Comair      Piper PA-31-310 Navajo  N77AL                                 (c/n  31-534)

                              

                                   Comair was founded in January 1977 in Cincinnati, Ohio, by the father-and-son combination of
                                   Raymond A. and David R. Mueller.   A service was inaugurated between Cincinnati and Cleveland,
                                   Akron and Evansville using a small fleet of Piper Navajos.    Bob Garrard's nice shot above was
                                   taken at Covington Airport, Kentucky (in what is now Northern Kentucky International Airport) in
                                   November 1980.  As the commuter line grew it added more Navajos, plus several of the "stretched"
                                   PA-31-350 Chieftain variety to the fleet. 
                                   Note:  On 8 October 1979, Piper PA-31 Navajo N6642L was operating Comair Flight 444 from
                                   Cincinnati to Nashville, TN when it lost power to the starboard engine.  The aircraft rolled and
                                   impacted the ground killing the pilot and all seven passengers.   The resultant settlement suits and
                                   adverse publicity almost spelled finis to the embryo airline, but Ray Mueller's tenacity and good
                                   standing in the Cincinnati area allowed him to continue and go on to become what is, in effect, one
                                   of the world's largest the regional carriers operating today.