go!'s N655BR

Our June edition of "HNL RareBirds Classic" goes back to June 2006, and the launch of Mesa Airlines' go!, that would be the third entrant in the inter-island against Aloha Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines. N655BR (msn 7457, f/n 655) was one of three CRJ-200ERs to wear the original go! livery, and is seen above, on the Elliott Street ramp, a few days before the airline commenced operations.

7457 was originally delivered to Atlantic Coast Airlines (ACA), operated by United Express, in December 2000. Independence Air [DH/IDE] acquired N655BR in June 2004, and flew until the airline's shutdown in January 2006. Five months later, Mesa Airlines acquired N655BR, and assigned it to its go! subsidiary. In June 2009, this CRJ-200ER was sold to Mexicana as XA-EMI for its Mexicana Link subsidiary. After Mexicana shutdown in 2011, Air Wisconsin acquired it as N471ZW (f/n 471) for US Airways Express. When American Airlines acquired US Airways, this CRJ-200ER became part of the American Eagle fleet, with the fleet number Z71. In late 2017, Air Wisconsin assigned N471ZW to United Express (f/n 471), where it continues to fly.