History

Cool gift to make sure you’re never stuck at the airport again

History,

If you have an extra $3.5 million hanging around and you’re wondering what to get for that special frequent flier this year, consider snapping up the Aerocar Model One Flying Automobile.

aerocar-photo

Invented by Moulton Taylor in Longview, Washington in 1949, the Aerocar was a “roadable” airplane certified for use as both a plane and an automobile.  The coolest feature: if you’re driving the Aerocar you can tow its wings and tail like a trailer. Then, if traffic gets bad, you can transform the vehicle from a car to an airplane in about 15 minutes.

One prototype and four Aerocars were produced. One was destroyed.  Two are in permanent museum collections. This is one of two aerocars in private ownership – and it’s for sale.

If no one ponies up $3.5 million to buy you the aerocar that’s for sale, you can visit this Taylor Aerocar III at the Museum of Flight in Seattle.

taylor-aerocar-iii-3_p1

(Courtesy Seattle’s Museum of Flight)

Happy Birthday McCarran International Airport

Exhibits, History

This Friday, Dec. 19th, marks the 60th anniversary of McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas.
When it opened, the airport was not much more than a tiny dusty airstrip served by four airlines that averaged a combined 12 flights per day.

(Photo: Howard W. Cannon Aviation Museum)

Today, of course, McCarran is one of the world’s busiest airports with amenities that include an aviation museum, a 24-hour gym, slot machines, free Wi-Fi, and unlimited entertainment in the form of people-watching opportunities.

To celebrate turning 60, McCarran will host an airport-wide party on Friday between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Travelers will get to meet showgirls (!) who will be handing out mints and snazzy “Welcome to Las Vegas” pins. Cast members from two Cirque du Soleil shows will be on site. Southwest Airlines will distribute cookies. And of course, there will be birthday cake.

You can read more about the history of McCarran International Airport in the Online Nevada Encyclopedia. Be sure to check out the photo gallery as well.

Happy First Flight Day!

History, ,

Today’s history moment is brought to you by the Library of Congress, which reminds us that:

In the morning of December 17, 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright took turns piloting and monitoring their flying machine in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. Orville piloted the first flight that lasted just twelve seconds. On the fourth and final flight of the day, Wilbur traveled 852 feet, remaining airborne for 57 seconds. That morning the brothers became the first people to demonstrate sustained flight of a heavier-than-air machine under the complete control of the pilot.

Read more about Orville and Wilbur’s big day – and what happened next.

Greetings from the North Pole International Airport

History, ,

A bit of aviation history, courtesy of NORAD, The North American Aerospace Defense Command. The agency launched its multi-lingual NORAD Tracks Santa (NTS) Web site on Monday so that we can all stay up-to-date on Santa’s whereabouts.

Long before the Wright brothers flew the first airplane or the Montgolfier brothers launched the first hot air balloon, Santa had to find a way to travel from house to house at great speed. We know from our Santa Cam images that Santa’s choice for quick transportation was a herd of flying reindeer. Detailed information on these reindeer remains elusive….

NORAD’s Santa Cams will go into full swing on December 24th, but in the meantime, there’s lots more Santa-stuff on the site, including games, activities, and important facts about the roly-poly red-suited one (i.e. Is Santa real? What is Santa’s favorite candy cane flavor?)

Last year, the NTS site got more than 10.6 million visitors. But even before the Internet, the NORAD Tracks Santa program was immensely popular with kids of all ages. According to the site, it all started back on Dec. 24, 1955,

“…after an errant phone call was made to the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) Operations Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. The call was from a local youngster who dialed a misprinted telephone number in a local newspaper advertisement. The commander who answered the phone that night gave the youngster the information requested – the whereabouts of Santa Claus. This began the tradition of tracking Santa Claus, a tradition that was carried on by NORAD when it was formed in 1958. This Christmas marks the 50th anniversary of NORAD tracking Santa Claus as he goes around the world delivering presents.

Don’t be shy: check out the NORDAD Tracks Santa site. Especially the Kids Countdown section, and see if you can find the North Pole International Airport.

Whatever happened to D.B. Cooper?

History, ,

D.B. Cooper was one guy who wasn’t going to get stuck at the airport.

Or on an airplane.

Back in 1971, he hijacked a plane flying from Portland to Seattle and demanded a flight to Mexico, four parachutes – and $200,000.

Cooper bailed out somewhere over southwest Washington – and disappeared.

Over the weekend, folks in Ariel, Washington gathered for their annual party in honor of Cooper – and the country’s most famous unsolved hijacking.

Take a listen to my story about the party, “Whatever happened to DB Cooper” that aired this morning on NPR. There are some intriguing theories floating around out there….


The FBI sketch of D.C. Cooper. Have you seen him???

Planning your inauguration day trip

Events, History, Politics

Planning to be in D.C. for the festivities surrounding the January 20th swearing-in of Senator Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States?

Getting plane tickets is going to be the least of your problems.

Hotels rates will be outrageous. Streets will be crowded. Restaurants will be full. Getting tickets to anything official will be just about impossible. And it’s likely to be really, really, cold.

Sound like fun?

Then take a look at my article for MSNBC.com about how to plan your inauguration trip – and get busy!

(Photo courtesy Destination DC)

Time travel: Delta and Northwest merger

History,

Lots of news stories out this week about the official merger of Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines. And that gave Marie Force, Delta’s Archives Manager, an excuse to poke around the Northwest Airlines site for her regular Friday entry on the Delta blog.

She discovered that ‘Northwest’s many contributions range from the first closed-cabin plane for passengers (in 1926) to the first global airline alliance (with KLM).”  And she posted a link to Northwest’s timeline.

Air France turns 75. See the home movies.

History

Air France has been gearing up for October 7th, which will mark the airline’s 75th anniversary.

As part of the celebration, the airline has been posting some great archival material on its website.

Included are 10 short videos about the airline’s history. Set to jaunty music, each video combines images from the past and the present. Some are a bit dry, but “Life on Board,” “Pilots” and “Flight Attendants” are sort of fun.

Free museum admissions this weekend & Sept. 27th

History, Museums, , ,

You can get free admission to selected museums in 18 states this weekend if you have a Bank of America check, ATM or credit card – or are friends with someone who does.

As part of the Museums on Us program, participating museums in 18 states (so far) offer free admission on the first weekend each month.

If you’re on the road, it’s a great way to stretch your travel budget. If you’re home, it’s a good excuse to stop by a local cultural mainstay and see what’s new.

If you get the museum bug, keep in mind that Saturday, September 27th is Smithsonian magazine’s Museum Day, when hundreds of museums and cultural venues nationwide offer free or reduced admission. You’ll need this free, down-loadable card for this program.

Several aviation museums, including the Museum of Flight in Seattle, the American Airpower Heritage Museum in Midland, Texas, and the San Diego Air & Space Museum are on the list.

An Aerocar – courtesy Seattle’s Museum of Flight

The Beatles, Jimmy Durante and more … at JFK

Celebrities, History, , ,

The New York Times has a great slideshow celebrating the earliest days of John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).

Built on “six square miles of swampy sand, part of it the site of a once-fashionable golf course…” in its first few years the airport welcomed everyone from Gregory Peck and Pope Paul VI to, of course, the Beatles!’

(Photo: The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey)

There are more photos here – including Jimmy Durante and Sammy Davis Jr.