C o m m e r c i a l A v i a ti o n f r o m t h e 1 9 2 0 ’ s - 1 9 3 0

The start of scheduled passenger services in the United States was not known, according
to Roger Bilstein an aviation historian. Passengers were transported by Silas
Christofferson via hydroplane from San Francisco to Oakland harbors in 1913. A Benoist
flying boat successfully flew passengers from Tampa to St. Petersburg, Florida in 1914.

Lawson C-2 was the first multiengine airplane designed for commercial air travel. Alfred
W. Lawson built it in 1919. Since there are cheaper military airplanes available the
Lawson C-2 did not become successful. Lawson built another model called L-4; this can
carry 34 passengers and about 6,000 pounds of mail. It crashed on its test flight and
discouraged the development of large planes.

Inglis Uppercu a Florida entrepreneur began scheduled international passenger flights in

1920, initially from Key West, Florida to Havana, Cuba. Soon other routes were added
such as, between Miami and the Bahamas, between New York and Havana. There is
also a Midwest, between Cleveland, Ohio, and Detroit, Michigan. His company was
named “Aeromarine airways” it has 15 flying boats and made 2,000+ flights with 10,000
passengers. A plane crash killing four people made Aeromarine Airways lose business in
1924.

The birth of U.S. commercial air transportation and United Airlines was when Walter T.
Varney began contract airmail services from Pasco, Washington, and Elko, Nevada,
through Boise, Idaho.

Seven years after the first official airmail flight, 1925, U.S. Post Office airplanes sent 14
million letters, packages a year. Airmail was very popular with bankers and
businessmen.

It was in 1926 when Air Commerce Act was implemented, this authorized the Secretary
of Commerce to plan air routes, build up air navigation systems, test and license pilots
and aircrafts, and investigate accidents. The carriers were then obliged by law to base
pay to the weight of mail. This all started with the appointment of Dwight Morrow to
develop a national aviation policy.

In the 1920s, Harry Guggenheim a multimillionaire and aviation enthusiast started a

foundation, which aims on teaching aeronautical engineers and developing flight
instruments. He gave funding to the Western Air Express to check if airlines can live on
passenger fares alone, but the company barely made enough money without airmail.

Investments in aviation stocks significantly rose between 1927 and 1929. This was
brought about by Charles A. Lindbergh’s solo flight to Paris.
Travelers could cross the country faster by train than by air at the end of 1920s. It was
not comfortable to travel by plane because of the un-insulated thin sheets of metal that
made noise in the wind. The cabins were not pressurized. In spite of this, airline
passengers in the U.S. grew in number from 6,000 to 173,000 in the span of 1926 to
1929. Majority were businessmen.

U.S. Airlines’ planes have enough capacity for 15 passengers. Fuselage has a corrugated
design and the plane depends on a Ford Trimotor 5-AT.

In the 1920s, manufacturers transferred near airports. There were aeronautical schools
that taught airplane engineering, design, and operation. New technologies were being
developed that gave potential for commercial aviation expansion.

Harry Guggenheim set up a full flight laboratory, which developed very helpful
navigational tools like the barometer, artificial horizon and gyroscope and radio
direction beacon for landing. In September 1929 James Doolittle a U.S. army lieutenant
benefited from these tools when he had to land the plane without his vision.

Huge progress as it may seem still did not make passenger travel exclusive airlines
profitable up to the 1930’s.

PPPPP
Word Count 581