1. National Aviation History
Port Columbus
National Aviation History

2. 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 $

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

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

7. 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

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

9. 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

10. 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

11. Jerrie Mock

12. 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

13. Columbus Aviation History Celebrated by TWA
TWA Flight Attendant Uniform designed by in use

14. Photo Credits Columbus Metropolitan Library Wikipedia Associated Press