CHALK'S INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES
You can find complete Chalk's timetables HERE.
Chalk's was one the most legendary commuter airlines in America. Billing itself as "The World's Oldest Airline," Chalk's flew seaplanes in south Florida and the Bahamas for over 8 decades. The airline had many different owners after the death of founder Arthur Chalk in 1977, also operating under the names Chalk's International, Chalk's Ocean Airways, and Pan Am Air Bridge. The airline shut down for 11 months following the crash of Grumman Mallard N2969 off of Miami Beach in December 2005. Although Chalk's made a brief return in 2006 flying leased Beechcraft 1900s on routes within Florida, it was finally grounded in September 2007 when the D.O.T. revoked its operating license.
At least a half dozen Chalk's aircraft can be seen in this fantastic circa 1959 photo of the Watson Island base in Miami. Courtesy of Edwin Bayles.
Chalk's Grumman Goose N88U arriving at Miami's Watson Island terminal circa 1959.
Grumman Goose N1621A among several other Chalk's aircraft at Watson Island, Miami in 1967.
Chalk's International Mallard N73556 off of Watson Island, Miami in 1977, still painted in bicentennial colors.
A great view of Mallard N73556 circa 1976-1977, departing Bimini.
Aerial view of the Watson Island base in Miami in the late 1970s.
Chalk's International Mallard N2870 at Watson Island, wearing the blue and white color scheme introduced in the late 1970s.
Chalk's International Airlines timetable with route map on the cover, effective April 27, 1980.
30-passenger Grumman Albatross G-111s were introduced in 1979 and flew with the airline through the mid-1980s. N115FB is pictured shortly after departing Watson Island in Miami.
Chalk's aircraft were frequently seen on television and movies during the mid to late 1980s, most notably on episodes of Miami Vice. This is a short montage of Chalk's film appearances.
The Mallards were converted to turboprop power during the 1980s. Turbo Mallard N2969 is seen heading for the water in 1989.
A poster-size Chalk's "treasure map" from 1993 showing routes to Fort Jefferson, Key West, Miami/Watson Island, Fort Lauderdale, Bimini and Paradise Island / Nassau.
N2969 sporting the turquoise and yellow livery of the early 1990s, on the beach at Key West, likely preparing to depart for the day trip to Fort Jefferson on the Dry Tortugas. Photo taken by Rich Taylor in November 1992.
A postcard view of Turbo Mallard N130FB in Chalk's Ocean Airways' updated colors of the early 2000s.
Chalk's shut down temporarily following the crash of Mallard N2969 near the Port of Miami on December 19, 2005. When flights resumed in 2006, the Mallards remained grounded and the authority to serve the Bahamas had expired, so the company wet-leased several Beechcraft 1900Ds and operated them on routes within Florida. The D.O.T. revoked Chalk's operating license in September 2007 following an investigation into the crash in Miami.
