Rhodesian Air Services was an airline based in Southern Rhodesia

Southern Rhodesia

Southern Rhodesia was the name of the British colony situated north of the Limpopo River and the Union of South Africa. From its independence in 1965 until its extinction in 1980, it was known as Rhodesia...

 in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

History

Rhodesian Air Services was formed by Jack Malloch in 1959 with one C-47

C-47 Skytrain

The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...

 to operate a service between Salisbury, (now Harare), in then Southern Rhodesia, and Vilanculas - the closest Landing Strip on the Mozambique mainland to the popular holiday destination of Paradise Island just off the coast. This aircraft (VP-YRX) was lost in a crash at Salisbury on November 22 1961http://www.crash-aerien.com/www/database/fiche.php?id=2901, and a second DC-3 (VP-YUU) was obtained. When the company ran into financial problems, the route and aircraft were acquired by Central African Airways

Central African Airways

Central African Airways was formed in 1946 from the wartime Southern Rhodesian Air Services , which was in turn formed from the pre-war Rhodesia And Nyasaland Airways and Southern Rhodesia Air Force communications squadron...

 in 1962.

Jack Malloch then formed Air Trans Africa

Air Trans Africa

Air Trans Africa was formed by Jack Malloch in 1964 after his first company, Rhodesian Air Services failed in 1962. It operated a Super Constellation, a Douglas C-54 and a DH114 Heron aircraft before Southern Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence...

. For the history thereafter, see the Air Trans Africa page.

Aircraft

• C-47
  C-47 Skytrain
  The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
  
  : VP-YRX (crashed Salisbury, 2 fatalities, 1 survivor)
• C-47
  C-47 Skytrain
  The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
  
  : Pionair conversion: VP-YUU (to Central African Airways
  Central African Airways
  Central African Airways was formed in 1946 from the wartime Southern Rhodesian Air Services , which was in turn formed from the pre-war Rhodesia And Nyasaland Airways and Southern Rhodesia Air Force communications squadron...
  
  )

Livery

Red fin with stylised white 'R' and a white semicircle on the trailing edge. Cheatline was blue with a seahorse below the cheatline on the nose.