airline
An airline is a company that provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for codeshare agreements, in wh ...
. Founded in part by
Eddie Rickenbacker
Edward Vernon Rickenbacker or Eddie Rickenbacker (October 8, 1890 – July 23, 1973) was an American fighter pilot in World War I and a Medal of Honor recipient.Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, the airline served the southeastern United States during the mid-1920s.
History
Florida Airways was founded by
Eddie Rickenbacker
Edward Vernon Rickenbacker or Eddie Rickenbacker (October 8, 1890 – July 23, 1973) was an American fighter pilot in World War I and a Medal of Honor recipient.Reed Chambers, and Virgil Chinea who later claimed "it was the worst investment he ever made". Several outside investors were brought in including Richard F Hoyt, Anne Morgan, Percy Rockefeller, and
Henry Ford
Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist, business magnate, founder of the Ford Motor Company, and chief developer of the assembly line technique of mass production. By creating the first automobile that ...
who bought 3 of his own Stout 2AT's for the venture. Florida Airways started service on Paxon Field in 1923. Florida Airways started regularly scheduled passenger service on June 1, 1926 The first service was from Tampa to Miami and Jacksonville
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 Candler may refer to: People
* Candler (surname)
Places
* Candler, Florida, an unincorporated town in Marion County
* Candler, Georgia, an unincorporated community
* Candler, North Carolina, an unincorporated town in Buncombe County
* Candler C ...
(forerunner to
Atlanta International Airport
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
). 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.
By 1926, Florida Airways sought travel to
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
to keep solvency. On a business trip to negotiate rights, it was discovered that
Juan Trippe
Juan Terry Trippe (June 27, 1899 – April 3, 1981) was an American commercial aviation pioneer, entrepreneur and the founder of Pan American World Airways, one of the iconic airlines of the 20th century. He was involved in the introduction of t ...
had already negotiated exclusive landing rights in Cuba for
Pan American Airways
Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was an American airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States ...
a year earlier. Florida Airways ceased operations on 9 June 1927. Two months later,
Harold Pitcairn
Harold Frederick Pitcairn (June 20, 1897 – April 23, 1960) was an American aviation inventor and pioneer. He played a key role in the development of the autogyro and founded the Autogiro Company of America. He patented a number of innovations ...
founder of
Pitcairn Aviation
Eastern Air Lines, also colloquially known as Eastern, was a major United States airline from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution, it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade County, Florida.
Ea ...
won the bid for the abandoned Miami-Atlanta airmail contract. Pitcairn Aviation would eventually become a part of
Eastern Air Transport
Eastern may refer to:
Transportation
*China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai
*Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways
*Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991
*Eastern Air Li ...
Eastern Airlines
Eastern Air Lines, also colloquially known as Eastern, was a major United States airline from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution, it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade County, Florida.
Ea ...
.
After Florida Airways stopped service, two Stout 2-AT's were purchased by
Stout Air Services
Stout Air Services was an airline based in the United States. Stout Air Services was the first regularly scheduled passenger airline in America.
History
Stout Air Services was founded by the engineer and businessman, William Bushnell Stout. St ...
, which went on to become
United Airlines
United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.
.
Destinations
*
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
*
Jacksonville
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...
*
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
Fleet
The Florida Airways fleet consists of the following aircraft as of 1926
Incidents and accidents
1926 Miami Hurricane
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)
Ford Airport in Dearborn, Michigan, United States, was one of the first modern airports in the world. It operated from 1924 to 1947. The site is now part of Ford Motor Company's Dearborn Proving Ground. The airport was about in size.
This airpo ...
. After a stop in
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...
, 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.
The
1926 Miami hurricane
The Great Miami Hurricane of 1926 was a large and intense tropical cyclone that devastated the Greater Miami area and caused catastrophic damage in the Bahamas and the U.S. Gulf Coast in September of the year 1926, accruing a US$100 mi ...
killed 400, and left 50,000 homeless. It blew away a Florida Airways Stout 2-AT Pullman tied down outside.
