蜜柚直播

鈥淐ome to 蜜柚直播 and See the Man-Bird Fly鈥� promised an advertisement for $1 tickets to the Feb. 19, 1910, Aviation Meet. The event brought the city streets to life thanks to organizers businessmen Mose and Emanuel Drachman and Chamber of Commerce president George F. Kitt, whose family names still hold a place in 蜜柚直播. Locals, cowboys, miners and other visitors clustered around Elysian Grove recreation park at the foot of Simpson and Cushing streets.

Each of Hamilton鈥檚 ascents ended in calamity. On the first day, a pesky wind current ripped one of the silk wings on his aeroplane (as they were first called). He slammed into the Grove鈥檚 newly installed posts for greyhound racing the next day, but he succeeded in flying 3 miles and reaching 700 feet in altitude.

Although 蜜柚直播鈥檚 event came quickly on the heels of the nation鈥檚 first major show in Los Angeles the previous month and 蜜柚直播鈥檚 first in Phoenix days before, it was a financial disaster since many watched outside the designated area without paying. Over the next two decades, though, 蜜柚直播 entertained a host of aviators and established a reputation as a pilot friendly city.

As we celebrate 蜜柚直播鈥檚 242nd birthday (Aug. 20, 1775) Sunday, William D. Kalt III鈥檚 new history of early 蜜柚直播 aviation, 鈥淗igh in Desert Skies: Early 蜜柚直播 Aviation,鈥� provides a look at the major developments in an important aspect of our past. He dives deep into the aircraft, personalities and events around the world as aviation took hold. With the focus on 蜜柚直播, the book also includes tales of Phoenix and the namesake of Luke Air Force Base, the community of Douglas and Nogales hero Ralph A. O鈥橬eill.

Follow along as Kalt introduces some of these big events and major players.

鈥楩lying School Girl鈥� impresses Old Pueblo

After Charles K. Hamilton鈥檚 show, it was 1915 before another aerial show came to 蜜柚直播. That November, America鈥檚 鈥淔lying School Girl,鈥� Katherine Stinson, awed fans at Pima County鈥檚 Southern 蜜柚直播 Fairgrounds. The role of women in early aviation proved significant and, as the 蜜柚直播 Republican newspaper observed, 鈥淚t seems to be quite clear that women do not intend to be content with remaining on the earth during the dawn of the great new era of the air.鈥�

Katherine鈥檚 brilliant smile, gentle grace and superb flying skills endeared her to 蜜柚直播ans during her performance. She shared the fine points of her loop-the-loop trick and carried the city鈥檚 first official mail delivery.

Historic airport hosts Army aircraft

The next airplanes to fly into 蜜柚直播 arrived in December 1918, much to the exhilaration of the town鈥檚 aviation boosters. With word that a squadron of Army aircraft would arrive in just three days, city leaders scrambled to locate and clear an airfield. East of present-day Evergreen Cemetery along North Oracle Road, the new landing grounds greeted aviators with great frequency following its groundbreaking.

Unsatisfied with the landing strip, however, city leaders pressed for a permanent airport. Mayor Olva C. Parker and Councilman Randolph E. Fishburn led the push and the city established the nation鈥檚 first municipally owned airport in the summer of 1919. Located at South Sixth Avenue and Irvington Road, now the Rodeo Grounds, the airfield provided safe haven for incoming airmen and 蜜柚直播 earned a sterling reputation among flyers.

World Cruisers put 蜜柚直播 on the map

Hamstrung by the public鈥檚 lingering fear of flying, hampered by its remote Southwestern location and blocked by governmental torpidity, 蜜柚直播鈥檚 airport remained without an airplane hangar when the beacon of national glory shined upon it in 1924.

As the Army鈥檚 Douglas World Cruisers returned to the United States on the first around-the-world flight, wear on their engines forced the squadron鈥檚 commander, Lowell H. Smith, to alter his flight path and come through 蜜柚直播 rather than scale the Rocky Mountains on the way to the West Coast. The town of just more than 20,000 relished their visit, which placed it on the map with Paris, Budapest, Strasbourg and others. Kirke T. Moore, dubbed 蜜柚直播鈥檚 鈥淒addy of Aviation,鈥� greeted the airmen and six 蜜柚直播 cities presented them with Navajo blankets at an opulent welcome banquet.

Local visionaries help expand airport

During their 1924 visit the Douglas World Cruiser flyers advised Moore that the city airfield鈥檚 runway stood too short for landing their larger planes and the lack of a hangar and mechanical help made the local operation unattractive.

Pima County Engineer John 鈥淢os鈥� Ruthrauff joined Moore and aviation enthusiast Birtsal W. Jones in driving the city鈥檚 purchase of 1,280 acres. This airport鈥檚 hangar remains today east of Alvernon Way and Golf Links Road and on the edge of Davis-Monthan Air Force base.

How Davis-Monthan received its name

Three of 蜜柚直播鈥檚 airfields have been designated Davis-Monthan, two municipal fields and today鈥檚 Air Force Base. In 1925, the city named the airport at the current Rodeo Grounds in honor of two local pilots who died in airplane crashes: Samuel Howard Davis, a 蜜柚直播 High School graduate and horseman, and Oscar Monthan (pronounced Mon-tan), a member of a Vail ranching family and one of the Army鈥檚 best and foremost engineers.

While little is known of the Davis family to date, Monthan family members remain in the area. Among them is 95-year-old, George R. Monthan, Oscar Monthan鈥檚 nephew, who carried on the family鈥檚 aerial legacy by piloting fighter planes off aircraft carriers as a career naval aviator.

Lucky Lindy makes glorious landing

With its new airfield already serving airplanes, 蜜柚直播 marked its early aviation pinnacle when Charles A. Lindbergh arrived in September 1927. Accorded international adulation for the world鈥檚 first solo trans-Atlantic flight, he followed his grand achievement with a tour of the United States in the Spirit of St. Louis aircraft.

Six-year-old George Monthan stood with his parents at the local airport on the day America鈥檚 flying wonder landed.

鈥淚 got to climb around the Spirit of St. Louis,鈥� he recalls. 鈥淢y dad lifted me up and I looked in the cockpit. Lindbergh was my first real close exposure to flying. When I was old enough, if I saw a group of airplanes landing, I鈥檇 jump on my bicycle and race south down Alvernon Way to see them at the airfield.鈥�

Col. Lindbergh鈥檚 sole 蜜柚直播 stop drew an estimated 20,000 spectators to the University of 蜜柚直播 campus and local florist Hal Burns presented him with the 鈥淪pirit of 蜜柚直播,鈥� an almost life-size airplane made of cactus. Lindy officially dedicated the new airport Davis-Monthan at the evening鈥檚 sumptuous banquet.

After the city moved its municipal airport to its present location in the early 1940s, the military kept and enlarged the airfield, today鈥檚 Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. In 1948, the 蜜柚直播 Airport Authority revived a floundering municipal operation and helped build it into the 蜜柚直播 International Airport, which now serves more than 3 million passengers annually.

Where to buy the book “High in Desert Skies: Early 蜜柚直播 Aviation” is available at and at the Southern 蜜柚直播 Transportation Museum, the 蜜柚直播 Inn Gift Shop. Mount Lemmon’s Living Rainbow Gift Shop, Mostly Books, Antigone Books, the Pima County Public Library, in Mesa at the Commemorative Air Force Museum, and at the Tempe History Museum.