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Spirit of America Airlines

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Spirit of America Airlines
International Air Service Company (IASCO)
L-188F Tucson 1988 w/underlying CAM Air livery (see External links for CAM Air photo)
IATA ICAO Call sign
IM[1] IAS[1] STARFLEET
FoundedOctober 1959 (1959-10) incorporated in California
Commenced operations
May 1978 (1978-05) as IASCO
May 1985 as Spirit of America
Ceased operations
1989 (1989)
Fleet sizeSee Fleet
Parent companyInternational Air Service Company (IASCO)
HeadquartersBurlingame, California, United States
Key peopleJames C. Jack, Jr.

Spirit of America Airlines (Spirit) was originally the airline operation of International Air Service Company (IASCO), a pilot-supply and training company, which started flying for package express companies like Emery Air Freight in 1978. It also flew for pre-certification passenger airlines such as Regent Air. IASCO created Spirit as a separate airline subsidiary in 1985, still targeting contract flying, and bought freight airline CAM Air International the same year. CAM was the former Fleming International Airways, which had flown freight since 1973. Both CAM and Spirit also flew on behalf of the US Air Force Logair freight network. The late 1980s saw a substantial disruption in contract flying demand as United Parcel Service brought most flying in-house and Emery, Purolator and CF AirFreight consolidated. By early 1989, Spirit was flying just one aircraft for Casino Express Airlines. It ceased operations the same year.

History

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International Air Service Company

[edit]

In October 1959, former Transocean Air Lines pilots created IASCO to provide contract pilots to Japan Air Lines (JAL).[2] Over time, IASCO expanded its business to include pilot training, aircraft leasing, maintenance, sales and some non-aviation activities but by the late 1970s JAL was still by far its dominant customer.[3] For three years ending 1979, IASCO tried to take control of Aloha Airlines.[4][5] By then almost all IASCO stock was owned by James C. Jack, Jr., CEO since 1963.[6]

In May 1978, IASCO started air taxi operations, flying Cessna 404 Titans and a Dassault Falcon 20 for Purolator and Emery. In February 1980, the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) gave IASCO temporary all-cargo certification in order to fly Aloha Boeing 737s for Purolator, made permanent on April 16.[7] The CAB gave IASCO scheduled passenger authority in January 1983.[8] By 1984, IASCO had a dozen 727 freighters operating for Emery and Purolator.[9] From October 1983 through February 1985 IASCO flew three Boeing 727s for luxury airline Regent Air between New York and Los Angeles as a result of Regent's difficulty obtaining a certificate of its own. [10][11] In 1984–1985, it also flew two Lockheed L-1011 aircraft on behalf of Five Star Airlines in advance of Five Star getting its own certificate (photo in External links).[12]

Spirit of America Airlines

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IASCO announced Spirit of America Airlines April 1985, launching May 6 with two Douglas DC-8 freighters flown on transcontinental service. See External links for a photo. IASCO believed exit of American and United Airlines from all-freighter service left an opening for Spirit to serve air freight forwarders and expected to upgrade to Boeing 747s.[14] Also in 1985, Spirit bought CAM Air International[15] (history provided below). However, in 1987, Spirit's business looked much like that of IASCO earlier in the decade, namely flying 727s for package express/freight airlines,[16] with the addition of flying for Logair.[17] And similar to how IASCO had flown for Regent and Five Star, in 1987 Spirit started flying a Boeing 737 for Casino Express Airlines to Elko, Nevada.[18]

The late 1980s saw substantial changes in contract flying demand. In 1987, United Parcel Service (UPS) announced it was transitioning most flying in-house.[19] By the late 1980s, Purolator, Emery and CF Airfreight consolidated with CF after heavy losses.[20][21]. This resulted in turbulence among contract freight companies. For instance, UPS-contractor Interstate declared bankruptcy upon UPS's announcement,[22] and it contributed to another contractor, Ryan, becoming moribund for a time.[23] In particular, while Orion Air lost its UPS aircraft,[24] it gained 10 727s that Spirit was flying for Emery.[note 1] By April 1989, Spirit was flying only the Boeing 737 Casino Express with the rest of its remaining fleet (six Electras and four 727s) stored and available for sale.[1] Later that year, Casino Express got its own certificate and took over the flying.[26] By year-end, Spirit was no longer operating.[27]

CAM Air International
Fleming International Airways
IATA ICAO Call sign
OX[28]
-		 FLM
FLM[29]		 BOX HAULER
FLEMING[29]
FoundedMarch 9, 1973 (1973-03-09) incorporated in Massachusetts
Commenced operations
1973 (1973)[30] as Fleming International Airways
30 August 1983 as
CAM Air International
Ceased operations
1986 (1986)
Parent companyMicale Management Group (from 1974)
HeadquartersFort Lauderdale, Florida
Miami, Florida
United States
Key peopleCharles A. Micale
FounderRobert P. Fleming

Fleming International Airways/CAM Air International

[edit]

Robert Fleming founded Fleming International Airways (FIA) in March 1973 in Massachusetts.[31][32] Initially, FIA's main business was flying auto parts with Douglas DC-7s,[33][34] one of many small so-called commercial operators (also known as uncertificated carriers) flying auto parts for Air Transport Services Corp., one of two organizations (the other was Zantop International Airlines) arranging air transport of auto parts for the Big Three automakers in the mid-1970s.[35] In 1974 Charles A. Micale, a fast-food restaurant entrepreneur,[36] acquired control of FIA.[37] Micale Management Group provided management and financing to the airline.[38] In 1977, FIA was said to carry "electronic equipment, textiles, automotive parts and medical and laboratory supplies."[39] In December 1979, following 1977 air cargo deregulation, the airline gained an air cargo certificate.[40] At the time the airline had five Lockheed L-188 Electras.[41]

Thereafter the airline grew quickly, with a fleet of 12 by 1983[42] and 18 by 1985[43]. Its fleet of nine Lockheed Electras in 1984 gave it the largest Electra fleet in the US after Zantop and third in the world.[44] On 30 August 1983, the airline changed its name to CAM Air International, after its owner, Charles A. Micale. Robert Fleming had continued as president as late as 1982,[32] but the name change filing shows Micale as president.[45] As of 2026, the Charles A. Micale Foundation, dba CAM Family Foundation, uses the same CAM monogram that CAM Air had in its livery (see External links for a picture of that livery).[46] The airline's business included flying for the Air Force's Logair domestic air freight system.[47]

The airlines' headquarters was at different times given as Pompano Beach, Florida[39], Miami[41] and Fort Launderdale.[45]

Fleet

[edit]

Fleming International Airways

[edit]

World Airline Fleets 1979 (copyright 1979) shows Fleming with:[41]

March 1983:[42]

CAM Air

[edit]

March 1985:[43]

IASCO

[edit]

March 1982:[48] (client in parentheses)

March 1984:[9] (client in parentheses)

Spirit of America Airlines

[edit]

1987-88 World Airline Fleets (copyright 1987) shows Spirit of America with:[16]

April 1989:[1]

Accidents

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  • 6 July 1977: Fleming International Airways L-188F N280F crashed on takeoff from St Louis Lambert Airport killing all three crew. The crew was cited for improperly trying to operate an aircraft with known problems.[49]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ 10 727s in Spirit's fleet flying for Emery in 1987 were in Orion's fleet in 1989 also flying for Emery: N329QS, N355QS, N356QS, N357QS, N358QS, N359QS, N427EX, N429EX, N430EX, N431EX[16][25]

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 4 Klee, Ulrich (May 1989). JP airline-fleets international 89 (23 ed.). Glattbrugg, Switzerland: Bucher Publications. p. 337. ISBN 9783857581236.
  2. ↑ "Any One Want to Lease a Pilot". San Francisco Examiner. CCXII (112): IV-6. 21 April 1960. ISSN 2574-593X.
  3. ↑ CAB77 1978, pp. 311–318.
  4. ↑ "Aloha cools takeover threat for three years – or longer". Honolulu Advertiser. 123 (41846): C-3. 8 March 1979. ISSN 1072-7191.
  5. ↑ "International Air Service Company Acquisition of Control of Aloha Airlines, Inc". Civil Aeronautics Board Reports. 77. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office: 295–346. June–July 1978. hdl:2027/ien.35559002074601.
  6. ↑ CAB77 1978, pp. 338–340.
  7. ↑ "ONA/IASCO/Ryan Aviation, All-Cargo Certificates". Civil Aeronautics Board Reports. 85 Part 2. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office: 1089–1103. February–June 1980. hdl:2027/osu.32437011656994.
  8. ↑ "Int'l Air Service Co. (IASCO), Fitness Investigation". Civil Aeronautics Board Reports. 99. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office: 447–468. December 1982 – January 1983. hdl:2027/osu.32437000534111.
  9. 1 2 "Turbine-Engined Fleets of the World's Airlines, 1984". Exxon Air World. 36 (2): 22. 1984. ISSN 0014-5068.
  10. ↑ "Regent Air Given Partial Approval to Begin Service". Los Angeles Times. CII (272): IV-2. 1 September 1983. ISSN 0458-3035.
  11. ↑ "Regent Air Cancels Flights". Los Angeles Herald Examiner. CXIV (310): A-12. 7 March 1985. OCLC 8833630.
  12. ↑ Norwood, Tom W. (1996). Deregulation Knockouts, Round One. Sandpoint, Idaho: Airways International. p. 92. ISBN 0965399303.
  13. ↑ Eastwood, A.B.; Roach, J. (2005). Airliner Production List Volume 1. West Drayton (UK): The Aviation Hobby Shop. p. 87. Serial number 18893.
  14. ↑ "New Bay Area Airline Ready for Takeoff". San Francisco Chronicle. 121 (76): 26. 15 April 1985. ISSN 1932-8672.
  15. ↑ Qualley v. International Air Service, 595 So.2d 194 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1992).
  16. 1 2 3 Endres, Günter G. (1987). 1987-88 World Airline Fleets. Feltham, Middlesex, UK: Browcom Publishing. p. 203. ISBN 0946141304.
  17. ↑ "Crashed plane was hauling for AF". Dayton Daily News. 110 (31): 6. 10 October 1986. ISSN 0897-0920.
  18. ↑ "High rollers flying high on Nevada shuttle". Times (Hammond, IN). 85 (216): 1. 24 January 1993. OCLC 21966146.
  19. ↑ "UPS to take direct control of its jet fleet". Louisville Courier-Journal. 265 (56): B8. August 25, 1987. ISSN 1930-2177.
  20. ↑ "Consolidated Freightways to Acquire Emery Air Freight for $230 Million". Aviation Week and Space Technology. 130 (7): 119. 20 February 1989. ISSN 0005-2175.
  21. ↑ "Emery's Failing Finances Spur Approval of Merger". Aviation Week and Space Technology. 130 (15): 97. 10 April 1989. ISSN 0005-2175.
  22. ↑ "Firm that serves UPS files Chapter 11". Louisville Courier-Journal. 265 (120): B9. 28 October 1987. ISSN 1930-2177.
  23. ↑ Ryan International Airlines, DC-9-15, N565PC, Loss of Control on Takeoff, Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport, Ohio, February 17, 1991 (Report). Washington, DC: National Transportation Safety Board. 16 November 1991. pp. 99–100. hdl:2027/ien.35556020329082. NTSB/AAR-91/09.
  24. ↑ "UPS to fly solo; Raleigh company left up in air". Raleigh News and Observer. CCXLIII (56): D1. 25 August 1987. ISSN 2769-0806.
  25. ↑ Klee 1989, p. 275,317.
  26. ↑ "Elko Airport has rich history". "Extra" section. Elko Daily Free Press. 110 (158): 1. 6 July 1993. OCLC 13457689.
  27. ↑ FAA Statistical Handbook (Report). Washington, DC: Federal Aviation Administration. 1989. p. 5-11. hdl:2027/osu.32435030758288.
  28. ↑ 1985 Annual Report of the Regional Airline Industry (Report). Washington, DC: Regional Airline Association. 1985. p. 131.
  29. 1 2 Contractions (Report). Federal Aviation Administration. 1 June 1982. p. 7-4. hdl:2027/ufl.31262091395037.
  30. ↑ Federal Aviation Administration (1973). FAA Statistical Handbook, Calendar Year 1973 (Report). Washington DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 73. hdl:2027/coo.31924106378312.
  31. ↑ "MA Corporations Search for "CAM Air International"". Massachusetts Secretary of State. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  32. 1 2 "Tiny Miami airline wins major Braniff routes". Miami News. 87 (15): 8A. 28 May 1982. OCLC 02733685.
  33. ↑ "Local Efforts Aids Honduras Victims". Macon (GA) Telegraph. CXLVIII (267): 3. 24 September 1974. ISSN 1054-2485.
  34. ↑ "Relief Goods Delivered". Macon (GA) News. 90 (282): 1. 18 October 1974. OCLC 19872344.
  35. ↑ "Automotive Cargo Investigation". Civil Aeronautics Board Reports. 70 Part 2. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office: 1625. March–June 1976. hdl:2027/osu.32437011657901.
  36. ↑ Micale v. Micale, 542 So.2d 415 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1989).
  37. ↑ "Patter About People". Macon (GA) Telegraph. CXLVIII (308): 9B. 3 November 1974. ISSN 1054-2485.
  38. ↑ CAB84 1979, p. 276,278–279.
  39. 1 2 "3 Dead In Lambert Crash". St Louis Post-Dispatch. 99 (185): 1. 7 July 1977. ISSN 1930-9600.
  40. ↑ "Fleming International, Fitness Investigation". Civil Aeronautics Board Reports. 84. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office: 267–287. November 1979 – January 1980. hdl:2027/ien.35559002074692.
  41. 1 2 3 Endres, Günter G. (1979). World Airline Fleets 1979. Hounslow (UK): Airline Publications and Sales. p. 233. ISBN 0905117530.
  42. 1 2 "Turbine-Engined Fleets of the World's Airlines, 1983". Exxon Air World. 35 (2): 18. 1983. ISSN 0014-5068.
  43. 1 2 "Turbine-Engined Fleets of the World's Airlines, 1985". Exxon Air World. 37 (2): 14. 1985. ISSN 0014-5068.
  44. ↑ "Where the Electras fly". USA Today. 3 (92): 6A. 25 January 1985. ISSN 0734-7456.
  45. 1 2 "Amendment on 30 August 1983 within View Filings within MA Corporations Search for "CAM Air International"". Massachusetts Secretary of State. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  46. ↑ "Our Story". CAM Family Foundation. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
  47. ↑ Francillon, René J.; Lewis, Peter B.; Dunn, Jim (1990). Mighty MAC. London: Osprey Aerospace. pp. 126–127. ISBN 9780850459852.
  48. ↑ "Turbine-Engined Fleets of the World's Airlines, 1982". Exxon Air World. 34 (2): 18. 1982. ISSN 0014-5068.
  49. ↑ "U.S. Air Carrier Section". Aircraft Accident Reports: Brief format, U.S. Civil Aviation, Issue Number 5 of 1977 Accidents (Report). Washington DC: National Transportation Safety Board. 1977. p. 10. hdl:2027/mdp.39015048063922.
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