Wheeler Airlines  Beech 99  N6460D                            (c/n  U173)

                             

                                 Wheeler Airlines, formed in 1969 as a FBO was the first black (African American) airline in the
                                 USA to be sanctioned for passenger scheduled services by the FAA.        Founded by Warren
                                 Wheeler (a Piedmont Airlines captain) it originally commenced as a flight training and charter
                                 organization.  Many black pilots saw their flight skills honed at Wheeler.      In 1975 scheduled
                                 services began out of Raleigh-Durham (RDU) to locations within North Carolina and also to
                                 cities in Virginia,, West Virginia,  South Carolina, etc.    My shot was taken in 1984, when
                                 roaming around the tarmac was no problem!       The cabin titling is not the clearest and thus
                                 I have enlarged it below
                               . Five Beech 99s had been acquired in 1982. These were all previously owned aircraft, although
                                 all were practically brand new. coming from a variety of different former owners.     
                                 N6460D has been delivered to Transwestern Airlines in 1981.   There's probably a tale
                                 here as to how Warren got these aircraft!    Anyway, when Piedmont Airlines selected another
                                 carrier for their commuter code sharing,, (how's that for loyalty), Wheeler filed Chapter 11
                                 bankruptcy in 1985, but continued operations and renamed itself WRA (Wheeler Regional
                                 Airlines) taking over some undeserved mid-Atalntic routes.  It finally folded in 1987.