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a number of students during the year, including Tony Jannus' brother Rodger who also joined the flying staff. Late that fall Benoist brought out a new type land tractor biplane of improved performance which Jannus flew at State Fairs. During the summer, differences of opinion had begun to separate Benoist and Robinson and finally resulted in Robinson leaving the firm.

Late in 1913 Benoist entered into an agreement to operate a scheduled flying boat airline from St. Petersburg to Tampa, Florida, to carry passengers, mail and light air express during the South's winter resort season. On December 17, 1914, Benoist signed a contract with a group of local St. Petersburg businessmen to undertake this operation and began at once to prepare equipment and personnel for the assignment. About this time another well-known early pilot, Weldon B. Cooke, joined Benoist with the group in Florida. The schedule called for flights from St. Petersburg at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., with return from Tampa at 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.

The first trip started at 10:00 a.m. January 1, 1914, with Tony Jannus as pilot, carrying the Mayor of St. Petersburg on the inaugural flight. On January 12th they started carrying light air express in addition to passengers, and Swift and Company became a daily shipper. Benoist soon started another flying school at St. Petersburg and trained a class of several students that winter. In addition to the airlines operations, flights were also made to Manatee, Bradenton and Sarasota. The airline operations were discontinued on March 31, 1914, after having maintained a regular schedule on all except four days, carrying 1,205 passengers and flying over 11,000 miles without a single accident, a very creditable accomplishment with the early equipment of that period. Two conventional Benoist flying boats, for pilot and two passengers, were flown with the Jannus brothers and Cooke doing the flying.

As a result of the airline experience, Benoist then brought out a larger 4-place flying boat for passenger carrying operations. In May the Jannus brothers left Benoist to fly exhibitions and do passenger-carrying on their own