BOB BANTA 1958 - 1984 PILOT, CHIEF PILOT PHX BIL GTF DEN There still exists the NTSB Accident Report on the (Mar 12, 1964) MLS crash. Also, Bob Banta was the first FL pilot on the scene. As I recall, he flew his own aircraft to MLS from BIL. -Billy Walker (2/11/02) Subject: Captain Bob Banta I've been conversing electronically with Bob the past few days. Found him quite by co-incidence. I was searching the net for used Goldwing motorcycles and came across an ad under the name of Robert Banta. I got to wondering just how many Robert Bantas could there be, and replied to the ad. Turns out it was indeed the Bob Banta of FAL. This old Internet is really very small at times, huh? Anyway, he is living in Bend, Oregon, enjoying retirement. He is interested in the club, so I'll have Jake send him an invite. -Darrell Robson (7/23/04 Hi Bob, Got an email from Darrell Robson asking me to plug you into things FL. I sent you an invite to the FL Club. We also have a newsletter - send me your postal address and I'll get the Summer issue off to you. Lots of FL stuff at the index below too. Welcome back to the FLamily. I probably stuck load papers over your shoulder sometime or another, Jake Lamkins (7/23/04) I enjoy keeping in touch with my FLriends. I claim to have as many friends among the agents & mechanics as any ex-FL pilot. It took ALL OF US to make the airline work. -Bob Banta, Bend OR, (8/2/04) Bob is mentioned in the article about the FL DC3 hitting a gravel truck in BIS 07-05-61. He was a non-rev on the fight. Sent by Zick Burns widow -Jake Lamkins (2/16/07) -FL News mailing list Note with newsletter renewal. Enjoying retirement in Oregon. I am down to 2 motorcycles - one 1931 model A Ford - 1 wife - 1 dog - 1 cat. -Bob Banta (6/4/07) R W BANTA Pilot seniority date of 4/19/58 on the 9/1/81 FL/ALPA seniority list. He is not on the 1985 & 86 lists -Jake Lamkins (6/16/08) New address BOB BANTA 240 SE SOFT TAIL DRIVE BEND, OR 97702 Hi Jake, Hope things are going well with you. Not too nice an address for a guy 85 years old. HA! HA! -Bob Banta (2/12/11) I'm attaching a somewhat blurred picture of Bob Banta, reknown for being a "character." Think he was a Chief Pilot somewhere and also the pilot who dragged a quarter-mile of power line into some station in Montana behind a CV-580. He also pulled the flaps up on me once going into Bozeman just to ruin a good run of landings for me. -John Heimburger (4/10/11) Thanks for the pic. Bob Banta hit the power lines and the ground at GTF on 11/1/67 then flew on to BIL. He was also a non-rev on the DC-3 that hit a dump truck at BIS on 7/5/61. He was named General Manager - Northern Plains Division in Oct 1970. Bob's 85 now and lives at Bend, OR. -Jake Lamkins (4/10/11) R. W. BANTA DEN Co-Pilot DOB 9/19/25 DOH 4/16/58 Per Feb 1960 FL Roster -Jake Lamkins (6/18/11) Bob and Alice live in High Desert Village in Bend, OR. Always a colorful and active explorer and pilot, we enjoyed reading about his flying history and career with Frontier in "The Village Life," Dec 2009 issue. "Just don't pull the flaps up on me on landing at Bozeman again, Bob!" -John Heimburger (7/29/11) I was Capt. on a Flt. (A-300) from EWR To PBS and Bob was on board. I ask the F/A to bring him up to the Flt. Deck. This about 1990, and he was looking great and funny as usual!!! He ask, do you know why I always called you guys Hoss or Stud??? I said no. Bob said I have such a bad memorie for names, that is why. I don't know what he called you Gals !!! :>) -Ken Larason (7/9/12) FLacebook postings about Bob on 7/17/13 Bob couldn't remember names so he'd call you Stud, Hoss, Slick or Tiger! He and Alice live in Bend Oregon now. Bob used to have a black mule. We'd hear his very recognizable voice on the radio and say "Hey Bob, howz your black ass!" That resulted in a myriad of responses by ATC... -Billy Walker He had such a great smile and was a gentleman at all times. Loved to visit when he came through Phoenix station. Greet him if you ever talk to him. Glad he's still above ground and doing well. -Ginger Treptow We used to have lunch at the Buffalo Bar in Idaho Springs with Bob and Alice when they lived south of town. Also would take my Grandsons to see Bob's miniature trains. He had an old buggy in the upper level of his house. -Connie Mcalister Nice article about Bob at http://www.highdesertvillage.com/vl1209.pdf -Jake Lamkins So many stories can be told! One that I recall, is Captain Bob Banta and co-pilot Roger Lippert (they flew many hours together on the 3), arrived in MOT on our RON trip. There was a little old lady casually taking her time exiting the aircraft. Bob didn't realize she was on there, and made the comment that they had better get off this son-of-a-bitch before it blew up. Needless to say, that little old lady moved like a track star at that point. :-) -Darrell Robson (7/17/13) Note with newsletter renewal: Left FAL 1 yr 10 mo before bankruptcy to set up training dept. for America West Airlines in PHX. I also flew B-737 for America West. After age 60 - I flew freighters out of Miami for 7 years, until heavy cancer surgery. The doctor gave me 15 yrs - 22 years ago! I am living in Bend Oregon, doing mostly nothing. I lost my wife Alice Sept 9, 2012. -Bob Banta (9/13/13) Just had a delightful visit with Banta! He answered and I asked "Howz your black ass?" It took a while to get him to stop laughin' long enough to talk... He's doing pretty well just comin' up on NINE ZERO! He has bad knees and a pace-maker. Knees are replacements from a few years back. Says his pace-maker is workin' GREAT! He doesn't do e-mail, but would welcome snail mail or a phone call... -Billy Walker (11/30/14) I just got a call that Bob Banta has fallen and broken his back. He is in intensive care and under heavy sedation and is not taking calls. When and if I get any more info I'll get back to you.. -John Winter (12/29/18) Please disregard my message regarding Bob. He is walking with a walker and thinks he just brushed his tailbone. -John Winter (12/29/18) Mike Cleavenger called me a few minutes ago. Mike is Bob Banta's caretaker in Bend, Oregon. Some of you have spoken with Mike in the past when he handed the phone to Bob. Mike called to tell me that Bob suffered a massive stroke and that he was taking his final breaths before heading West. Mike held the phone so that I could say g'bye. I told Bob that I knew he'd have a smooth flight westbound with a bright star to steer by. He didn't say anything but somehow I think he heard me. I sure got to remembering a lot of times we shared the flight deck at good ol' Frontier and all those ol' warbirds we flew t'gether too. Makes me smile. Ever smile with a tear in your eye? Bob was a long time QB he belonged to several hangars over the years, including the Phoenix hangar. For sometime he has been part of the Redmond (Bend), Oregon hangar. Bob is 93. I expect, as I write this, he's lining up on Runway Two Seven. I thought you'd want to know... https://captainbillywalker.com/aviation-history-people/stud-hoss-slick-tiger/ -Billy Walker (3/12/19) Captain Robert Wayne Banta (93) Gone West 10:01AM local time this morning at his home in Bend OR. Bob did not want so much as an obituary or services. However, his caregiver, Mike Cleavenger, will put something in the Bend Bulletin. Bob's second wife, Alice, passed in 2012. I'm pretty sure everyone on this list is now recalling at least one "Stud - Hoss - Slick or Tiger" story... -Billy Walker (3/15/19) Ive been keeping up with Bob from the time of the FAL shutdown until now. He told me not long ago that his drivers license was what kept him going and just recently he told me they took that, like Bob was, his spirits were high. Bob was my Chief Pilot in Great Falls for 2 plus years and during that time we had 0 pilots call in sick because they couldn't get to GTF. We were all commuters and he let us know: DONT call in sick, call me and I will fly your trip for you. That was Captain Bob Banta!!! He recieved a Letter from the company commending him on having a zero sick record in his domicile for his entire time. Not many of the pilots knew of that letter. He wanted the company to know it was the pilot group that made that possible. No other pilot domicile could claim that. God Bless you Bob for all the good you left behind. -John Winter (3/15/19) FLacebook postings on 3/15/19: Ginger Treptow What a terrible loss, and he had such a great Smile all the time. They threw the Mold away when he was born. May he Rest In Peace. Jan Lefler R.I.P. Captain Bob Darrell Robson R. I. P, Captain! You were one of the greatest. Always enjoyed visiting with you, and riding jump seat with you and Roger Lippert on the DC-3s. (Even though that old stogie you puffed on stunk up the cockpit). Irene Fairweather Fly higher, Captain Banta. RIP Martie Palser I always enjoyed flying with Captain Banta. RIP Connie Mcalister What a Gentleman! Many visits with Bob and Alice when they lived south of Idaho Springs. He would run his trains for my Grandsons. My thoughts and prayers for you Bob. Jim Ford They broke the mold when Bob was born. He was my Chief pilot in Great Falls Montana. Rest in peace Bob Kim McCaleb Austin Fly with the Angels! RIP Captain Bob! Herb Schmidt R.I.P., Bob, you were one of kind. Thank you for all times riding the jump seat in Montana while I was Regional Sales Manager for Frontier in 1960s. You had a great journey.....Hoss!!!! Hal Fahrenbruch Many stories I remember about Bad Bob when I worked in ABQ .... He would always hurry us up to get the 580 ready for DEN as the CO Electra left just minutes before we did. He'd call back in just into Colo to advise he'd just passed 'em. George Fay One of the most unusual characters any of us have met along life's journey. R.I.P, my friend! Darrell Robson He always wanted a little "Jesus" fuel when the weather was bad. Fred Trujillo Always enjoyed flying with Capt. Bob. Rest In Peace! Tyler Vance Wow, I hope he's up there watching the schedules for everyone still flying Patricia Trish Swanson-Hawk Prayers for his family and friends Liz Gomez I loved his stories, very friendly!??Rest In Peace, Captain Bob Babta?? Jeanette Klein Prayers love and hugs to family and friends Ruth Pitts He was nice guy always enjoyed flying with him prayers to his caregiver, family, friends. John Heimburger Met him coming down a ski lift at Loveland Ski Basin one day, as I was going 'up' ...yup...typical Banta greeting..."How ya doin' Tiger?" We'll never forget Bob Banta! Keep us on the proper altitude, Capt. Bob! Robin Akens He was so cool. Always with the "lesson" stories. Great guy. Great attitude about life and a real zest for "the ride" Tom Robertson He was a charming personality. R.I.P. Barbara L Bender How sad.R.I.P. Captain Bob Alan Harris Sorry to hear the bad news. He will be missed. Patricia Williams-harter So sad, he was a fine gentleman! Always kind, always happy! Prayers for his care giver! Jack McLaughlin Great voice, good pilot, interesting guy, loved his stories about his mules, Adios Bob! Chuck Tisckos Sad to hear. Prayers for his family. (3/16/19) FLacebook - FL Club FLight West: Bob Banta PHX BIL GTF DEN pilot & chief pilot Bob Banta's memorial webpage has been posted at http://FAL-1.tripod.com/Bob_Banta.html He was 93 years old and a legend in his own time. Be sure to read about his crash in Mexico with a planeload of racehorses. -Jake Lamkins (3/30/19) FLacebook Steve Tidler A legend in Frontier history...RIP Bob. (3/31/19) Kevin Porreco I will always remember his jokes and his sense of humor (3/31/19) Gerrie Donaldson Always had a story for every occasion! (3/31/19) Buck Hawk He was a great gentleman. (3/31/19) Ginger Treptow Will always remember his great laugh, big smile, and a loving personality. (3/31/19) William Landrum RIP SKIPPER. (3/31/19) Liz Gomez Rest In Peace, my Friend! I’m sure he’s entertaining Our Lord, w/ a few good stories! (3/31/19) John Shelburne he'll avoid the "road construction" on his flight West... (4/1/19) Beverly Olsen He was great! I always enjoyed visiting with him (4/2/19) Christina Bonatti RIP ..He was a dear friend and instrumental in my hiring process with Frontier Wish I would of been in better touch. Prayers to your family, Bob, from me and the Anesi family... Love you and always enjoyed our time together. (4/2/19) I found this story about Bob while checking Tex Searle's book for stories on Dave Rampton who recently flew west. Stud And Hoss Captain Rampton still laughs about the time he was based in Billings, Montana flying Frontier’s Twin Otters over what the pilots called the high line, others called it the upper US. Frontier originally served this route with DC-3s that flew along the Canadian border through such cities as Havre, Glasgow, Wolf Point and Sidney, Montana. “The chief pilot at that time was a tall, lanky dude who couldn’t remember the names of his troops, so he called everyone either Stud, or Hoss. One night the pilots were out on the town, and one of them suggested they have some fun with the chief. About 1:00 a.m. he called the chief on the phone and when he answered, the pilot doing the calling said: ‘Hoss! this is Stud. I am sick and will not be able to fly my trip in the morning.’ Then he hung up. The chief, not knowing which Stud or which trip he was talking about, had to show up for the early morning trip to cover it.” It seems everyone showed up for all the flights leaving the chief wondering and waiting for the no show. -Jake Lamkins (4/6/19) I was in the first (Otter) class and worked for Chief Pilot Captain Bob Banta in Great Falls. We started with 2 Otters-100s they were in bad shape but we never cancelled a trip. Soon Frontier bought us 2 brand new dash 300s. Working for Captain Banta was a real pleasure, he was a great leader. We completed every trip under his command. May he rest in peace. -John Winter (5/22/20) Bob Banta, a real Gentleman. We visited Bob many times when he lived south of Idaho Springs. -Connie Mcalister (5/23/20) Ginger Treptow This man had a smile for everyone! Such a joy to know him. Would always enjoy our chats when he came through the Phoenix Station! May he Rest in Eternal Peace Jasper Tyler That guy had a great speaking voice. Connie McAlister Would take my Grandsons to visit Bob and his miniature trains when he lived south of Idaho Springs. You knew you were at Bob’s when you came to the covered wagon in his yard. (8/30/23)