands of the Atlantic Ocean coast of Florida. ...

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 Paradise Island is a small island in the Bahamas adjacent to the central island of New Providence (Nassau). ... Map of the Bahamas Nassau is the capital city of the Bahamas. ...

United Capital expanded Chalk's service to Key West, Fla. 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. Official language(s) See: Languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Area Ranked 2nd - Total 268,581 sq mi (695,622 kmÂ²) - Width 773 miles (1,244 km) - Length 790 miles (1,270 km) - % water 2. ... Chapter 11 is a chapter of the United States Bankruptcy Code which governs the process of reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. ... August 2 is the 214th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (215th in leap years), with 151 days remaining. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Old Farts by the Sometimes-United Nations. ...

On December 17, 1999, the airline was relaunched as Chalk's Ocean Airways. It is wholly owned by Jim Confalone. In 2006 the company has reverted to the earlier name of Chalk's International Airlines. December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Old Farts by the Sometimes-United Nations. ...

The airline suspended operations after a December 19, 2005, crash. The airline plans to resume flights between Fort Lauderdale and the Bahamas on November 9, 2006. It has also announced its intention to add flights from Fort Lauderdale to other cities in Florida.^[1] December 19 is the 353rd day of the year (354th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... November 9 is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 52 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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. Watson Island is a small island off the coast of Miami, Florida. ... Port of Miami is the debut album by Miami rapper Rick Ross. ... Nickname: The Magic City, Location in Miami-Dade County and the state of Florida. ... FAA diagram of FLL Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (IATA: FLL, ICAO: KFLL) is an airport located in Dania Beach, Florida between the cities of Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood in Broward County, 21 miles (33. ... September 11 is the 254th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (255th in leap years). ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ...

Chalk's International Airlines operates services from Fort Lauderdale to the following internationally scheduled destinations (as of January 2005): Bimini and Nassau. Bimini Island from space, June 1998 Map of the Bahamas with the Biminis positioned center left (click to enlarge). ... Map of the Bahamas Nassau is the capital city of the Bahamas. ...

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 feet of Grumman G-73T Turbine Mallards.^[1]^[2] A Sunwest Airlines Beech 1900D at Vancouver International Airport. ... Big Sky Airlines (IATA: GQ, ICAO: BSY, and Callsign: Big Sky) is a commercial airline headquartered in Billings, Montana, USA. Big Sky Airlines is wholly owned by Big Sky Transportation Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of MAIR Holdings. ... FAA redirects here. ... The Grumman logo The Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, later Grumman Aerospace Corporation, was a leading producer of military and civilian aircraft of the 20th century. ... The Grumman G-73 Mallard is a large, twin-radial engine amphibious aircraft. ...

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. December 19 is the 353rd day of the year (354th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... On December 19, 2005 Chalks Ocean Airways Flight 101 from Watson Island to Bimini crashed off Miami Beach, Florida. ... Watson Island is a small island off the coast of Miami, Florida. ... Bimini Island from space, June 1998 Map of the Bahamas with the Biminis positioned center left (click to enlarge). ... The Beach, The Million Dollar Sandbar, SoBe Location of Miami Beach in Miami-Dade County, Florida. ... Coast Guard Seal The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is a branch of the United States armed forces involved in maritime law enforcement, mariner assistance, search and rescue, and national defense, among other duties of coast guards elsewhere. ...

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] The Grumman logo The Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, later Grumman Aerospace Corporation, was a leading producer of military and civilian aircraft of the 20th century. ... The Grumman G-73 Mallard is a large, twin-radial engine amphibious aircraft. ...

References

October 29 is the 302nd day of the year (303rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Categories: Companies based in Florida | Airlines of the United States This list of aircraft is sorted alphabetically, beginning with the name of the manufacturer (or, in certain cases, designer). ... This is a list of aircraft manufacturers (in alphabetic order). ... List of aircraft engines: // Allison V-1710 Alvis Alcides Alvis Leonides Alvis Leonides Major Alvis Maenoides Alvis Pelides Armstrong Siddeley Leopard Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar Armstrong Siddeley Panther Armstrong Siddeley Mongoose Armstrong Siddeley Puma Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah Armstrong Siddeley Nimbus Beardmore Bentley BR1 Rotary BMW 132 BMW 139 BMW 801 Bramo... This is a list of aircraft engine manufacturers both past and present. ... This is a list of airlines in operation (by continents and country). ... This is a list of Air forces, sorted alphabetically by country. ... This is an incomplete list of aircraft weapons, past and present. ... Below is a list of (links to pages on) missiles, sorted alphabetically by name. ... This is a timeline of aviation history. ...

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