Card Commemorating 24th Anniversary of the First Commercial Airline in the World, St. Petersburg to Tampa, 1938

Seaplanes

Aviation

Mayors--Florida--Saint Petersburg

A souvenir card commemorating the 24th anniversary of the first commercial airline in the world from St. Petersburg to Tampa, Florida, in 1914. The back of the card includes the history of the airline.

State Archives of Florida, Collection N2012-9

1938

souvenirs

eng-US

Text

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Depression Era Florida (1926-1939)

Saint Petersburg (Fla.)

Pinellas County (Fla.)

Tampa (Fla.)

Hillsborough County (Fla.)

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Business And Industry

St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce (Saint Petersburg, Fla.)

Pheil, Abram C., 1867-1922

Jannus, Tony

Smith, J. D.

Benoist, Tom

Commemorating THE 24TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRST COMMERCIAL AIRLINE IN THE WORLD St. Petersburg To Tampa, Florida 1914 January 1938 TONY JANNUS, Pilot Compliment of Aviation Department Chamber of Commerce St. Petersburg Florida YORK BRIDDELL, Chairman

The First Commercial Air Line. ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA, has the distinction of being the birthplace of the first Commercial Airline in the World, which operated on a schedule for three months. This line operated from St. Petersburg to Tampa, Florida, a distance of twenty-three miles across Tampa Bay. The ship was a Benoist, built y Tom Benoist, in St. Louis, Mo. The Line opened January 1, 1914, at ten A.M. and the first flight, which started on time, was made to Tampa and return in one and one-half hours. The ticket for the first ride was auctioned off, the high bidder being Mayor Pheil, who paid $400.00 for the honor of making the first trip on the First Commercial Airline in the World. Tony Jannus was the pilot and his mechanic J.D. Smith. The World War coming on caused the discontinuation of the line. Tony Jannus was killed in Russia in the air service during the war and thus ended the career of one of the world's greatest pilots. J.D. Smith, his mechanic, is still living here in St. Petersburg, a very quiet but interesting man.