Sunbird Airlines Beech C99  N993SB                      (c/n  U-172)

                                   

                                         Sunbird Airlines, along with its parent company Mountain Air Cargo was founded by Ralph
                                         Quinlan in the early 1980s.  Originally based at Charlotte Douglas Airport other hubs were
                                         soon found, including Raleigh-Durham Airport where I took this shot in 1985.  . A plethora of
                                         commuter routes within North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia was established.   The
                                         airline began operations as Piedmont Commuter in 1986, and shortly after that was renamed
                                         CCAir. The initial fleet commenced with Cessna 402s and 404s, along with half a dozen
                                        Beech 99s.