A recent post on the golden age of air travel got me thinking about my time in the Air Force and specifically the little municipal airport in Clovis NM I used to fly out from on trips back to New England to visit family. In poking around the Internet I found this little gem of a report on one of the early transcontinental flights by Transcontinental Air Transport, one of the forerunners of what was to become TWA. This was a 48 hour trip from New York to Los Angeles that used rail for some overnight segments.
Pitstop in Clovis: An Exploration into Clovis' History with the Transcontinental Air Transport
Some excerpts:
"In 1929, Transcontinental Air Transport (TAT) successfully completed the first flight of its kind: a route connecting New York City to Los Angeles. Nowadays thousands of passengers fly this route every day in a matter of six hours. In 1929, however, the journey was much more complicated. TAT's route consisted of two overnight train rides, two flights, and a total of nine landings across the United States. The total itinerary took 48 hours to complete. For the journey, TAT relied on already existing systems like the Pennsylvania Railroad and Santa Fe Railway in creating their route, and one of their central hubs was the small town of Clovis, New Mexico. Clovis' involvement in this inaugural flight, supported by both the Santa Fe Railway and what is now Cannon Air Force Base, provides the city with a rich history in aviation and a strong infrastructure for the current Air Force Base and Clovis Municipal Airport"
"Almost 100 years ago, the Transcontinental Air Transport (TAT) inaugurated its legendary train/plane service between New York and Los Angeles. On July 7, 1929, roughly 50 passengers, including notable names like Amelia Earhart, boarded a train at New York City's Pennsylvania Station for an overnight trip to Columbus, Ohio. Once there, two Ford Tri-Motor airplanes flew them further west. After four en route stops, they arrived in Waynoka, Oklahoma, where the Santa Fe Railway train transported them overnight to Clovis, New Mexico. From Clovis, two other TAT Tri-Motors were boarded for a three-stop flight, terminating at the Grand Central Air Terminal in Glendale, California (near downtown Los Angeles)."
The airport they used was not the current Clovis Municipal Airport but one created just west of town by TAT and called Portair Field which during WW2 became an Army Air Field and later Cannon Air Force Base.
Another interesting factoid from the article:
"Starting in October 1929, passengers flying TAT were treated to the first inflight movies! When tired of map reading, you could look at a screen in front of the cabin to watch some newsreels, supplemented with the cartoon adventures of "Oswald, the Lucky Rabbit," which is believed to be Walt Disney's inspiration for Mickey Mouse"
Pitstop in Clovis: An Exploration into Clovis' History with the Transcontinental Air Transport
Some excerpts:
"In 1929, Transcontinental Air Transport (TAT) successfully completed the first flight of its kind: a route connecting New York City to Los Angeles. Nowadays thousands of passengers fly this route every day in a matter of six hours. In 1929, however, the journey was much more complicated. TAT's route consisted of two overnight train rides, two flights, and a total of nine landings across the United States. The total itinerary took 48 hours to complete. For the journey, TAT relied on already existing systems like the Pennsylvania Railroad and Santa Fe Railway in creating their route, and one of their central hubs was the small town of Clovis, New Mexico. Clovis' involvement in this inaugural flight, supported by both the Santa Fe Railway and what is now Cannon Air Force Base, provides the city with a rich history in aviation and a strong infrastructure for the current Air Force Base and Clovis Municipal Airport"
"Almost 100 years ago, the Transcontinental Air Transport (TAT) inaugurated its legendary train/plane service between New York and Los Angeles. On July 7, 1929, roughly 50 passengers, including notable names like Amelia Earhart, boarded a train at New York City's Pennsylvania Station for an overnight trip to Columbus, Ohio. Once there, two Ford Tri-Motor airplanes flew them further west. After four en route stops, they arrived in Waynoka, Oklahoma, where the Santa Fe Railway train transported them overnight to Clovis, New Mexico. From Clovis, two other TAT Tri-Motors were boarded for a three-stop flight, terminating at the Grand Central Air Terminal in Glendale, California (near downtown Los Angeles)."
The airport they used was not the current Clovis Municipal Airport but one created just west of town by TAT and called Portair Field which during WW2 became an Army Air Field and later Cannon Air Force Base.
Another interesting factoid from the article:
"Starting in October 1929, passengers flying TAT were treated to the first inflight movies! When tired of map reading, you could look at a screen in front of the cabin to watch some newsreels, supplemented with the cartoon adventures of "Oswald, the Lucky Rabbit," which is believed to be Walt Disney's inspiration for Mickey Mouse"
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