Polk County 2 Historical 0 Quarterly 1 VOLUME 27 MARCH, 2001 NUMBER 4 A BRIEF LOOK AT THE AVIATION HISTORY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA By R. G. Beeler A Paper Delivered to the Polk County Historical Association December 2, 1997 ‘A crowd gathered to greet the frst Ai Mal service to Lakeland, Florida on October 15, 1994 ‘The State of Florida with its ideal year round weather for fying was perfec forthe earty picts and thot ying machines. | wil man tion some of the first aviation events inthe stale but time does not permit me to speak about hem al, 30 have decided to speak onthe ‘aviation history of Pok County, mainly Lakeland From our hisloy books we are told about the Wright Brothers ‘making the fist pow fightin 1903 in nothing mere than a glider with an engine installed. What isnot regularly known is they worked for the next three years working o improve the airplane and finally gota patent in 1906, During this three year period other inventers were working overtime to buld airplanes and share the glory received by the Wight Brothers. Some succeeded but many failed. Florida with is good weather and beaches to serve as instant runways altracted this new aviation industry Some of the Florida Aviation Firsts: 1906 - The first glider pullod by a car at Pablo Baach, Chaos K. Hamilton 1910--[February] The fist aiplane flight in Florida, Lincoln Beachay, Orlando 4910 -The first Floridian to fly over Florida was Clause Nolan, Jacksonville; rode as a passenger with Charles Hamiton 4911 - Fist night fight by an aera: Lincoln Beachey, Tampa 1911 - First airplane fight in Bartow; Sam Tickel, Curtiss Gold Bug 1914 Fist Naval Air Station - Pensacola lanuary 1, 1914] 1914 -Frst Commercial Airing in the worl: The St, Petersburg- “Tampa Atboat Line, [1-1-1914] Itwas nota financial sue- ‘cess but remember they only had $1,000 invested, The reat pubicty was nationwide. The list continues to grow but let's retum to some local events. ‘The earliest aviation reference in the minutes of the Lakeland City Commission in 1915 was reerence to a peition from A. 8. Kiblar for 2 bulding permit to erect an aerodrome in Lo 1, Block 17 of Munn's Survey. (continued on page 2)PAGE TWO A Brief Look At Aviation History (comined tor page 7) ‘The next reference was in 1919 - a proposal othe city commis- sion to put the land near the city cemetary into condition for aviators, to land prior tothe atval ofa Colonel Hogan, ‘Aso in 1919 Chaulk Airways began Intemational scheduled ait- line service. This was the ist of ts kind inthe world. The route was. ‘Miami to the Bahamas. Later the same yeer, Aeromarine Airways, began scheduled fights from Key West to Havana, ‘Aviation realy became of age in the period of 1920 thru 1940. ‘This was the golden age of ait racing and air shows, Lindberg’ fight ang numerous oe ong estan atemps by ps fost reors and in ame. se MHley 1825 the Lakeland Aerial Cub vas estabished and George Haldeman, a true aviation pioneer, was elected president ‘One feason for the formation of the club, in addition tothe general interestn ths fast growing industy, was to secur airmail service for, this town, More about Haldeman and air mail serie later. ‘One of the earliest events to draw headlines in the local papors ‘was the week-long Florida Skyline Exposition in 1926. Ths expo fea- {ured hundreds of booths and extibits downtown, municipal band Performance, pot stock shows, Kite flying contest, a Charleston, «ance contest, and a pro-am go tounament. In the 20's the expo wes an annual event. [But the 1925 Skyline was one ofthe mast impressive. In terms of ‘vition, i featured stunt ying by the Gates Flying Circus, the largest ‘ying group in the country. The LEDGER of February 21, 1926, dis- ‘cussed the Gates Flying Circus and said they would tril the crowd's vith wing-walking, parachute drops, aerial acrobatics, and daredevil stunts, including the change of planes, and daredevil Diavolo, who ‘was considered the best aerial daredevil of his day. The action tock ‘place on George Haleman's aviation fod in Giosonia, just norh of Lakeland, The book “Baling Wire, Chewing Gum and Guts" by Bll, Rhode is the story ofthe Gates Fying Circus. Chapter 17, pages 98- 7, one paragragh begins, “Working thei way northward again, the Circus gathitwit a tomado while at St Petersburg, Two planes were lost. At Clearwater, Florida, a grass fre bumed the wings of ‘Asherafts plane. At Bartow, Florida, Pangbom’s engine quit on take- olf. He sett down nice but onthe rollout, he smacked into. tinkze "| hero is no monton of the stop at Lakeland so we assume they dic ‘it have any problems during the Expo stop. “Tho Expo also featured an "On to Lakeland” race that ofored hundreds of daliars in prizes to those who made the best times in, Covering the roule to Lakeland. The winner of the race was A. B. "Mettullen who flew from Ft. Myers with three passengers, Haldeman came in thir. Thote was also an 80 mile race. The winner was Doug Davis of the Babe Ruth Company. Haldeman came in a close second. ‘According o the newspapers twas the fist of ts kind o be staged, in Florida and atracted pits from allover the siat. In the next year, 1927, shorty after Lindberg few across the ‘Alani, George Haldeman made the allempt. Haldeman hed exten: ‘ive real estate hldings,primariy in the Lake Gibson area and lost ‘everything that year when the Florida boom came to a sudden crash. Lakolane’s Municipal Airport and “Air School” was the result of Work Projects Administration, a Now Deal agency in 1896, Walter Haldeman fr right, was the instructor Lakeland in 1997, ‘So.when a group of businessmen fom Wheeing, W, put up prize money, Haldeman agreed to ty. ‘One of Haldoman's cons was young weman named Ruth Eider She persuaces him to lt her company fun. This decision vias conteverial lahat each was maried a he time. Exder was in {act the vile of a Lakeland relia, Lyle Womack, whe wes @ member ofthe Byrd Antartc Expedton. Haldeman oily San, that something went wrong he ide sit want it said that another man’s wife cied at his nands. She responded that sho was in the middle ofa cuore so that woulda be { problem, She was 24 yeas Olé and rat was her second wore "The news media were sil fascinated wih TansAlantcatempts and gave the two extensive coverage. Heldoman and Eider cominat- fd tho rort page of the New York Times several days before and afer the fight. in Octeber 1927 they tcok of ftom Roosevelt Fil for Europe and after several hour, the engie othe plane developed low ol Bressue_and they had to ten Inthe ocean 360 mies rom the zoos. Forunetey, as thoy wera descending, thoy saw a Duich tanker and were rescued, Had they made @, Eider could have cisimedto be the fst woman to fy acoss the Osean. As twas, they toured Europe, met royally, and were treated as though they had mace a success! font Haldeman wet ont even greator ame in aviation, sting sev eral world recor in sped, altitude and stance, and serving 3s @ consultant for mary years. His brother, Water Haldeman, anther Lakeland, also achieved fame in avatoncicles, Exar din 1877 ‘and one obituary sad: “i he half century that flowed her aborve fight in 1927, the flamboyant beauty made movies, hobrobbed with royalty, maried and divorced six times, made a it of maney 2nd spent ital “Tho year bof tho fight, tho city had consvuted an airport which thay lator named Haldeman Elder. It was located at what's todey the Bartow Highway at Combee Road. Tere is ehh eon- Centation of industry and business a hat te now 1928. saw a number of wher significant developments. A Lakeiander named Roger ©. Wiliam, a yng budiy of Haldeman, flew non-stop fom New York Cito Rome, Tha same year Willams and felow Lakelander, Col Clarence Charnberan, estabished a 52 hour nonstop endurance record. Boh men set numerous records later. in Jenuary 1890 there was 2 Florida aviation event which touched Lakeland, the All Foca A Tour This tour wih about 100, parcipans began in Miami and made ts way north Thiry aiplanes amo, ranging in size irom one passonger to large tremor crt. During ts pettod Curiss‘Wrig and the McKernan Fying Corporation in New York established what they called traning camp, the purpose of which was fo enable young men, coleg students Targely 10 put in suffcent hours in the arto cotan their plots conse, Cuiss-Wighthaa 48 raning bases in ho noi, al of which Were hampered by cold weather. Tne cy fathers has hoped Cunss- ‘Wright would estabish a winter fying schoo! here, This mas not to pon: Cus ad planed Geek Say bt tater ony 10 ays. ‘Ai Mai sonice id not come to Lakeland ntl October 15, 1994 However the campaign formal service began inte a cl 1890,