Rhodesian Air Services Explained

Airline:	Rhodesian Air Services
Iata:	RF
Founded:	1960
Ceased:	1965
Headquarters:	Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia
Bases:	Salisbury Airport

Rhodesian Air Services (RAS) was an airline from Southern Rhodesia (today's Zimbabwe, until 1963 part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland) from 1960 to 1965. Formed by Jack Malloch and headquartered in Salisbury, it operated scheduled and chartered passenger flights on regional routes.^[1]

Route network

In 1965, RAS offered scheduled flights to the following destinations in Southern Rhodesia:^[2]

• Bulawayo - Bulawayo Airport
• Chiredzi - Buffalo Range Airport
• Fort Victoria
• Salisbury - Salisbury Airport (base)
• Triangle

Fleet

Upon closure, the Rhodesian Air Services fleet consisted of the following aircraft:^[3]

Rhodesian Air Services fleet

Aircraft	In fleet
de Havilland Dove
Douglas C-47 Skytrain
Douglas DC-4
Total	4

Accidents and incidents

• On 22 November 1961, a Rhodesian Air Services Douglas C-47 Skytrain (registered VP-YRX) crashed near Salisbury Airport, killing two of the three occupants that had intended to fly the aircraft to Livingstone.^[4] Shortly after take-off, an engine problem had been encountered, which the pilot had failed to address properly so that control was lost.^[5]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Profile for: Rhodesian Air Services. AeroTransport Data Bank. 2016-04-13.
2. Web site: Rhodesian Air Services - RAS. www.timetableimages.com. 2016-04-13.
3. Web site: World Airline Survey. 1965-04-15. www.flightglobal.com. 2016-04-13.
4. Web site: ASN Aircraft accident Douglas C-47A-75-DL (DC-3) VP-YRX Salisbury Airport (HRE).
5. Web site: ASN Aircraft accident Douglas C-47A-75-DL (DC-3) VP-YRX Salisbury Airport (HRE). aviation-safety.net. 2016-04-13.