Wikipedia

Draft:Richard Benjamin Cass


Richard Benjamin Cass
Born
Richard Benjamin Cass

Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Alma materSoutheastern Oklahoma State University (BS)
Occupations
  • Aviation executive
  • author
  • historian
  • entrepreneur
TitleChairman and CEO of Braniff Airways, Incorporated

Richard Benjamin "Ben" Cass is an American aviation executive, author, historian and entrepreneur who serves as the Chairman and CEO of Braniff Airways, Incorporated d/b/a Braniff International. A retired airline pilot, he is best known for turning Braniff into a large licensing and branding, travel and hotel firm and for the first implementation of computer based pilot training at a private pilot flight school.[1][2] He is the founder of Braniff Airways Foundation as a 501(c)(3) organization[3] and the author of Braniff Airways: Flying Colors.

Early life and first business

edit

Cass was born in Dallas and raised in Allen, Texas, where he graduated from Allen High School in 1984. His father, C. A. Cass, Jr. (November 15, 1922 - September 19, 1999), was an executive with the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas for nearly 40 years. His mother Elizabeth B. Cass (née Allen; November 17, 1931 - May 2, 2020) was a certified public accountant in McKinney, Texas.[4] Cass's first interest in aviation began at age seven during a 1972 visit to the Braniff International terminal at Dallas Love Field, and the airline's jet fleet inspired his career path.[3][5]

Cass began detailing cars at his parent's home at age 16. This turned into a full time position and included servicing the cars for several local area funeral homes. He sold the business before leaving for college.[1]

Education

edit

His formal education in business administration began at Richland College in Dallas, in the fall of 1984. In 1985, he pursued business administration and aviation classes while attending Southeastern Oklahoma State University. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Sciences and Business Administration in 1988.

Cass obtained his FAA pilot licenses (Private thru Certified Flight Instructor Instrument and Multi Engine Land) through the school's flight school program and eventually assumed the role of Assistant Chief Pilot in 1987. His grades earned him graduate honors in the Aviation Department. Cass received his Airline Transport Pilot Certificate from a local Dallas, Texas, school in 1991.[3][6]

Allianze Corporation

edit

In 1988, Cass and two classmates from his college founded Allianze Corporation, which operated a flight school based in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The school taught pilots from FAA Private thought Instrument Instructor certifications and Multi-Engine and Instructor Ratings. The school's Private Pilot Program was approved by the FAA under Part 141. Cass began talks with local vo-tech schools and an agreement was implemented for ground school classes to begin for students to then commence flying lessons at the flight school in Malvern, Arkansas, a first in the state. Cass merged the school with two other and sold it to another flight school conglomerate in early 1990.[1]

First Braniff Position

edit

In fall of 1990, Cass was hired by Qualiflight Training School at Ft. Worth Meacham Field, Texas. He was brought in to help the school retain its Part 141 flight school certification from the FAA. Cass arrived on a Friday afternoon and was given two days to correct the problems before the school was given its last FAA inspection the following Monday. With the help of staff and flight instructors, all issues were handled and the school remained open. Cass also co-founded Raven Air, a Part 135 cargo airline, which was owned by Qualiflight Training and he set up the school's Veterans Administration flight training program.

Cass's ability to turn flight school's around quickly earned him status in the industry. Accordingly, he was hired by Braniff Education Systems, Inc., d/b/a International Aviation and Travel Academy in Arlington, Texas, to perform the same duties he had at Qualiflight to ensure IATA would continue its flight school program. It was successful and marked Cass's first job with an operating Braniff subsidiary.[7]

In late 1991, Cass joined Ft. Worth, Texas-based, Kitty Hawk Air Cargo, Inc., as Chief Pilot of the company's Part 135 cargo operations.

Martinaire

edit

In 1993, Cass was hired by Martinaire, Inc., a large Part 135 air cargo carrier that operated nationwide for UPS, DHL and FedEx, providing local service from small cities to major hubs. Here Cass flew for the company as captain for several years and was eventually promoted into a management position where he was in charge of the administration of the Flight Operations Department. He implemented numerous safety standards for the company and opened up new employee benefits and offered a retaliation-free suggestion program. He authored the company's first full rewrite of its General Operations Manual since it was founded in 1978. He retired from Martinaire in 2006, to assume the presidency of Braniff International.[8]

Braniff International

edit

Braniff Airways Foundation

edit

In an effort to safeguard the historical legacy of Braniff after it ceased air operations in 1982, Cass founded Braniff Airways Foundation as an IRS registered 501c3 Non-Profit organization.[3] The foundation, which dates back to 1978, administers the Braniff International Heritage Archives, which houses the corporate records of Braniff and its successors and subsidiaries. The Foundation conducts programs and events for Braniff's employees and retirees and curates Braniff's extensive South American and Texas art collections.[9]

Braniff International

edit

Cass was appointed president of The Texas Trust and Braniff Airways in 2006. Cass serves as the Chairman and CEO of Braniff Airways, Incorporated, Braniff International Corporation, and Braniff International Hotels, Inc., and serves as the Chairman of The Texas Trust, which is the owner of the Braniff companies.[9]

Cass assumed the Chairmanship and CEO position at Braniff Airways in May 2020, and since then has implemented new travel based initiatives for the company including expanding its hotel licensing and management, licensing the company's likenesses for select luxury products and introduced a unique travel booking site based on Braniff's long-term travel partners. He purchased the assets of Ozark Air Lines, Inc., and Cass has utilized Braniff's historical fleet designs for licensing and branding. He recently partnered with Solar Time Ltd. to launch a multi-year global timepiece collection utilizing elements of the airline's "End of the Plain Plane" era designs.[10][11][12]

Advocating for historic Braniff buildings

edit

Cass has advocated for Braniff's historical buildings to ensure they are saved for historical purposes. He spearheaded, along with then Preservation Dallas Director David Preziosi, the preservation of the company's double butterfly mid-century styled hangar at Dallas Love Field, which was opened in 1958. It was the only known structure of its kind to survive and Cass fought a multi-year battle that ensued with the City of Dallas and developers to ensure the building was saved. Dubbed The Braniff Centre, the hangar is again an operating and contributing aviation entity at Love Field.[13]

The restoration of the Braniff International Hostess College in the Oaklawn neighborhood near downtown Dallas has been an ongoing project of Cass's since the building was vacated in 2014. In 2020, Braniff International Hotels, Inc., announced that it would open a new hotel property at the Hostess College in the style and manner that it was originally created in 1968. This project, in conjunction with Centurion American, Inc., was scheduled to open in 2022 but COVID created an atmosphere that was not conducive to a hotel opening and the project was subsequently abandoned and the building offered for sale once again.[14]

A new project for the Hostess College was spearheaded by Cass, in conjunction with Sycamore Strategies, LLC, in 2025. The facility will be used as a residential housing complex for lower income people living with HIV/AIDS and will be styled in the Braniff International manner.[15]

Veteran advocacy

edit

While at Braniff Airways Foundation, Cass established the Vietnam Veteran Agent Orange Initiative. This humanitarian project reviews corporate logs to provide formal Military Airlift Command (MAC) flight records to former personnel. This documentation provides verified proof of service and location exposure, aiding veterans in securing government-mandated medical settlements and disability benefits from the Veterans Administration.[16][17]

Awards and honors

edit
  • Preservation Dallas Award (2019): During Cass's tenure at Braniff Airways Foundation, the organization was selected for a prestigious historic advocacy honor by the Board of Directors of Preservation Dallas.[18]

Personal life

edit

Cass resides in Dallas.[3] In addition to commercial aviation history, he is a collector of mid-century automobiles and serves as an active member and North Texas Region Director of the Lincoln and Continental Owners Club, frequently contributing to Continental Comments Magazine, the club's internal magazine.[19][20]

Board memberships

edit
  • The Texas Trust
  • Braniff Airways, Incorporated
  • Braniff International Corporation
  • Braniff International Hotels, Inc.

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. 1 2 3 Long, Jason (November 3, 1988). "New Flight School at Malvern Airport". Vol. 73, no. 2. Malvern Daily News.
  2. ↑ Parris, Pat. "News Reporter". KGUN9.com. ABC KGUN News 9. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Ames, Jenni (February 22, 2016). "Retired Pilot Calls McDermott Library Home for Researching Resurrected Airline". The University of Texas at Dallas News Center. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
  4. ↑ Walt, Bufford (January 14, 1978). "Meet our SVP Vault and Administration". The 10-K Federal Reserve Dallas. 67 (1): 16–18.
  5. ↑ Sloan, Chris. "For them the Braniff Colors Still Fly". airwaysmag.com. Airways Magazine. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  6. ↑ Sloan, Chris. "For them the Braniff Colors Still Fly". airwaysmag.com. Airways Magazine. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  7. ↑ "FAA Examiners Look for Rule Adherence". FAA General Aviation News. 32 (3): 5–6. May-June, 1993. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ↑ Sloan, Chris. "For them the Braniff Colors Still Fly". airwaysmag.com. Airways Magazine. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  9. 1 2 "The Four Lives of Braniff". Metropolitan Airport News. September 10, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
  10. ↑ {{cite web |last=Cass |first=Ben |title=Braniff International Partners with Solar Time Ltd for Timepiece Collection
  11. ↑ Stringer, David (13 October 2022). "Mary Wells and Braniff International's Flying Colors". AvGeekery.com. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
  12. ↑ Sloan, Chris. "For them the Braniff Colors Still Fly". airwaysmag.com. Airways Magazine. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  13. ↑ Gubbins, Teresa. "Event celebrating Dallas' Braniff Airways a must for fashion & flying buffs". Dallas.Culturemap.com. Culturemap. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
  14. ↑ Gubbins, Teresa. "Braniff Airways flight attendant college to become Dallas boutique hotel". dallas.culturemap.com. Culture Map. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
  15. ↑ "AIDS Services of Dallas rebrands as ASD — A Home for Life". dallasvoice.com. Dallas Voice. 18 April 2025. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
  16. ↑ "Braniff Airways Foundation Vietnam Veteran Agent Orange Initiative". Braniff Flying Colors. November 11, 2020. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
  17. ↑ Sloan, Chris. "For them the Braniff Colors Still Fly". airwaysmag.com. Airways Magazine. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  18. ↑ "Braniff Airways Foundation Wins Prestigious Award" (PDF). Preservation Dallas. January 29, 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
  19. ↑ Cite error: The named reference braniffbios was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ↑ "Braniff Brand Still Means Travel Industry Luxury". peoplenewspapers.com. People Newspapers. 31 December 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Draft:Richard_Benjamin_Cass&oldid=1361407256"