BGuthrie Photos: NV -- Las Vegas -- McCarran International Airport (LAS) -- Onsite History Exhibit

NV -- Las Vegas -- McCarran International Airport (LAS) -- Onsite History Exhibit:

Bruce Guthrie Photos Home Page: [Click here] to go to Bruce Guthrie Photos home page.

Recognize anyone? If you recognize specific folks (or other stuff) and I haven't labeled them, please identify them for the world. Click the little pencil icon

underneath the file name (just above the picture). Spammers need not apply.

Copyrights: All pictures were taken by amateur photographer Bruce Guthrie (me!) who retains copyright on them. Free for non-commercial use with attribution. See the [Creative Commons] definition of what this means. "Photos (c) Bruce Guthrie" is fine for attribution. (Commercial use folks including AI scrapers can of course contact me.) Feel free to use in publications and pages with attribution but you don't have permission to sell the photos themselves. A free copy of any printed publication using any photographs is requested. Descriptive text, if any, is from a mixture of sources, quite frequently from signs at the location or from official web sites; copyrights, if any, are retained by their original owners.

Accessing as Spider: The system has identified your IP as being a spider.
IP Address: 18.219.95.244 -- Domain: Amazon Technologies
I love well-behaved spiders! They are, in fact, how most people find my site. Unfortunately, my network has a limited bandwidth and pictures take up bandwidth. Spiders ask for lots and lots of pages and chew up lots and lots of bandwidth which slows things down considerably for regular folk. To counter this, you'll see all the text on the page but the images are being suppressed. Also, some system options like merges are being blocked for you.
Note: Permission is NOT granted for spiders, robots, etc to use the site for AI-generation purposes. I'm sure you're thrilled by your ability to make revenue from my work but there's nothing in that for my human users or for me.
If you are in fact human, please email me at guthrie.bruce@gmail.com and I can check if your designation was made in error. Given your number of hits, that's unlikely but what the hell.

Help? The Medium (Email) links are for screen viewing and emailing. You'll want bigger sizes for printing. [Click here for additional help]

Share: Facebook Twitter Digg
[1] LASHST_140729_001.JPG	[2] LASHST_140729_008.JPG	[3] LASHST_140729_012.JPG
[4] LASHST_140729_015.JPG	[5] LASHST_140729_018.JPG	[6] LASHST_140729_021.JPG
[7] LASHST_140729_025.JPG	[8] LASHST_140729_026.JPG	[9] LASHST_140729_030.JPG
[10] LASHST_140729_033.JPG	[11] LASHST_140729_036.JPG	[12] LASHST_140729_039.JPG
[13] LASHST_140729_042.JPG	[14] LASHST_140729_047.JPG	[15] LASHST_140729_049.JPG
[16] LASHST_140729_053.JPG	[17] LASHST_140729_055.JPG	[18] LASHST_140729_062.JPG
[19] LASHST_140729_064.JPG	[20] LASHST_140729_069.JPG	[21] LASHST_140729_071.JPG
[22] LASHST_140729_073.JPG	[23] LASHST_140729_075.JPG	[24] LASHST_140729_081.JPG
[25] LASHST_140729_084.JPG	[26] LASHST_140729_086.JPG	[27] LASHST_140729_088.JPG
[28] LASHST_140729_091.JPG	[29] LASHST_140729_094.JPG	[30] LASHST_140729_096.JPG
[31] LASHST_140729_099.JPG	[32] LASHST_140729_102.JPG	[33] LASHST_140729_106.JPG
[34] LASHST_140729_109.JPG	[35] LASHST_140729_111.JPG	[36] LASHST_140729_114.JPG
[37] LASHST_140729_117.JPG	[38] LASHST_140729_119.JPG	[39] LASHST_140729_122.JPG
[40] LASHST_140729_124.JPG	[41] LASHST_140729_126.JPG	[42] LASHST_140729_129.JPG
[43] LASHST_140729_131.JPG	[44] LASHST_140729_134.JPG	[45] LASHST_140729_137.JPG
[46] LASHST_140729_139.JPG	[47] LASHST_140729_141.JPG	[48] LASHST_140729_144.JPG
[49] LASHST_140729_146.JPG	[50] LASHST_140729_149.JPG	[51] LASHST_140729_151.JPG
[52] LASHST_140729_154.JPG	[53] LASHST_140729_157.JPG	[54] LASHST_140729_164.JPG
[55] LASHST_140729_165.JPG	[56] LASHST_140729_167.JPG	[57] LASHST_140729_170.JPG
[58] LASHST_140729_172.JPG	[59] LASHST_140729_174.JPG	[60] LASHST_140729_178.JPG
[61] LASHST_140729_180.JPG	[62] LASHST_140729_183.JPG	[63] LASHST_140729_186.JPG
[64] LASHST_140729_189.JPG	[65] LASHST_140729_193.JPG	[66] LASHST_140729_198.JPG
[67] LASHST_140729_201.JPG	[68] LASHST_140729_206.JPG	[69] LASHST_140729_209.JPG
[70] LASHST_140729_212.JPG	[71] LASHST_140729_214.JPG	[72] LASHST_140729_216.JPG
[73] LASHST_140729_219.JPG	[74] LASHST_140729_222.JPG	[75] LASHST_140729_224.JPG
[76] LASHST_140729_227.JPG	[77] LASHST_140729_228.JPG	[78] LASHST_140729_231.JPG
[79] LASHST_140729_233.JPG	[80] LASHST_140729_235.JPG	[81] LASHST_140729_239.JPG
[82] LASHST_140729_241.JPG	[83] LASHST_140729_248.JPG	[84] LASHST_140729_250.JPG
[85] LASHST_140729_252.JPG	[86] LASHST_140729_257.JPG	[87] LASHST_140729_260.JPG
[88] LASHST_140729_263.JPG	[89] LASHST_140729_266.JPG	[90] LASHST_140729_269.JPG
[91] LASHST_140729_272.JPG	[92] LASHST_140729_281.JPG	[93] LASHST_140729_284.JPG
[94] LASHST_140729_286.JPG	[95] LASHST_140729_289.JPG	[96] LASHST_140729_292.JPG
[97] LASHST_140729_295.JPG	[98] LASHST_140729_298.JPG	[99] LASHST_140729_301.JPG
[100] LASHST_140729_302.JPG	[101] LASHST_140729_309.JPG	[102] LASHST_140729_311.JPG
[103] LASHST_140729_314.JPG	[104] LASHST_140729_318.JPG	[105] LASHST_140729_320.JPG
[106] LASHST_140729_322.JPG	[107] LASHST_140729_325.JPG	[108] LASHST_140729_326.JPG
[109] LASHST_140729_328.JPG	[110] LASHST_140729_330.JPG	[111] LASHST_140729_331.JPG

Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. LASHST_140729_008.JPG: The naming of two Las Vegas airports for US Senator Patrick A. McCarran in a single decade was not just an idle gesture to a popular Nevada politician. McCarran's role in the development of aviation throughout the nation and in his home state in particular was substantial and enduring. Born in Reno in 1876, McCarran became a lawyer in 1905, eventually serving as Chief Justice of the Nevada Supreme Court from 1917-1918. He won election to the United States Senate in 1932, where he served until his death in 1954. As early as 1934, McCarran began pushing for the creation of an independent aviation authority. In 1938, McCarran's Civil Aeronautics Act was passed, which created the Civil Aeronautics Authority, the predessor [sic] of today's FAA. The following year, McCarran was one of the sponsor of the Civilian Pilot Training Act, which led to the training of thousands of pilots during the early years of World War II. In 1940, McCarran was further instrumental in the appropriation of federal funds for the development of military and civilian airfields across the nation. Among those facilities created was the Las Vegas Army Air Field, at the site of the airport northeast of Las Vegas. That field was dedicated and named for the Senator in 1941, though it became better known during the war for the military base. Though the military field closed at the end of the war, it was reactivated two years later, and McCarran's Federal Airport Act helped provide funds for a new airport for Clark County. This airport, today's McCarran International Airport, was also named for the Senator.
2. LASHST_140729_012.JPG: Senator Pat McCarran 1876-1954
3. LASHST_140729_015.JPG: George & Peg Crockett
4. LASHST_140729_018.JPG: George Crockett, a native of Missouri, traveled widely as a representative of the Stinson Aircraft Company of Detroit. His flights to Las Vegas in the 1930s proved fortuitous for the development of aviation in southern Nevada. Noting the absence of a good refueling stop for private pilots between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City, he relocated here in 1941. Purchasing the equipment and planes of a civilian pilot training program operation which had gone out of business in Iowa, he leased land south of Las Vegas for an airfield. The name for the field, Alamo Airport, was a natural; Crockett was a descendent of Davy Crockett. Peg Crockett, nee' Nickerson, lived nearby. In 1938, her family came to Las Vegas from Pasadena, California, and her architect father began creating southern Nevada's first guest ranch. The ranch provided seclusion, swimming, and horseback riding for many among Hollywood's elite, including Alfred Hitchcock, Rosalind Russell, Irene Dunne, and Dean Jagger. The proximity of the Hidden Well Ranch was a boom to Alamo Airport. Peg Nickerson in turn was bitten by the flying bug. She took flying lessons at Alamo and soloed in 1942. To pay for her lessons, she worked at the airport. She and George were married in 1948. After their field was sold to the County in 1948, to become today's McCarran International Airport, the Crocketts continued to operate Alamo Airways, serving general and corporate aviation. Through their efforts, Alamo Airways became a model general aviation facility. It eventually offered complete service to the private pilot: charts, 24-hour line service, radio service, rental cars, a restaurant and lounge, and lodging at a 22-room motel. George Crockett died in 1990. Mrs. Crockett was placed a large collection of Alamo photos, artifacts, and memorabilia in the care of Clark County for their preservation and exhibition.
5. LASHST_140729_021.JPG: The Beginning of McCarran International Airport
6. LASHST_140729_025.JPG: After World War II, the Las Vegas Army Air Field was used for commercial flights into and out of Las Vegas. In 1946, the Air Corps, which had shut down most operations at the end of the war, offered to reactivate the field if commercial traffic could be moved to a new airport. Local politicians and Senator Pat McCarran began planning for a new airport. Eventually, Alamo Airport, well south of Las Vegas on the Los Angeles Highway, today's Las Vegas Boulevard, was selected. The second McCarran Airport opened in 1948, with Bonanza, Western, United, and TWA offering a total of 12 flights per day. During its fiscal year 35,106 passengers used the new airport. The new McCarran was quite successful, growing steadily. By 1959, daily flights had risen to 73, and the annual passenger total to 686,268. The need for larger facilities were recognized throughout the 1950s, with expansions coming nearly constantly. Passenger traveled continued to increase, and the area's dependence on commercial aviation grew. A new terminal building across the field was opened in 1963. Though considerably enlarged, it is the nucleus of the building still used today. Currently, the airport served over 40,000,000 passengers each year, a far cry from 1949, and continues to meet the needs of our communities.
7. LASHST_140729_026.JPG: Western Air Lines
8. LASHST_140729_033.JPG: Alamo Airport
9. LASHST_140729_036.JPG: Before there was McCarran International Airport, there was a small field well south of Las Vegas, named for a Texas mission. Alamo Airport was a small field well south of Las Vegas, named for a Texas mission. Alamo Airport was begun by George Crockett in 1942, and received its CAA certificate to operate in 1943. Crockett developed the field to address the needs of general, corporate, and private aviation. During World War II, Alamo served private, non-schduled, and corporate aviation. Commercial airlines shared the Las Vegas Army Air Force Base) northeast of town. Crockett scraped out three dirt runways, added a tar paper shack, a water tower and a small hangar, and began offering charter flights and flying instructions. The airport benefitted from the post-war boom in general aviation. By the end of 1946, Crockett had extended the runways and added new hangars, an air-auto service station, a lounge and a restaurant, and had hosted one of the nation's first and largest post-war air shows. Alamo Airport was recognized as one of the finest facilities of its king in the country. In 1946, the US Army announced its intention to reactivate the local airbase, which had been closed after the war. Commercial airlines could not continue to share the field, and would have to relocate elsewhere. Alamo owner George Crockett offered Clark County the use of his airfield. A successful bond issue vote in 1947, and complicated negotiations lead to a transfer of ownership in 1948. Dedicated in December and named, like its predecessor, for Senator Patrick McCarran, the airport began its evolution into giant McCarran International Airport. This did not end the Crocketts' involvement with the airport. They continued to operate Alamo Airways, the fixed base operation, until they sold it to Howard Hughes in 1967.
10. LASHST_140729_039.JPG: Pre-War Airports in Clark County
11. LASHST_140729_042.JPG: Less than six months after the first airplane flight to Las Vegas, our first airport, Anderson Field, opened Thanksgiving Day, 1920. It was designed and built by Robert Hausler, and named for the owner of the land. Hausler was a former Army aviator who had, as an army pilot researching air mail routes, flown over Las Vegas in 1918, enroute from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City. Hausler designed the airport to Army and Aero Club of Southern California standards, and strongly advocated establishing a local mail route. In 1925, Earl and Leon Rockwell bought the field. Western Air Express started flying from the field the next year, basing their operations at the field until 1929, when the Rockwells sold the land. Western moved to a New field founded by Peter Albert "Pop" Simon northeast of Las Vegas. Simon was an entrepreneur whose diverse interests included mines, service stations, and eventually Pop's Oasis at Jean. The new field was also the home of Nevada Airlines, newly founded by C. Ray Boggs, which flew between Las Vegas and Reno. Its first pilot was Roscoe Turner, a renowned racing pilot, and Nevada Airlines billed itself as the fastest airline in the nation. The airline was not successful and soon folded. Simon sold the field to Western Air Express in 1933, and, in 1941 it became the first McCarran Airport. The army leased part of the field for a flexible Gunnery School, renaming it the Las Vegas Army Air Field. In 1950, it became Nellis Air Force Base. Boulder City's first airport opened in 1933, when Noel Bullock founded Bullock's Field. Later, the US Bureau of Reclamation operated the field.
12. LASHST_140729_047.JPG: First Flights
13. LASHST_140729_049.JPG: Las Vegas entered the air age on May 7, 1920. Jake Beckley, a businessman in Blythe, California, convinced his friend Randall Henderson, a barnstormer and editor of the Blythe Herald, to fly him to Las Vegas. Beckley had lived and worked in Las Vegas before moving to Blythe, and later returned to become a prominent local businessman. On the flight over, Henderson flew low over Beckley's brother's home at 120 S Fourth Street, and Jake dropped a velvet doll almost into the backyard as a gift for his niece, Virginia Beckley (Richardson). Henderson, with his borrowed Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny," stayed for three days and gave rides to local residents for $10.00 each. Among those who flew was a Paiute Elder, perhaps the first to ever fly. On Thanksgiving Day, 1920, another flying demonstration was part of the opening of our first airfield. Among those who took part were Emery Rogers, who made the first flight from the ocean to Las Vegas, and Clarence Prest, who brought his "Poison, Dose One Drop" airplane. Prest claimed his was the smallest plane then flying and had the aircraft shipped by railroad to the celebration, as its engine was now powerful enough to fly over the mountains between here and Los Angeles. During Prest's demonstration flight, his plane lived up to its name when castor oil for lubrication was mistakenly poured into the gas tank, causing the plane to crash. Prest was uninjured in the mishap, and came back the next year with his "Polar Bear," an airplane he designed for a cross-arctic flight. The flight was unsuccessful, but at least Las Vegas has seen a Polar Bear in summer.
14. LASHST_140729_055.JPG: Leon H. Rockwell Sr. 1888-1968
15. LASHST_140729_064.JPG: Howard Hughes 1905-1976
16. LASHST_140729_069.JPG: As an aviator, Howard Hughes made significant and lasting contributions to all aspects of the industry. He was a designer and engineer, test pilot and record setter, film producer and business owner, airport and fixed base operator, airline owner and operator. In all of these areas, Hughes impacted southern Nevada and Las Vegas. After making his name as a businessman, and then as a film producer and director with such epics as "Hell's Angels", Hughes began a set flying records. During the 1930s and 1940s, he made his best known flights. In the Hughes-designed H-1, he set a world land speed record in 1935. He set a transcontinental speed record in 1937, and established the around-the-world speed record in 1938. He became one of America's most famous pilots. In 1943, Hughes began testing the Sikorsky S-43 flying boat at Lake Mead and Boulder City Airport. With Hughes at the controls, a landing accident traced to improper loading sent the plant to the bottom of the lake and cost two lives. It was typical of Hughes, who survived numerous crashes, that he later restored and flew the S-43. He made hundreds of water landings in it near Parker Dam in preparation for his one historic flight in his most famous design, the HK-1 flying boat in 1947. Hughes also transformed commercial aviation with his involvement with airline ownership. In 1939, Hughes began to acquire control of Transcontinental and Western Airlines (TWA). He soon had majority ownership of the airline. After the sale of his TWA stock in 1966, Hughes lives for four years at Las Vegas's Desert Inn Hotel, eventually buying seven properties in Last Vegas: the Desert Inn, Sands, Castaways, Frontier, Silver Slipper, Landmark, and Dunes. During that period, he also bought the North Las Vegas Airport, held an option to build a supersonic airport for Clark County, which he would have traded for McCarran International Airport, and bought Air West. His 1967 purchase of Alamo Airways from his friend George Crockett began the transformation of Alamo into Hughes Aviation Services. Hughes played a wide-ranging role in the history of aviation in southern Nevada. His impact as an aviation innovator and casino owner was instrumental in the creation of modern Las Vegas.
17. LASHST_140729_071.JPG: Hughes reviewing plans for the XF-11
18. LASHST_140729_073.JPG: Howard Hughes and the Northrup Gamma at Newark Airport, 1936
19. LASHST_140729_075.JPG: Hughes at the controls of Constellation 049
20. LASHST_140729_081.JPG: Bronze casting of the medal awarded to Howard Hughes for his 1938 world record flight around the globe by the United States Congress.
21. LASHST_140729_088.JPG: Earl Hall 1920-1998
22. LASHST_140729_091.JPG: Earl Hall began working at McCarran Field in 1949, and spent most of the rest of his life working at and for the airport. He began his aviation career in 1941 with Pan American World Airways in New York. The next year he was sent to Liberia, where was stationed until 1944. In 1949, he moved to Las Vegas, where he went to work for Bonanza Air LInes. Bonanza was headquartered at McCarran Field, where Earl was to spent the majority of his working career. Bonanza was an important influence in post-war southern Nevada, providing air connections within the state, and throughout the southwest. Hall continued with Bonanza until its merger with Pacific and West Coast Air Lines. This triple merge created Air West, which was purchased by Howard Hughes a year later. Renamed Hughes Air West, the airline's distinctive yellow paint scheme made it one of the most recognizable at any airport. Hall stayed with the airline through the mergers, finally moving back to Las Vegas in 1971 to go to work for Scenic Airlines, again based at McCarran. In 1983, Hall went to work for McCarran International Airport in the construction/engineering department, where he was to work until his death in 1998. Hall was responsible for coordinating many of the construction projects which are part of the airport today. Hall truly personified the dedication of the many individuals who make up the staff of McCarran International Airport. He often commented on the fact that he was a truly lucky man because he wanted to go to work in the morning, and he always felt he was home at work as well as at his residence. This case is dedicated to the memory of Earl Hall.
23. LASHST_140729_094.JPG: Tragedy -- The Loss of Maury Graham
24. LASHST_140729_096.JPG: Flying the early air mail routes was a dangerous occupation. Many early pilots were killed or injured trying to get the mail through on time in difficult weather conditions. Maurice "Maury" Graham, one of the original "Four Horsement" of Western Air Express, was a victim of such a tragedy. Graham was a former Army pilot working in a stationery store where he was hired by CC Moseley to fly for Western Air Express. He was known as a cautious but fearless flyer. Graham flew Western's first eastbound flight from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City. This flight, on April 17, 1926, was the first air mail flight through Las Vegas, having arrived before the westbound flight by about an hour. His flight put the community on the air mail map. Graham took his last flight on January 10, 1930. He landed in Las Vegas, refueled, and decided, against the advise [sic] of those on the ground, to continue his flight to Salt Lake City. He was last heard circling St. George, Utah, after which he vanished. He had flown into one of the worst blizzards in the area's history. His Boeing 95 crashed into the Kanarra Mountains. A search was organized , but was unsuccessful. It was not found until June 24 by local ranchers. The mail he had been carrying was recovered and forwarded. Graham's body was found three weeks later. James Allen, searching the area, saw some wheat sprouting behind a log. The wheat had sprouted from seeds Graham had been carrying to chew in an attempt to stop smoking. Graham was one of many early pilots whose sacrifice made possible what we take for granted today.
25. LASHST_140729_099.JPG: Ford Tri-Motor In 1923, Edsel Ford received a bold letter from William B Stout, a young aircraft engineer. "I should like a thousand dollars, and I can only promise you one thing. You'll never see the money again." Stout, surprisingly, received $1,000 checks from both Edsel and his father, Henry Ford. They knew of the young inventor and decided to enter the aviation industry. Stout hoped to design a plane far different that the tiny models of the barnstorming era, using a metal fuselage. Ford built a private airport at his auto plant in Dearborn, Michigan, to house the project. Soon, with the Stout 2-AT, Ford began the Ford Air Transport Service, with regular flights carrying passengers and auto parts between his plants in Dearborn and Chicago. Dissatisfied with the 2-AT, Ford ordered Stout to improve the design. The resulting 3-AT was a disaster. It flew erratically, nearly crashing in its test flight. Ford demoted Stout, and appointed Harold Hicks as chief engineer. Hick's [sic] 4-AT premiered in 1926. It was an all-metal, three engine craft capable of carrying a dozen passengers, and could fly safely with one engineer disabled. Ford popularized the model which, with its reliability and 100 mph cruising speed, quickly became the favorite of the airline industry. The foresight of the Ford family helped transform aviation. The barnstormers' twilight marked the birth of safe, comfortable, reliable commercial air transportation.
26. LASHST_140729_102.JPG: Ford Tri-Motor In 1923, Edsel Ford received a bold letter from William B Stout, a young aircraft engineer. "I should like a thousand dollars, and I can only promise you one thing. You'll never see the money again." Stout, surprisingly, received $1,000 checks from both Edsel and his father, Henry Ford. They knew of the young inventor and decided to enter the aviation industry. Stout hoped to design a plane far different that the tiny models of the barnstorming era, using a metal fuselage. Ford built a private airport at his auto plant in Dearborn, Michigan, to house the project. Soon, with the Stout 2-AT, Ford began the Ford Air Transport Service, with regular flights carrying passengers and auto parts between his plants in Dearborn and Chicago. Dissatisfied with the 2-AT, Ford ordered Stout to improve the design. The resulting 3-AT was a disaster. It flew erratically, nearly crashing in its test flight. Ford demoted Stout, and appointed Harold Hicks as chief engineer. Hick's [sic] 4-AT premiered in 1926. It was an all-metal, three engine craft capable of carrying a dozen passengers, and could fly safely with one engineer disabled. Ford popularized the model which, with its reliability and 100 mph cruising speed, quickly became the favorite of the airline industry. The foresight of the Ford family helped transform aviation. The barnstormers' twilight marked the birth of safe, comfortable, reliable commercial air transportation.
27. LASHST_140729_106.JPG: Arizona Highways Magazine with a Scenic Airlines Ford Tri-Motor on the cover.
28. LASHST_140729_109.JPG: Wrigley's Gum box. Passengers on many early airlines were given gum to chew during flights to equalize the pressure in their ears, because planes were not pressurized.
29. LASHST_140729_111.JPG: The Douglas DC-1,2,3
30. LASHST_140729_114.JPG: The Douglas DC-1,2,3: If any transport aircraft can be given the distinction of transforming commercial aviation, it is the DC-3. This plane was produced in record numbers, and made commercial aviation both enjoyable and affordable. Perhaps the most rugged and versatile plane ever produced, many of the indestructible DC-3s, affectionately called "Gooney Birds," are still flying today. Its predecessor, the DC-1, was designed in only 10 days to complete with the Boeing 247. After extensive testing, the design was modified and the plane dubbed the DC-2. It was an immediate success, and became the first American plane to also sell well in the European market. The solitary DC-1 was not upstaged by her newer sisters. Howard Hughes purchased the craft for an around-the-world flight, though he later used a Lockheed 14. Later, it operated as an inter-city Spanish airlines, crashing in December 1940. The fast-selling DC-2 was redesigned for American Airlines. One model, the DST, was designed with sleeper compartments for long-distance overnight flights. The daytime passenger model was named the DC-3. Douglas eventually manufactured over 10,000 DC-3s, mainly for use by the Allied military forces during World War II. The success of the design, and the need for military transportation during World War II, meant the plane became known and used worldwide. After World War II, surplus DC-3s made possible the start of many local and regional airlines, because they were inexpensive to operate, and could make money on small occupancy rates. Bonanza Air Lines began flying DC-3s by 1946, and had 10 in its fleet by 1958. Today, DC-3s are used by small commercial operations throughout the world. They continued to be a testament to the remarkable engineering of the Douglas Corporation.
31. LASHST_140729_117.JPG: Control wheel used on a C-47, the best known of the military versions of the DC-3.
32. LASHST_140729_119.JPG: Lockheed Constellation
33. LASHST_140729_122.JPG: In 1938, Lockheed started a design process which eventually resulted in one of the most identifiable commercial aircraft ever built, the Constellation. With its distinctive triple tail, designed to allow the tails to be shorter to fit into existing hangars, and curving fuselage, the Constellation was an identifiable aircraft for the 1940s and 1950s. Though flown by many of the world's airlines, the Lockheed Constellation was most closely identified with TransWOrld Airlines. TWA was the airline which brought Las Vegas its second transcontinental connection in 1937. Working under conditions of extreme secrecy imposed by TWA owner Howard Hughes, Lockheed Aircraft began development of the revolutionary Constellation in 1939. Upon its maiden flight in 1943, the Lockheed 049 became the world's heaviest, fastest, and most powerful airliner, capable of carrying 65 to 90 passengers comfortably. Like the earlier Boeing Stratoliner, also developed for TWA, it featured a pressurized cabin enabling it to fly above the weather. The Boeings, however, had only a brief civilian career as the military co-opted them for service during World War II. The gracefully sculpted "Connie," with its distinctive triple-fined tail was to fly throughout the war in the US Army olive drab as the C-69. Howard Hughes did, however, outrage the Army in April 1944, when he and TWA President Jack Frye flew an Army Constellation in TWA livery from Burbank, California, to Washington DC. The flight set a new transcontinental record of just under seven hours at an average speed of 331 miles per hour. A second coast-to-coast flight with Hughes at the controls and a cabin full of Hollywood celebrities announced the start of regular Constellation service in February 1949. The Constellation remained in production for 14 years, undergoing transformation into various configurations. As it evolved into the Super Constellation, its original capacity, horsepower, and gross weight were increased by as much as 50%. It its 1649A version, it provided the ultimate in piston-engine commercial flight and tided TWA over into the jet age.
34. LASHST_140729_124.JPG: The ILS indicator enabled the Constellation pilots to land at airports experiencing low cloud ceilings and/or poor visibility. The vertical row of dots show deviation from desired course; the horizontal row deviation from desired altitude. If the aircraft was on course and on glide slope, the cross hairs intersected in the central circle on the... Altimeters measure atmospheric pressure and show the aircraft's altitude. ...
35. LASHST_140729_126.JPG: The Commercial Turboprop
36. LASHST_140729_134.JPG: Air Mail Pilot's Uniform Air Mail pilots worked in an atmosphere of extremes. From warm weather on the ground to frigid temperatures at high elevations in open cockpits, their clothing was adapted to the needs of the job. Many pilots wore uniforms similar to this one, coveralls with fur lining and leather exteriors based on military models. As can be seen in the various pictures of air mail pilots in this exhibit, pilots were very individualistic in their choice of attire, with comfort and durability being of primary concern. Pilots were required to be armed when carrying the mail, often with the Smith and Wesson Model 1917 military revolver, because the mail was considered a prime target for thieves.
37. LASHST_140729_137.JPG: Air Mail
38. LASHST_140729_139.JPG: Though we take it for granted today, the development of Air Mail was critical to the creation of commercial air transportation in the United States. For early airlines, carrying the mail was the only way to financially sound. The first official air mail flight in the United States was on September 25, 1911, when Early Ovington flew a Bleriot monoplane carrying the US mail from Garden City Estates on Long Island, New York, to Mineola, New York. In 1918, the Post Office began regular air mail service, using its own pilots. The Kelly Act, passed in 1925, allowed the carrying of the US mail by private air carrier. The act was designed to promote commercial airlines, by providing the income necessary to survival through air mail subsidies. Among the first airlines founded to take advantage of this was Western Air Express. It successfully bid for Contract Airmail Route 4, which ran from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City, via Las Vegas. Western brought air mail service to Las Vegas on April 17, 1926. The name of the new airline reflected its emphasis on carrying the mail rather than passenger travel. Not until 1941 was its name changed to Western Airlines. This route quickly became one of the busiest in the nation. Later, other routes came through Las Vegas, including ones to San Diego, Phoenix, and Reno. Apart from a short period in 1934, the air mail was a major source of income for commercial airlines until the 1970s. As a promoter of commercial aviation, the air mail did its job well.
39. LASHST_140729_141.JPG: Women in Aviation in Las Vegas before World War II
40. LASHST_140729_144.JPG: Women have been an active part of the growth and development of aviation in Southern Nevada. As early as 1920, when Randall Henderson became the first pilot to fly to Las Vegas, women have flown. Henderson stayed a week, charging $10 for rides. Many local residents, men and women, took advantage of the opportunity. Las Vegas saw its first female commercial airline passenger on June 6, 1926, only two weeks after Western Air Express began carrying passengers. Maude Campbell of Salt Lake City paid $180.00 for a trip from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles. At that time, WAE flights landed in Las Vegas to refuel. "Pop" Hanshue, an inveterate promoter and President of WAE, decided to capitalize on Campbell's flight, and met her in Las Vegas with a large number of photographers and a bouquet of flowers. Campbell's flight, though made sitting on mail bags in an open cockpit M-2 without any passenger amenities, signaled that flying was not just for men. The first plane registered to Las Vegas owners was owned by Connie and Bernice Elkins, who used it for a flying school they opened in 1931. They moved to Redlands, California, the next year, apparently not finding enough students in Las Vegas. During the 1920s and 1930s, famous pilots such as Amelia Earhart and Jackie Cochran visited Las Vegas and Boulder City. Commercial airlines, including Grand Canyon Air Lines, began using Flight Attendants, or Couriers as Grand Canyon called them, on their flights. Florence Murphy and Peg Crockett became involved in the ownership and operation of area airports and airlines. In 1950, the oldest flying organization in the valley, the Desert 99s, a women's flying club, was organized. Women continue to be an active part of local aviation, serving as pilots and executives in commercial, corporate, and general aviation, and in many roles within local airports.
41. LASHST_140729_146.JPG: Amelia Earhart's first trip to Las Vegas was in 1923
42. LASHST_140729_149.JPG: Women's interest in aviation was reflected in these children's books of the 1930s.
43. LASHST_140729_151.JPG: Western Air Express
44. LASHST_140729_157.JPG: Bonanza Air Lines
45. LASHST_140729_167.JPG: John A. Macready 1887-1979
46. LASHST_140729_172.JPG: Grand Canyon Air Lines
47. LASHST_140729_174.JPG: Visitors to Las Vegas today may be surprised to learn that, in the 1930s, Boulder Dam was southern Nevada's top tourist attraction. Visitors from around the world flocked to see the mammoth public works project. Many of these visitors were also interested in seeing the nearby Grand Canyon. Among the first to recognize the tourist potential of flights over the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas and Boulder City was Glover E. "Roxy" Ruckstell. Ruckstell earned his reputation on the AAA Championship Auto Racing Circuit during the teens, driving against Eddie Rickenbacker, Harris "Pop" Hanshue and Jack Frye. During World War I, he helped develop the Liberty aircraft engine. After the war, he earned his fortune selling the "Ruckstell Axle" for the Model T Ford. Like Rickenbacker, Hanshue, and Frye, Ruckstell saw a future in aviation, acquiring Grand Canyon Air Lines in 1931. Ruckstell moved the airline to Boulder City. For fares ranging from $5 to $37.50, visitors received a breathtaking aerial view of Lake Mead, Boulder Dam and the Grand Canyon. Flying Ford Tri-Motors at a leisurely 90 mph, round trips to the Grand Canyon usually took all day. Ruckstell, finding the business unprofitable, sold the airline to G&G Airlines of Tucson and concentrated his efforts on boat tours and the new Lake Mead Lodge. Grand Canyon Air Lines remained in business under the ownership of G&G until the start of World War II. Today, the Grand Canyon air tour industry is a burgeoning part of southern Nevada aviation with over 40 airlines offering sightseeing flights to an estimated 750,000 annual passengers.
48. LASHST_140729_180.JPG: The Coming of the Commercial Jet
49. LASHST_140729_183.JPG: Until the later 1950s, commercial aircraft had propellers. The jet engine, developed before World War II, required such a large amount of fuel that they were impractical for commercial use. This changed with the development of the De Havilland Comet jetliner. First flown in 1952, the Comet was the precursor of a new age of commercial transport. Their success led to the development of commercial jets in the United States. In 1954, the Boeing 707, a leap of faith for Boeing which spent $15 million developing it, became the first domestic commercial jet to fly. Douglas, the other major contender in the commercial jet face, was next with its DC-8. It was a DC-8 which first brought commercial jet air travel to Las Vegas, when one flew in as part of the World Congress of Flight in 1959. Convair was the third major contender in the jetliner race, with its 880. Airlines large and small began to use the new commercial jets, and passengers appreciated the greater comfort, speed, and quiet they provided. Other American and foreign aircraft companies tried to compete with their own commercial jet designs, but Douglas and Boeing dominated the market throughout the 1950s and 1960s. The jet transformed commercial air travel. By the 1960s, jets were the standard for all major airlines.
50. LASHST_140729_189.JPG: Jack Frye and TWA
51. LASHST_140729_198.JPG: A red 1956 Thunderbird may seem like an unlikely lead car/crash wagon for a major airport, but from 1957 until 1968 one did exist at McCarran Airport. Owned and operated by George & Peg Crockett's Alamo Airways, the vehicle was a fixture around the Airport. George Crockett had founded McCarran as Alamo Airport in 1941. Clark County purchased the airport from the Crocketts, renaming it McCarran Airport in honor of Senator Pat McCarran, and opening on December 17, 1948. The Crocketts continued to operate Alamo Airways at the airport until the operation was purchased by Howard Hughes in 1968. This 1956 Thunderbird has been restored as an exact reproduction of the original lead car/crash wagon, and has been donated by Peg Crockett.
52. LASHST_140729_201.JPG: George Crockett at the wheel of the Thunderbird. They are checking the world Endurance Flight Cessna wheels to make sure it hasn't landed, 1958.
53. LASHST_140729_206.JPG: Western and TWA Las Vegas Promotions
54. LASHST_140729_209.JPG: With the development and opening of McCarran Field in 1948, Las Vegas could handle many more commercial flights. The post-World War II period was one of growht for airlines. Large, national carriers grew during this boom time, feeding the American wanderlust by promoting new destinations and ever greater amounts of air travel. Las Vegas boomed in the post-war years, and the merging of the two interests was inevitable. Hotels like the Flamingo, Thunderbird, Riviera, Desert Inn, Sahara, Showboat and Club Bingo all opened in the decade following the war, bringing a new image to the area and a destination for travelers. Movies, like "Meet Me in Las Vegas" and "The Las Vegas Story," also promoted the area. Airlines were quick to respond to the new lure of Las Vegas. Having offered flights to Las Vegas since 1925, when it was the refueling stop between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles, Western widely promoted travel to Las Vegas. TWA, which had grown out of the forced merger of Transcontinental Air Transport and Western Air Express, also had been serving the area since well before the war. In both cases, Las Vegas grew in importance as the post-war years progressed. Promotional flights were advertised throughout the United States, with particular emphasis in southern California. Las Vegas was the place to play in the sun, and Western and TWA were the carriers to take you there.
55. LASHST_140729_216.JPG: Children and Early Aviation
56. LASHST_140729_219.JPG: Airplanes and air flight captured the imagination of America's youth soon after Orville and Wilbur Wright's first flight. World War I heros [sic], the barnstormers of the 1920s, experimental fliers, and commercial aviators were dashing and romantic figures. Pilots were portrayed in the popular press as heroes, who braved long odds to make their flights, a portrayal which was not far from reality. Individual pilots caught the public imagination, becoming celebrities, sometimes overnight. Frank Knight, Roscoe Turner, Wiley Post, Amelia Earhardt, and, probably, the best known of all, Charles Lindbergh, were all role models for budding fliers. This interest was captured in children's literature and children's toys. Games like "Skyliner" were designed to appeal to this interest, as well as promote a specific airline. Rides at amusement parks featured miniature planes, pedal cars in the shape of planes were popular, and books using aviation themes appeared in many youth series, even those of Red Ryder and Gene Autry. All this aviation interest was not limited to boys, however. Girls also had aviation toys and literature, aimed at the growing interest created by many well known aviatrixes, such as Amelia Earhart, Blanche Noyes, and Ruth Elder. Aviation had come of age in the popular mind. Children could name the planes which flew overhead, and build models of their favorites. They could read about the exploits of their heros [sic], the dangers of the open sky, and imagine themselves in an open cockpit, with a white scarf flowing, and dream of actually flying some day. In a few cases this did come true. Ted Homan, a young Las Vegan, was always helping out at Rockwell Field. He became so well known to local Western Air Express pilots that they actually let him ride along. As an adult, Homan became a pilot for Western Airlines, flying for many years for the airline which had first excited his interest growing up in Las Vegas.
57. LASHST_140729_224.JPG: PBY Catalina
58. LASHST_140729_227.JPG: Variable Pitch Propeller
59. LASHST_140729_228.JPG: Hacienda Hotel Promotional Flights
60. LASHST_140729_231.JPG: In 1952, "Doc" Bayley, owner of the Hacienda Hotel decided to complete with the Dunes and Thunderbird Hotels and provide free flights from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. His effort, the brainchild of Harry Price, led to one of the more successful, and unique, Las Vegas promotions. Bayley's offering was simple. For $27.50, you were able to fly from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, spend a night in a deluxe room, get a free tote bag, bottle of champagne and $5.00 in chips for the casino. The popularity of the flights soon made the Hacienda Hotel the largest single buyer of California champagne. The popularity of the trips forced the addition of more aircraft. DC-3s, DC-4s, and eventually Lockheed Constellations were used, with Bailey and the Hacienda running a fleet of 30 aircraft at the height of the promotional efforts. By 1961, more visitors to Las Vegas were arriving at McCarran terminal on the Hacienda fleet than by some of the commercial airlines. This led to a dispute with the Civil Aeronautics Board, and the effort was officially stopped on July 10, 1962. For the five years it operated, the Hacienda fleet brought thousands of visitors to Las Vegas, making the Hacienda Hotel was the most popular on the Strip. Doc Bayley did not give up the dream of flying in guests on a regular basis, though. The hotel purchased at least four Constellations after the flights were stopped. Later, Mercer Airlines carried chartered flights for the hotel, and still later a small fleet of DeHaviland Doves were privately chartered.
61. LASHST_140729_239.JPG: World Endurance Flight: Hanging in front of you is the Cessna 172 piloted by Robert Timm and John Cook as they set the World Endurance Flying record on February 7, 1959. They took off from McCarran Airport on December 4, 1958, determined to fly longer without touching the ground than anyone ever had. Their flight, sponsored by the Hacienda Hotel, set a non-stop flying record of 64 days, 22 hours, 19 minutes, and 5 seconds which remains unbroken to this day. When they finally landed, Timm and Cook had decisively broken the existing 50 day record. They had survived numerous mechanical breakdowns in flight, flown the equivalent of six times around the world, refueled twice a day from a speeding truck below them, endured nights without lights and days without much sleep. After having set the record, they returned to their careers, Timm in the casino industry and Cook in commercial aviation. Neither tried to top their record. As John Cook later wrote, "Next time I feel in the mood to fly endurance I'm going to lock myself in our garbage can... with the vacuum cleaner running and have Bill serve me T-bone steaks chopped up in a thermos bottle -- that is until my psychiatrist opens up for business in the morning..."
62. LASHST_140729_241.JPG: World Endurance Flight
63. LASHST_140729_248.JPG: World Endurance Flight: On December 4, 1958, Robert Timm and John Cook took off from McCarran AIrport, determined to fly longer without touching ground than anyone else ever had. Sponsored by "Doc" Bayley and the Hacienda Hotel as a fundaiser for the Damon Runyon Cancer Fund, the flight set a time-aloft record of 64 days, 22 hours, 19 minutes and 5 seconds which remains unbroken to this day. The flight was one year in the planning. Timm, the mechanics Irv Kuenzl, JD Powers, and Duane Potter, modified a stock Cessna 172 for the attempt. All but the pilot's seat was removed from the interior, and a belly tank capable of holding 95 gallons of fuel was added, as well as 4' x 4' mattress and internal access to fuel and oil lines. The ground crew, Norbie Prada, Doyl Hickman, Roy Young and Bill Marhold, controlled the ground portion of the daily refueling. Once a day, the plane was flown parallel to a stretch of desert road, and a line thrown down to the fuel truck on the ground. With the truck traveling at about 75 miles per hour, a hose was raised to the plane and 95 gallons of fuel pumped into the belly tank in about 3 minutes. When they landed on February 7, 1959, Timm and Cook had decisively broken the existing record, but did not try to top the effort. As John Cook later wrote, "Next time I feel in the mood to fly endurance I'm going to lock myself in our garbage can... with the vacuum cleaner running and have Bill serve me T-bone steaks chopped up in a thermos bottle -- that is until my psychiatrist opens up for business in the morning..."
64. LASHST_140729_250.JPG: Oh, the rigors of non-stop, airborne housekeeping in a small airplane for two months. This involved hanging out the door to clean the windshield, four hours piloting, four hours resting, receiving food from a moving vehicle on the ground in a picnic basket suspended by a rope, and the unforgettable portable "potty".
65. LASHST_140729_257.JPG: Lockheed Constitution
66. LASHST_140729_260.JPG: Lockheed Constitution: In early 1942, Lockheed Aircraft began to develop a large, long-range military/commercial aircraft. Other companies, including Boeing, Douglas, and Convair were also working to fill a need projected for the postwar commercial airline market. Out of Lockheed's efforts came a remarkable white elephant, the Constitution. Lockheed's earlier commercial, long-range effort, the Constellation, was the most advanced prop liner in the commercial inventories of the day, creating a new level of commercial travel comfort and safety. To capitalize on the need for newer, long-range and larger-capacity aircraft anticipated by airlines such as Pan American Airways, Lockheed developed the XR60-1 Constitution, a four engine propeller aircraft designed to carry 204 military passengers, or 109 civilian, with 58 in sleeper compartments. Lockheed's effort was sponsored by the Navy, with technical assistance from Pan American Airways. The final design first flew on November 9, 1946. The Navy eventually acquired two Constitutions. They were assigned to Transport Squadrons VR-44 and VR-5. They proved to be underpowered and were never able to fly with a full design load. When the Navy ran out of space parts, the aircraft were mothballed to Arizona. In 1955, the two Constitutions were sold as surplus for $98,000 each. One was eventually purchased by George Crockett, who used it as a unique billboard for his Alamo Airways at McCarran Airport. It was a local fixture for many years, until finally scrapped in the late 1960s.
67. LASHST_140729_263.JPG: World Congress of Flight, 1959
68. LASHST_140729_269.JPG: Aerial view of World Congress of Flight exhibition in the parking lot of the Las Vegas Convention Center.
69. LASHST_140729_284.JPG: These are modern strikes of the medals awarded to Howard Cannon during his military and Senatorial career.
70. LASHST_140729_286.JPG: William H. Nellis, 1916-1944
71. LASHST_140729_289.JPG: William H. Nellis, 1916-1944: On May 20, 1950, at the suggestion of the faculty and students of Las Vegas High School, the Las Vegas Air Force Base was renamed Nellis Air Force Base in honor of LVHS alumni Lieutenant William H. Nellis. Nellis was born in Santa Rita, New Mexico, in 1916, and grew up in Searchlight, Nevada. His father was a miner, and his grandmother ran a boarding house there. He later moved to Las Vegas, where he attended Las Vegas High School, class of 1937. After high school, he married, and worked for U.S> Senator Berkeley Bunker at his service station at Las Vegas Blvd. and Fremont St., and later as a brakeman for the Union Pacific Railroad. When World War II broke out, he decided to join the Army Air Corps. Nellis served in the Ninth Air Force as a fighter pilot. He flew 69 missions and had already been shot down twice when he volunteered for one more mission. On December 27, 1944, Lieutenant Nellis was killed in action while flying a combat mission with the 513th Fighter Squadron, 406th Fighter Group over Bastogne. Nellis flew the P-47 Thunderbolt, a fighter known as the "jug" because of its chunky fuselage design. It cruised at nearly 30,000 feet, giving it an advantage over lower-flying Luftwaffe interceptors. It was fitted with eight fifty-caliber machine guns, and survived an amazing amount of punishment in aerial combat.
72. LASHST_140729_295.JPG: Las Vegas Army Air Corps Gunnery School
73. LASHST_140729_301.JPG: Ring and bead sight for a .50 caliber machine gun.
74. LASHST_140729_302.JPG: Defused .50 caliber bullets for machine guns
75. LASHST_140729_314.JPG: William G. Gilmore, III, Collection of Airline Insignia
76. LASHST_140729_318.JPG: B-17 Flying Fortress / B-29 SuperFortress
77. LASHST_140729_320.JPG: B-17 Flying Fortress / B-29 SuperFortress: After World War I, many military strategists concluded that strategic bombing would play a pivotal role in the next war, being able to attack enemy factories, lines of communication and even population centers. This would depend on the bombers available. In the early 1930s, the Army Air Corps ordered a bomber with an operating radius of several thousand miles. Boeing received the contract and developed the B-17 Flying Fortress. The big, four-engine bomber was an impressive weapon, but its crew had to endure sub-zero temperatures in an unpressurized cabin. In 1939, the Air Corps ordered an even larger bomber, the B-29 Superfortrees. It could carry more bombs and sported three pressurized compartments for the crew. The bombers flew in right formations, using multiple machine-gun posts on each aircraft to defend against fighter attacks. Many gunners for these planes were trained at the Las Vegas Army Air Corps Flexible Gunnery School. It was dangerous duty and casualties were high. The bombers were subjected to intense ground fire and fighter attacks. Strategic bombing ultimately helped cripple the industrial capacity of the Axis, but it presented new technical problems. Raids with low-tonnage bombs often damaged factory buildings, but not the critical machinery inside and accurate bombing was difficult due to poor visibility and the rigors of intense combat. A new generation of theorists would merge after the war to address these problems, and to deal with the specter of nuclear war, introduced in August 1945, when a B-29, the Enola Gay, dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
78. LASHST_140729_326.JPG: The Curtis JN-4 "Jenny"
79. LASHST_140729_328.JPG: The Curtis JN-4 "Jenny": Easily the best known American aircraft series of World War I, the Curtiss JN-4/JN-6 series, or the Jenny. It came to symbolize an entire era of aviation history. It was developed in 1914, by Glenn Curtiss and B. Douglas Thomas. When Curtiss combined Thomas's N model with his own J, the JN, immediately dubbed the Jenny, resulted. The design was called a "tractor" aircraft because the engine was in the front of the plane, as opposed to a "pusher" aircraft where the engine was behind the pilot. The aircraft series, by 1919, had been used to train approximately 95% of all pilots in the United States. Also produced in Canada, where it was called the Canuck, it was a popular trainer for the Canadian Air Force. After the war, thousands of Jennies were declared surplus. It became the plane of choice for hundreds of ex-military pilots. Many became barnstormers, making their living by giving airplane rides and demonstration flights. The first flight into Las Vegas in 1920, was made in a Jenny, and many local residents took their first airplane rides during the week it was here. As a civilian aircraft, the Jenny survived in great numbers until about 1928, when new airworthiness regulations grounded most of them. The last military models were scrapped the year before. The barnstorming era ended as aviation became safety conscious. The Jenny was finished as a sport plane, but lived on through movies and the popular imagination.
Bigger photos? To save server space, the full-sized versions of these images have either not been loaded to the server or have been removed from the server. (Only some pages are loaded with full-sized images and those usually get removed after three months.) I still have them though. If you want me to email them to you, please send an email to guthrie.bruce@gmail.com and I can email them to you, or, depending on the number of images, just repost the page again will the full-sized images.
Connection Not Secure messages? Those warnings you get from your browser about this site not having secure connections worry some people. This means this site does not have SSL installed (the link is http:, not https:). That's bad if you're entering credit card numbers, passwords, or other personal information. But this site doesn't collect any personal information so SSL is not necessary. Life's good!
Photo Contact: [Email Bruce Guthrie].