Aero Virgin Islands
Encyclopedia
Aero Virgin Islands was an airlineAirline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
based in St. Thomas, US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Virgin Islands.
History
Aero Virgin Islands Corp. began operating in the CaribbeanCaribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
during the late 1970s. Operations Specifications issued by the FAA(Federal Aviation Administration) under FAR's (Federal Aviation Regulations)part 121 Issued on March 2 1977, specializing in inter-island flights to and from Saint Thomas(St.Thomas) Harry S Truman Airport to Alexander Hamilton Airport on Saint Croix|(St.Croix]and San Juan Int'l Airport in Puerto Rico (nanes of Airports have been changed over the years). The airline had scheduled flights to the three above Islands, plus charter flights to many points in the Caribbean. The airline used DC-3-202 airplanes in the earley years for thear flights later in the earley 1980's(1984) begain use of DC-3 A,B and C's (C-47). The aircraft(DC-3 A,B and C's were leasted out of Puerto Rico and were formaley AIR BVI fleet of aircraft(a airline out of Tortola British Virgin Islands). Joseph A. Cranston is listed as General Manager in the manual issued on 21 March 1978. Mark K. Odiorne was also one of founders, he has since passed. Mark is listed as Vice President of Maintenance. James H. Masters is Director of Operations in one the memo's the date is March 1980, he was a born on the Island of St. Croix and grew up on that island. Reuben B. Wheatley was the President for all the time Aero Virgin Islands Corp. was Operational and after. Aero Virgin Islands' main competitor was the Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
based airline, Prinair
Prinair
Prinair was a Puerto Rican airline. It was Puerto Rico's domestic and international flag carrier airline for almost two decades.- History :Services began in 1966, under the name Aerolíneas de Ponce , with Aero Commanders...
–at least until 1984, when Prinair went bankrupt. Aero Virgin Islands Corp., was the major mover of passangers for the next few years. But by middle 1989 most of the fleet was down with no engines on the aircraft. Then, in September 1989,with only two DC-3 operating Aero Virgin Islands suffered a setback when N28346 was destroyed in St. Thomas (renamed)Cyril E. King Airport by Hurricane Hugo. Only N5117X DC-3(C-47) was able to be repared of damage its suffered during the Hurricane and returned to service, it had been put in the hanger in San Juan Int'l Airport. The rest of the fleet out side on the ramp in San Juan Int'l Airport were totally destroyed by Hurricane Hugo.
In 1986, Aero Virgin Islands Corp. recruited four pilots with DC-3 experience to fly for the airline while they tried unsuccessfully to upgrade their FAA then part 135 certificate Back to a part 121 certificate and place a Martin 404 on the certificate. The four pilots would be used to offset other pilots who were to be pulled off the line to train on the 404, which they did get. Mr. Peter Pess (MR Pess was supposed to supply engines for the DC-3's) and Mr. James Beekman were unsuccessful in transitioning Aero Virgin Islands Corp. Back to be the flag carrier of the Caribbean
On January 2 of 1978, one of their DC-3's (registration #N15598) crashed landed on a beach near San Juan. All three crew and two passengers waided up on the beach. See report given by NTSB(National Transportation Safety Board).
Increased competition from such airlines as LIAT, Air Sunshine
Air Sunshine
Air Sunshine is an airline based in the USA. It operates scheduled service to Florida, the Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, British Virgin Islands and the US Virgin Islands...
and American Eagle
American Eagle Airlines
American Eagle Airlines is a brand name used by American Eagle Airlines, Inc. , based in Fort Worth, Texas, and Executive Airlines based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in the operation of passenger air service as regional affiliates of American Airlines. All three airlines are wholly owned subsidiaries...
forced Aero Virgin Islands out of operations by 1990.
Accidents and incidents
- On 2 January 1978, Douglas DC-3Douglas DC-3The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...
N15598 ditched in the sea 1000 feet (304.8 m) off San JuanSan Juan, Puerto RicoSan Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
. The aircraft was on an international scheduled passenger flight from Saint Thomas AirportCyril E. King Airport-Cargo:*Ameriflight *Four Star Aviation*FedEx-Accidents and incidents:On December 28, 1970, Trans Caribbean Airways Flight 505 made a hard landing and ran off the side of the runway. Two of the 48 passengers died in the subsequent fire....
, United States Virgin IslandsUnited States Virgin IslandsThe Virgin Islands of the United States are a group of islands in the Caribbean that are an insular area of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles.The U.S...
to San Juan. All five people on board survived. The cause of the accident was that the pilot mismanaged the fuel system, running the starboard tanks dry when there was fuel available in the port tanks. - On 17 September 1989, Douglas DC-3 N4425N, Douglas C-47s N100SD, N4471J and N4577Z; damaged beyond economic repair by Hurricane Hugo in San Juan Int'l Airport, San Juan Puerto Rico. Douglas C-49J N28346 was damaged beyond economic repair at Cyril E. King AirportCyril E. King Airport-Cargo:*Ameriflight *Four Star Aviation*FedEx-Accidents and incidents:On December 28, 1970, Trans Caribbean Airways Flight 505 made a hard landing and ran off the side of the runway. Two of the 48 passengers died in the subsequent fire....
, Charlotte AmalieCharlotte Amalie, United States Virgin Islands-Education:St. Thomas-St. John School District serves the community. and Charlotte Amalie High School serve the area.-Gallery:-See also:* Anna's Retreat* Cruz Bay* Saint Thomas* Water Island-External links:* *...
, United States Virgin Islands by Hurricane HugoHurricane HugoHurricane Hugo was a classical, destructive and rare Cape Verde-type hurricane which struck the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe, Montserrat, St. Croix, Puerto Rico and the USA mainland in South Carolina as a Category 4 hurricane during September of the 1989 Atlantic hurricane season...
.