After another high-performance training flight today, I flew myself down to Corvallis to catch a Saab 2000 doing a sports charter. In fact, I arrived into Corvallis just in time to see it depart!
The operator of this Saab 2000 I was after is Freight Runners Express flying under the Air Charter Express (ACE) banner. Freight Runners is an airline based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that operates scheduled as well as on-demand cargo and passenger services utilizing a fleet of Beechcraft 99s and 1900Cs, Embraer EMB-120 Brasilias, and as of recently the Saab 2000; the passenger services are operated exclusively under Air Charter Express (ACE) brand, using Embraer EMB-120s and Saab 2000s configured for 30 passengers. The airline began operations in 1985 flying cargo throughout the state of Wisconsin. The Air Charter Express brand and passenger charter services were launched in 1992.
The Freighter Runners/Air Charter Express fleet currently consists of 23 turboprop aircraft, split between six EMB-120Fs, three Beechcraft 1900Cs, and ten Beechcraft 99s for freighter operations, plus three EMB-120ERs and three Saab 2000s configured to seat 30 passengers for their charter operations. The Saab 2000s are the newest additions to the Freight Runners/Air Charter Express fleet, with the first one having been added in October 2021.
Corvallis (CVO)
Preview:
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| Freight Runners Express (d/b/a Air Charter Express - ACE) Saab 2000 (N680PA) departing on 17 as FRG9680 for a quick hop to Eugene. Arrived earlier this afternoon as FRG190 from Tuscon on a college sports charter. My first time seeing this particular operator! |
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| Previously flew for PenAir until they went shut down in 2020 due to repercussions related to the pandemic. Prior to to PenAir, this airframe flew exclusively as an executive transport, first delivered in September 1995 as N5123L to General Motors Corporation. It was re-registered as N5123 in January 1997 while still flying for GM. Taken up by Hendrick Motorsports as N511RH in April 2004 before being acquired by PenAir in January 2016; it was one of two Saab 2000s that PenAir acquired, making it either the second or third one to join their fleet. |
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| Following the shutdown of the Ravn Air Group, which included PenAir in April 2020 due the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had the aviation industry, Freight Runners Express acquired this airframe in November 2021 after being stored for well-over a year. This airframe is Freight Runners' second Saab 2000 added to their fleet. They currently operate three Saab 2000s and two more to be added in the coming months. N680PA is the only Saab 2000 that has spent its entire life in the U.S. The other four airframes are former Eastern Airways frames coming from the U.K. |
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| Considering the rarity of these turboprop airliners, it's always good to see a new Saab 2000 operator! |
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