 | |
| Founded | 1923 |
|---|---|
| Ceased operations | 1927 |
| Destinations | Miami, Atlanta |
| Key people | Eddie Rickenbacker, Ray Brooks |
Florida Airways was an American airline. Founded in part by Eddie Rickenbacker and based in the state of Florida, the airline served the southeastern United States during the mid-1920s.
Florida Airways was founded by Eddie Rickenbacker, Reed Chambers, and Virgil Chinea who later claimed "it was the worst investment he ever made". [1] Several outside investors were brought in including Richard F Hoyt, Anne Morgan, Percy Rockefeller, and Henry Ford who bought 3 of his own Stout 2AT's for the venture. [2] Florida Airways started service on Paxon Field in 1923. Florida Airways started regularly scheduled passenger service on June 1, 1926 [3] [4] The first service was from Tampa to Miami and Jacksonville [5]
Florida Airways was a pioneer airline operating on the CAM (Commercial Air Mail) routes that subsidized early air commerce through airmail contracts. Florida Airways secured the CAM-10 route between Miami and Atlanta. On September 15, 1926 a Florida Airways mail flight on the Tampa - Jacksonville - Atlanta route becomes the first commercial flight to land at Candler Field (forerunner to Atlanta International Airport). [6] Passenger revenue was too low or sparse to solely support an airline. Florida Airways charged $60 for a one way Miami to Jacksonville Ticket in 1926. The number of passengers for 1926 totaled 939. In order to increase revenue, wet letters or even bricks with stamps were mailed back and forth on the airline. [7]
By 1926, Florida Airways sought travel to Cuba to keep solvency. On a business trip to negotiate rights, it was discovered that Juan Trippe had already negotiated exclusive landing rights in Cuba for Pan American Airways a year earlier. Florida Airways ceased operations on 9 June 1927. Two months later, Harold Pitcairn founder of Pitcairn Aviation won the bid for the abandoned Miami-Atlanta airmail contract. Pitcairn Aviation would eventually become a part of Eastern Air Transport, later a part of North American Aviation Corporation, which in turn became Eastern Airlines. [8]
After Florida Airways stopped service, two Stout 2-AT's were purchased by Stout Air Services, which went on to become United Airlines. [9]
The Florida Airways fleet consists of the following aircraft as of 1926
| Aircraft | Total | Routes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stout 2-AT Pullman | 3 | ||
| Travel Air | 2 | ||
| Curtiss Lark | 1 | Miss Tallahassee | |
| Stinson Detroiter | 1 | Miss Atlanta |
On November 3, 1925 Henry Ford sent off 4 new Stout 2-AT's to Florida with an audience of 5000 spectators from Ford Airport (Dearborn). After a stop in Nashville, Tennessee, the first Stout on takeoff Miss Fort Myers fishtailed on its takeoff run and crashed into Miss Tampa and Miss Miami sparing only Miss St Petersburg. Only three aircraft made it to Florida for initial delivery. [8]
The 1926 Miami hurricane killed 400, and left 50,000 homeless. It blew away a Florida Airways Stout 2-AT Pullman tied down outside. [10]
Eastern Air Lines, also colloquially known as Eastern, was a major American airline from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution, it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade County, Florida.
José Martí International Airport, sometimes known by its former name Rancho-Boyeros Airport, is an international airport located 20 km (12 mi) southwest of the centre of Havana, Cuba, and is a hub for Cubana de Aviación and Aerogaviota, and former Latin American hub for the Soviet airline Aeroflot. It is Cuba's main international and domestic gateway, and serves several million passengers each year. The airport is operated by Empresa Cubana de Aeropuertos y Servicios Aeronáuticos (ECASA).
Silver Airways LLC., is a United States regional airline with its headquarters in Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport in unincorporated Broward County, Florida, near Fort Lauderdale. It was founded in 2010 with assets from the former Gulfstream International Airlines, and currently operates scheduled flights from its hubs in Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and Tampa, and a smaller base in San Juan.
St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport is a public/military airport in Pinellas County, Florida serving the Tampa Bay Area. It is right on the northeast municipal boundary of Pinellas Park, 9 miles (14 km) north of downtown St. Petersburg, 7 miles (11 km) southeast of Clearwater, and 17 miles (27 km) southwest of Tampa.
Panama City–Bay County International Airport was a public airport 3 miles (4.8 km) northwest of Panama City, in Bay County, Florida. It was owned and operated by the Panama City–Bay County Airport and Industrial District. All airline services moved to the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport on May 22, 2010, but the airfield was open to general aviation aircraft until October 1, 2010. The grounds will eventually be turned over to LUK-MB1 LLC, which plans to remove the runways and build homes, shops, walking trails and a marina.
Orlando Melbourne International Airport is a public airport 1.5 miles (2.4 km) northwest of downtown Melbourne, in Brevard County, Florida, United States, and 50 miles southeast of Orlando Florida. On central Florida's Space Coast, the airport is reached by NASA Boulevard. It is governed by a seven-member board which is appointed by the Melbourne City Council and the private sector. The airport budget is part of the Melbourne municipal budget; the airport receives no local tax dollars. The projected expenses for 2010 were $14.1 million. The executive director of the airport is Greg Donovan, A.A.E.
Pensacola International Airport, formerly Pensacola Gulf Coast Regional Airport and Pensacola Regional Airport, is a public use airport three nautical miles northeast of the central business district of Pensacola, in Escambia County, Florida, United States. It is owned by the City of Pensacola. Despite its name, the airport does not offer scheduled international flights, though chartered international flights are not uncommon. This airport is one of the five major airports in North Florida, and among these is the second largest by passenger count, only behind Jacksonville. The other airports in the North Florida region being: Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport, Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport, Tallahassee International Airport, and Jacksonville International Airport.
Piedmont Triad International Airport is an airport located in unincorporated Guilford County, North Carolina, west of Greensboro, serving the Piedmont Triad region of Greensboro, High Point and Winston-Salem as well as the entire Piedmont Triad region in North Carolina. The airport, located just off Bryan Boulevard, sits on a 3,770 acre campus and has 3 runways. Piedmont Triad International airport is the third busiest airport in North Carolina averaging 280 takeoffs and landings each day. PTI is owned and operated by the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority.
Air Atlanta was an airline based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States in the 1980s serving over a dozen cities from its hub in Atlanta.
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1934:
MetroJet was a no-frills airline brand operated as a wholly owned division of US Airways from 1998 until 2001.
Daytona Beach International Airport is a county-owned airport located three miles (5 km) southwest of Daytona Beach, next to Daytona International Speedway, in Volusia County, Florida, United States. The airport has 3 runways, a six-gate domestic terminal, and an international terminal. Daytona Beach is the headquarters of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
The Florida Keys Marathon International Airport is a public airport located along the Overseas Highway (US1) in Marathon, in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The airport covers 197 acres (80 ha) and has one runway.
National Airlines was a United States airline that operated from 1934 to 1980. For most of its existence the company was headquartered at Miami International Airport, Florida. At its height, National Airlines had a network of "Coast-to-Coast-to-Coast" flights, linking Florida and the Gulf Coast such as New Orleans and Houston with cities along the East Coast as far north as Boston as well as with large cities on the West Coast including Los Angeles and San Francisco. From 1970 to 1978, National, Pan American World Airways and Trans World Airlines (TWA) were the only U.S. airlines that operated scheduled passenger flights to Europe.
The Tony Jannus Award recognizes outstanding individual achievement in scheduled commercial aviation by airline executives, inventors and manufacturers, and government leaders. The award is conferred annually by the Tony Jannus Distinguished Aviation Society and was first bestowed in 1964 in Tampa, Florida, U.S. Its namesake, aviation pioneer Tony Jannus, piloted the inaugural flight of the St. Petersburg–Tampa Airboat Line on January 1, 1914, the first scheduled commercial airline flight in the world using heavier-than-air aircraft. In addition to preserving the legacy of Tony Jannus, the non-profit Society also offers financial assistance to college students pursuing studies in aviation and conducts an annual essay contest for high school students to encourage careers in aviation.
Stout Metal Airplane Division of the Ford Motor Company was an American aircraft manufacturer founded by William Bushnell Stout as the Stout Metal Airplane Co. in 1922. The company was purchased by Ford Motor Company in 1924 and later produced the Ford Trimotor. At the height of the Depression, Ford closed the aircraft design and production division in 1936, temporarily re-entering the aviation market with the production of the B-24, at the Willow Run aircraft factory during World War II.
The Stout 2-AT Pullman, or "Air Pullman", was a single engine all-metal monoplane that was used for early airline travel and air mail transport in America.
Ford Air Transport Service is a defunct airline based in United States of America. The airline was also registered as Ford Air Freight Lines.
The Curtiss Model 41 Lark was a commercial biplane manufactured by Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company that was used by pioneering airmail, airline and bush pilots in the 1920s.
Camden Central Airport is a defunct airport in Pennsauken Township, Camden County, New Jersey. It had its peak of activity in the 1930s, serving as the main airport for the neighboring city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
|title= (help)
