Pensacola Aviators
The Pensacola Aviators were an expansion basketball team in the American Basketball Association (ABA) originally scheduled to play the 2004-2005 season. The ABA began in 1999 and is viewed as a developmental league. The 2008-2009 season saw the league conduct interleague play with the Continental Basketball Association, another developmental league. The 2009-2010 season is scheduled to have 62 teams.
The Aviators encountered problems with Penascola's home arena, the Pensacola Civic Center, who already had the Pensacola Ice Pilots professional hockey team as a tenant. It was noted that both teams would essentially play during the same seasons, mainly October through May. The lease agreement between the Civic Center and the Ice Pilots would supercede all other agreements, and the Ice Pilots would not allow another minor league team to play there. The Aviators' owner, Oliver Darden, then subsequently suspended operations and eventually folded the franchise after failing to find a suitable venue. The Aviators would never play.
