It will soon be 100 years since the Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, first achieved powered flight in an "aeroplane." The date was December 17, 1903. Then just over 10 years later another milestone occured. On January 1, 1914, the first regularly scheduled passenger service was inaugurated by the St. Petersburg - Tampa Airboat Line. Pilot Tony Janus, 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 ascross the bay to Tampa, a distance of 18 miles, took 23 minutes. Since these early beginnings the airline industry has struggled and striven to gain the technology to provide consistent, safe travel for the world's travelers. And they 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 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 quanity 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, antique, experimental, sport or general aviation themes with a smattering of an airline airplane here or there, usually because it was released for disposal but was accepted as a donation. Ywo or three 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 to contribute in the future.

We hope you will explore this site and learn more about the need for a US AIRLINE INDUSTRY MUSEUM FOUNDATION. If you would like to help the Foundation develope a National Museum for the Nation's airlines please contact us on the "CONTACT US" page. We need your support.