It is now over 100 years since the Wright brothers, Orville and Wilber, first achieved powered flight in an “aeroplane”. The date was December 17, 1903. We have now entered the “Next Century of Flight”. Just over ten years after the Wright brother’s flight, another milestone occurred. On January 1, 1914, the first regularly scheduled passenger service was inaugurated by the St Petersburg – Tampa Airboat Line. Pilot Tony Jannus, flying a Benoist “flying boat”, carried the first passenger from St. Petersburg Florida to Tampa. The brave passenger happened to be the mayor of St. “Pete”, Mayor A.C. Pheil. The flight across the bay to Tampa, a distance of 18 miles took 23 minutes. Since these early beginnings the airline industry has struggled and strived to gain the technology to provide consistent, safe travel for the world’s travelers. And they
have succeeded.

The growth from a one passenger, 45 mile-per-hour flight to the high altitude, 500+ passenger, near speed of sound travel, and even (now suspended) supersonic travel through the skies, has provided so much history that the many small exhibits of airline artifacts through-out the country cannot properly exhibit the vast quantity of commercial airline historical materials and aircraft available. There are over 575 aviation displays and museums in the United States, but almost all are devoted to military “warbirds”, antique, experimental, sport or general aviation themes with a smattering of an airline airplane here and there, usually because it was released for disposal and was accepted as a donation. Several airlines have small displays devoted to their individual story, but there is none of a stature to do justice to the complete history of this giant industry. An industry that had contributed to every community with its attraction of commerce, job opportunities and tax revenues and will continue in the future.

There is so much inclusive in this huge industry that most people have no accurate perception of its far reaching scope. A museum just for airplanes, pilots and an airline would widely miss its mark.