Rosenbalm Aviation
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| Founded | 1960 | ||||||
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| Commenced operations | November 1973 as an uncertificated carrier | ||||||
| Ceased operations | December 2, 1991 | ||||||
| Operating bases | Ypsilanti, Michigan | ||||||
| Fleet size | See Fleet | ||||||
| Parent company | Flagship Express (1989–1991) | ||||||
| Headquarters | Bannockburn, Illinois Ypsilanti, Michigan Medford, Oregon | ||||||
| Key people | Eli Jacobs | ||||||
| Founder | William E. "Bill" Rosenbalm, Jr. | ||||||
Rosenbalm Aviation (Rosenbalm) flew cargo in the 1980s for freight and package express companies like Emery Worldwide, Burlington Air Express and CF Airfreight, with a fleet of ultimately over 25 Douglas DC-8s. The company started in Oregon in 1960 crop dusting and flying for the United States Forest Service (USFS), including performing aircraft modifications necessary to support USFS activities. In late 1973, Rosenbalm bought the Michigan-based auto parts transportation business from Intermountain Aviation, an airline then-secretly owned by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Rosenbalm also had a business converting DC-8s to carry cargo. In the 1980s, the company's business transitioned to flying freight for airfreight/package express companies.
The airline changed hands in 1987 and again in 1989, the latter of these to financier Eli Jacobs, then-owner of the Baltimore Orioles major league baseball team. The airline was briefly known as Flagship Express Services (FSX) and flew scheduled freight service under that brand before it abruptly ceased service in December 1991 about two months after losing its Emery contract. Creditors forced FSX into bankruptcy and it left large debts unpaid, including wages.