The Terrifying And Opulent Early Days Of Air Travel

June 5, 2022

The first "commercial passenger flight." (Image credit- FloridaMemory.com).jpg

The history of human flight obviously began with the Wright Brothers. Then it followed a curious path of luxurious leaps in development alongside death-defying risks. After those famous siblings sent their Kitty Hawk Flyer 852 feet in less than a minute, humans continued to tinker with the tantalizing possibility of commercial flights with what seems like insane ideas today. Nevertheless, their ridiculous, dangerous, and hilarious innovations laid the groundwork for the borderline magical transportation we take for granted today. Here are some highlights of the early days of passenger travel.

20 minutes historic minutes across Tampa Bay, a journey that took two hours by boat at that time.

Historic Passengers

Naturally, when life-changing inventions come about, many historic “firsts” occur with various qualifiers. Charles Furnas became a footnote in history even as he became the first passenger while working for the Wright Brothers. In Florida, Abram C. Pheil, former mayor of St. Petersburg, earned the distinction as the world’s first “commercial” passenger.

Never mind that the plane was literally described as a “flying boat” and Pheil constituted the journey’s sole passenger, the 20-minute flight across Tampa Bay went down in history. As it was declared on that monumental day, “What was impossible yesterday is an accomplishment today, while tomorrow heralds the unbelievable.”