Aviation Imagination

Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the Wright brothers - Orville and Wilbur, welcome aboard the (Un)common Knowledge. I am your trivia attendant, and this is a nonstop flight to the past.

Our flight time will be short and sweet. We will be flying at an altitude of imagination. At this time, ensure your seatbacks and tray tables are in their full upright positions and that your seat belt is correctly fastened.

Please prepare for departure and direct your attention to the year 1914. I will be sharing with you a random fact and would like the next few minutes of your complete attention. Keep your arms and legs out of the aisle and prepare for take-off, please.

Over a century ago, commercial aviation was also ready for take-off. The St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line, coincidentally operating between St. Petersburg and Tampa, Florida, was the first scheduled winged passenger airline. Ready to spread his wings, so-to-speak, former mayor of St. Petersburg, Abram C. Pheil, bought the first commercial passenger ticket at auction. He bid four hundred dollars for the privilege to be the first civilian butt flying across the ocean, though tickets later sold for a whopping five dollars each.

On January 1, 1914, over three thousand spectators joined in unison and cheered on the momentous occasion to kick-off the new year. Abram boarded the wooden, A Model 14 Benoist, open-air craft in his raincoat.

Abram and pilot Tony Jannus jammed themselves side-by-side onto a single wooden seat. Ready for an adventure like no other. Tony waved to the cheering crowd as they took off. He kept the flying airbus fifteen feet above the calm blue waters.

Halfway to Tampa, the aircraft had an engine misfire; Tony landed on the water, quickly adjusted a few components, and took off again. Tony and Abram landed at the entrance of Hillsborough River, where they were greeted with excited spectators. An hour later, they squeezed back into the tight single wooden seat and headed back to St. Petersburg, completing the twenty-three-minute flight. Modern aviation enthusiasts may even argue that they made the trip in a “flying boat.” Luckily, smooth waters and air current made for a smooth flight.

Speaking of, ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats and fasten your seatbelts. We are going to be entering a brief zone of turbulence before beginning our final descent. Sadly, four months later, St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line was no longer an operating business. Although short-lived, the Airboat Line laid the foundation for today’s transcontinental flights, with over fifty commercial flights taking off every minute of every day, pandemic or not.

Ladies and gentlemen, we do have a quick layover announcement. In 2014 a replica Airboat was being built to commemorate the one-hundredth anniversary of the first commercial flight. And like common changes in the aviation industry. A last-minute switch had to be made because the Airboat acted-up during testing. However, not to worry, the organization used a Hoffman X-4 “Mullet Skiff” Airboat, which was the same plane used for commemorating the seventieth anniversary of the first scheduled commercial airline service.

As we continue our descent, please make sure your seat belt is securely fastened, your seat backs, tray tables, and other modern flight luxuries are in full upright positions. As for luxuries, now you may even buy a ticket to Mars on Space-X for $500,000… and no, that is not an auction price. However, for our modern commercial flights, we can thank the aviation pioneers Orville and Wilbur Wright. Again, I am your Trivia Attendant with (Un)Common Knowledge. Welcome back to the present. Enjoy the rest of your day.