National Aviation History Port Columbus National Aviation History

Port Columbus Columbus was part of the first Transcontinental air route TAT (Transcontinental Air Transport) was the precursor to TWA Columbus Airport was promoted by civic leaders including Don Casto Sr. and Wolfe Construction was supported by a bond issue of $

TAT Formation Physical infrastructure had to be built from scratch General Motors, Pennsylvania Railroad, Charles A. Lindbergh were early supporters TAT was the first to see potential of passenger service not just cargo or mail service

Port Columbus Terminal and Hangar Designed by Columbus Allied Architects Association, which also designed Columbus City Hall The inaugural flight took place on July 8, 1929 Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, and Henry Ford attended

TAT Transcontinental Air Route “Port Columbus, a specially built air- rail facility outside Columbus, Ohio— the only one of its kind in the world” Planes named after cities on route, including The City of Columbus, flown by Charles Lindbergh Known as the “Lindbergh Line” Merger to form TWA

TAT FLIGHT SCHEDULE “By the Airway Limited to Columbus. From Columbus Soar Like the Eagle.”

TAT Transcontinental Air Route Airway Limited train from NYC Pennsylvania Station Disembarked as special stop and crossed Fifth Avenue to Port Columbus Air Terminal Flew all day to Waynoka, Oklahoma with short stops in Indianapolis, St. Louis, Kansas City, and Wichita Overnight by train to Clovis, New Mexico. Flew all day to Los Angeles with stops in Albuquerque, NM and Winslow and Kingman, AZ

Port Columbus CMH – Airport Code for Columbus Municipal Hangar Served as main terminal until 1958 Both historic terminal and hangar are still standing

Alex Boudreaux Born in 1920 in southern Louisiana Accepted as a pilot in the Tuskegee Airmen at 21 Became the first African-American air traffic controller in the U.S in 1946 at Port Columbus where he remained until retirement in 1977 Received the Congressional Medal of Honor from President George W. Bush in 2007

Jerrie Mock First woman to fly solo around the world in a single engine Cessna 180 named the “Spirit of Columbus” Flight was March 19 – April 17, 1964, beginning and ending at Port Columbus Airport 29 stops and 22,860 miles Another woman, Joan Merriam Smith was attempting to circumnavigate at the same time, but Jerrie Mock completed her trip first Described as “Bexley Housewife” Flight chronicled in Columbus Dispatch and her book Three Eight Charlie

Jerrie Mock

Executive Jet Airways (Now NetJets) Founded in 1964 as first private business jet charter and aircraft management company in the world Founding members included Generals Curtis LeMay and Paul Tibbetts Jr. (Enola Gay) and entertainers/pilots Jimmy Stewart and Arthur Godfrey Started with newly-introduced 6 passenger Learjet 23 aircraft Brig. Gen. Dick Lassiter – at time of death was indicted for diverting millions in Penn Central RR funds (the company’s owner) into the business

Columbus Aviation History Celebrated by TWA TWA Flight Attendant Uniform designed by in use 1974-1978

Photo Credits Columbus Metropolitan Library Wikipedia Associated Press www.jerriemock.com