Fly American! 1933

Early American Airways promotional film with twin engine Curtiss Condor airplanes showing plane interiors and passengers, airport facilities, pilots and cockpit, map with destinations at that time, chart showing passenger growth from 1928 to 1933.Footage from this subject is available for licensing from www.globalimageworks.com

[@michaelrutledge7048]

My dad (yes, my dad) use to fly in the late 20s, into the 30s. He also flew early airmail (Jenny's)... first Detroit/Chicago, via stops throughout Michigan. Then, up/down the west coast (Ryans, Junkers, Fokkers), Seattle/San Fran and Sacramento/San Fran/San Diego. Made three jumps due to engine failure/out of gas, and two crashes, both of which he (obviously) survived. Then, early passenger/freight (TriMotors) Midwest to West Coast. Of course, all this happened long before I was around. He was 20 years older than my mother, and I was last of three to be born. I’ve flown in a 4-AT a couple of times, here in Florida. Never gets old. Also, flew in a 4-AT to Put-in-Bay and the lake islands when I was a youth growing up in Toledo, OH. I’m thrilled to see so much interest in the golden age of aviation that my dad was a part of. Too many things get lost in the jet fast world of today.

[@rickm6076]

The actress, Fay Wray, actually needed to get to NYC to star in King Kong 1933! She lived to be nearly 100 btw. Crazy long life

[@videopokernetwork6824]

I've been on hold with American since 1933

[@bkucinschi]

Watching this film made me understand clearly how revolutionary DC3 was for the time.

[@LarryButler-kp3se]

Search youtube for Buffalo Airways and fly northern Canada with the McBrydes' antiques still holding scheduled flights with people and freight.

[@treblecleff11]

This video brings back memories of watching an American Airways twin engine Curtiss Condor taxii to the end of a cinder runway for takeoff, which was right in front of me, my Father and my Brother, at Boston Airport now Logan in 1932.

[@frankgarrett242]

You’re probably dead now.

[@HimJimRimDim]

Well, I'll tell ya one thing. Those old planes didn't go that high and they were slow by today's standards but the passengers got one hell of an awesome view of the landscape.

[@fairfaxcat1312]

The preceding exchange by two of our fine KZbin commentators contains scatological references. Why do we think this kind of discourse is OK in an otherwise innocuous discussion of the earlier days of commercial flight of all things?

[@justintime995]

@@fairfaxcat1312 ANYTHING is fair game these days. MAGA, pff.

[@chooch1995]

@Kevin Prima - Trump??? Had to go there, didn't 'ya!! Relax.....5 more years & he'll be history, my friend!

[@jacksons1010]

@@foobarmaximus3506 Sure you did. I hope my memory plays nice tricks like that when I reach your age.

[@user-kz8tk5po5z]

People were allowed to smoke on the plane during the journey

[@marknc9616]

12:46 - Their route map. Notice that to get to LA they go via Phoenix. This keeps them from crossing any high mountains. They don't serve SF or Seattle or SLC or Denver. These destination cities would require them flying at altitudes to cross the Rocky Mountains and other ranges. This would require cabin pressurization. This would also reduce engine power (~ 3% loss per 1k feet). This would force them to carry a lighter load or more fuel thus more weight.

[@lesizmor9079]

Mark-- Only a little true. You're correct that those planes were not ready to cross the Rockies, and thus no routes from NY or Chicago to Seattle or SF. But why no routes from LA to SF & Seattle? Why no routes from NY or Chicago to Denver? Not enough businessman passengers at that time for those routes.

[@stevedgrossman]

@@lesizmor9079 This was NOT the only airline flying at the time.

[@BrassLock]

@@stevedgrossman Tru Dat. QANTAS commenced flying in Queensland and Northern Territory Australia in 1920. By 1935 QANTAS and British Airways were flying internationally. Its good to know that the Americans finally caught onto the ideas of flying long distances. Australia was a pioneer of airline travel.

[@costernocht]

I've watched this a half-dozen times, and I'm still not sick of it. Thank you for posting!

[@jimjonrs3932]

Banging around in the weather with those props making you deaf. You bet! The good ole days!

[@p8ryot]

14:50 "Cigars and babies must have been invented at the same time" I learn so much from these wonderful vintage productions.

[@miker252]

That explains Bill Clinton's confusion.

[@rickm6076]

And that actress is Fay Wray. Flying to NYC to star in King Kong 1933

[@johneddy98033]

Three years after this film was made, American introduced the Douglas DC-3, the most famous aircraft of its day, and made non-stop travel between Chicago and New York possible.

[@gheffz]

Love it! Love all this "old" stuff of the way we use to live and were we came from ... these archives are precious reminders!

[@sammey1919]

They edited out the King Kong incident.

[@advancegestionempresarial2160]

😁

[@jacksons1010]

It hadn't happened yet! King Kong terrorized NYC in 1933.

[@Robbi496]

This was back in day when companies believed that good customer service was what brought greater profits, NOT cutting costs!

[@soulscanner66]

Only the very rich flew in 1933. It's the equivalent of executive class today. Most traveled by horse drawn automobile because they couldn't afford the gas.

[@soulscanner66]

@Micah Lall-Trail A lot of people couldn't afford that either.

[@jetfowl]

@@soulscanner66 Horse-drawn automobile?!?

[@soulscanner66]

@@jetfowl en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bennett_buggy

[@mtlicq]

@@soulscanner66 They didn't have time for horse-drawn automobile because they had to wait in line all day for the soup kitchen

[@leegraves8878]

This is amazing the curtiss condor was obsolete 2 years after it first flew. The dc3 first flew in 1935.

[@dfirth224]

+lee graves The DC 3 was a direct result of the crash of a Fokker Trimotor that killed famous football coach Knute Rockne.

[@kennethcrowther2277]

dfirth224 Hardly the direct result! That rather oversimplifies the genius behind the development of air travel & aeronautical engineering & design & the DC3 in particular.

[@EricJamesHanson]

Actually an outgrowth of the DC2 which was an answer to the Boeing (was it 247?) Progress came very rapidly in that industry. @@dfirth224

[@lesizmor9079]

Thanks Lee--- Was hoping someone could name the aircraft.

[@wholeNwon]

And I flew in a DC-3. Time flies, too.

[@NP4Mayans]

Aerial shots of cities that no longer look like this: this is cool history.

[@stevenjoelBx]

I love how the narrator is the voice for everyone

[@Rayo_Rob_No.17]

In these early days, most of these passenger planes had a ceiling of only 5000 feet. They had non pressurized cabins and were every bit like a railroad chair car. The turbulence these planes would endure at this lower altitude wasn't as smooth and cozy as they'd like you to believe. This is a clear window into the early days of passenger air travel. :-) Love it!

[@d.e.b.b5788]

It really depends on the weather. I've flown in small private planes, mid size, and 747's. The worst? An American Eagle prop job, I think it had 21 seats. We flew through a hurricane to get to St Thomas. Flight attendant was bouncing all over the place, trying to serve us snacks and drinks. The pilot didn't tell us until after we arrived. Apparently we flew over it. It was still VERY turbulent. 747 was like sitting in my living room; but that was on a nice sunny day; we also arrived 45 minutes early.

[@lesizmor9079]

35GE--- More like 8000 feet. Above 10,000 for any length of time, then people need more oxygen.

[@davidbsac]

FAA rules: above 12,500' for more than 30 minutes - the pilot(s) needs oxygen. Above 14,000 for any length of time - the pilot(s) needs oxygen. This is for unpressurized aircraft. 91.211 Supplemental oxygen. (a)General. No person may operate a civil aircraft of U.S. registry - (1) At cabin pressure altitudes above 12,500 feet (MSL) up to and including 14,000 feet (MSL) unless the required minimum flight crew is provided with and uses supplemental oxygen for that part of the flight at those altitudes that is of more than 30 minutes duration; (2) At cabin pressure altitudes above 14,000 feet (MSL) unless the required minimum flight crew is provided with and uses supplemental oxygen during the entire flight time at those altitudes; and (3) At cabin pressure altitudes above 15,000 feet (MSL) unless each occupant of the aircraft is provided with supplemental oxygen.

[@andyburk4825]

Those people were so trusting to ride on those old crates. Convective storms in summer, ice and snow in the winter. No flying above the weather back then.

[@gcrav]

It took years to restore trust in airplane safety after the Knute Rockne crash.

[@famospilot]

In the early 1960s I flew the Eastern Air Lines Shuttle between New York and Boston and Washington. A person could walk to the gate 1 minute before departure and get on the flight. If the plane was full, another plane was brought to the gate, even for a single passenger. Tickets were bought on board. Now you must arrive at the security or baggage check in a hour before departure. From one minute to one hour; now that's progress!

[@teto85]

About this time American Airlines was looking for a new airplane. They settled on the Boeing 247. The 247 was such a leap forward that production could not keep up with demand. American and TWA "settled" on the Douglas DC-2 and got first dibs on the DC-3. The Boeing 247 faded into obscurity. DC-3s are still flying today.

[@gcrav]

The 247 was strictly for United, then American sent a request to Douglas for a plane to compete with the 247. Douglas' answer was the DC-2. The DC-3 was the first airliner that could turn a profit from passenger service.

[@nadinecrupi5481]

WOW...this is amazing how far the air industry has come. Loved the cities back then..life was so simple! Awesome!

[@earlyhemibill]

If you look closely at about 2:00 in, there is a smaller trimotor loading behind the Condor. It is a Stinson Airliner model U. It is also seen at about 6:13 nestled between 2 Condors, and at 17:38 crossing in front of the camera. It can carry 10 and was powered by 3 Lycoming R-680 radials rated at 275 HP. It had a span of 66 ft. Not visible are the short stubby wings that span out to the engines. They were thick and opened up to carry luggage and mail. They only made about 2 dozen of them. Quite a unique airplane, it was drawn by William Wylam for Flying Models Magazine back in the 60s.

[@createdeccentricities6620]

Thanks for the intersting details. The Tri-motor was the only plane I recognized.

[@WAL_DC-6B]

Wonderful film of American Airlines predating the arrival of the much more modern DC-2. The Curtiss Condor bi-plane airliner is the star of this film, but also seen at the airport (Chicago Municipal Airport when the terminal was at the southeast corner of what's now Midway Airport) is an AA single engine PIlgrim 100A at 5:50 as well as some Stinson "U" and "T" tri-motors. Great shot of the St Louis riverfront with the steamboats tied down. Thanks for sharing this terrific vintage airline film!

[@erikhertzer8434]

Dan Uscian : Biplane Curtiss Condor airliners, aka : “Flying Brooklyn Bridges”

[@ricarleite]

There is NO WAY I would fly one of those death traps!

[@hankaustin7091]

@@ricarleite if it's the only plane available, and you're living in 1933, I'm pretty sure you'd fly in it, given you had enough money to purchase a ticket. You can't think in 2019 terms about safety because all the snowflake safety nuts weren't around in 1933.

[@bulldogbrower6732]

A wonderful film ?? A racist shit show if I’ve ever seen one. Darkees ! Did you know only whites could be passengers ?

[@LarryButler-kp3se]

Long ago, I changed planes for the short Delta hop to Charleston, SC. There was a two hour layover, but I went to the ramp anyway. About 45 minutes before boarding, a Delta clerk came and set up the check in station. I went up and was first in line. She told me the long time before boarding. "Whoa! That's not what the sign says over there.", I said pointing to the sign. "DELTA IS READY WHEN YOU ARE", it said. "I'm ready. Let's go!", getting a chuckle from her. "I'm ready, too!", the little old lady from James Island piped in. Our little joke got us a boost from the cheap seats to First Class.....

[@MrDougster37]

2:10 - Man that is one fly vehicle! I could definitely roll in that.

[@lasuvidaboy]

The class of passenger was very different in those days. Flying was reserved for the wealthy and was out of the average person's reach.

[@MrHiBeta]

lasuvidaboy We still have first class in a lot of airline carriers if you like a higher level of service and possible passenger.

[@Me-yh4uc]

lasuvidaboy You state the obvious

[@user-yc9qe2hn4z]

@SeaDub II You think the wealthy are more deserving than the poor?

[@JohnMichaelson]

@@user-yc9qe2hn4z Not necessarily, but "the poor" and average folks that can afford to fly don't need to act like the inconsiderate trash they often do. Flying wasn't taken for granted back then as it is now. I wouldn't fly for anything less than a dire emergency any more.

[@truecrimeobserver]

John Michaelson thanks

[@rcstann]

4:40 "if you like the picture of Darkeese loading cotton.". Well that went South...

[@rcstann]

@Waxel Punkt. "Getting used to it" is precisely the problem. You'd better be able to define an endpoint to this phenomena, because soon it will be your turn, as our Robot Overlords decide whether we are to be treated as pets, mere livestock or simply protein.

[@macsdaddy3383]

"Every passenger a First Class passenger", I don't think AA follows that one any longer.

[@CJbrinkman602]

None of them do

[@TheReadBaron91]

Hey but you can afford to fly!

[@trivet1970]

hardly

[@KateLove21]

I'm glad those of us who aren't super rich can travel. And those with buckets of money can still shell out as much as these people did and fly first(or eveb better) class. Honestly the longest flight on earth today is maybe 20 hours, you can suffer the length of most flights. Take a sleeping pill and you'll be there before you know it. Enjoy the fact that you can travel because back then you'd see little more than your hometown.

[@starlight122012]

you'd be lucky to even get off the ground on AA without the plane going tech or your 6pm flight being cancelled, sorry I mean delayed until 6am the next day!

[@HuckleberrySlim]

"It is a depot, grandad, an air depot!"

[@Aboladeishola]

That part makes me laugh

[@richterkleiber]

That made me laugh so hard

[@unelectedleader6494]

To think that kid could’ve been dead just a decade later in World War II and that’s now been a literal lifetime ago

[@lincolnpaul1814]

David Bry, why tell me this in my eighty years I’ve flown over the Atlantic at least 60 times and many times in America and Europe over land and water. My first flight was at 15 years old from Baltimore to Pittsburgh in 1954. It took one and one half hour. They served quail for lunch. My last flight was at 79 years old from Munich to Stockholm in 2018. It took two and one half hours. They served a cheese sandwich for lunch.

[@astrodiver1]

You got a sandwich?

[@bohemoth1]

Oh shit you're kidding?

[@scottr3484]

You can keep the Quail I will take the cheese sandwich

[@redsoil5]

It is amazing how things changed.Back then people are very modest,they fly in suit and are very formal,now I can see people travel in tank tops,shorts & flip flops.

[@corner559]

Wow, how times have changed.

[@jctopgun]

I love the music with the movie. Haunting movie just a few days before the 1906 earthquake. Our Uncle Tom born in New York City 1901 was 5 years old and Uncle Jack born in 04/1903 was almost 3 or was 3 years old. Our other 2 Uncles Uncle Jim and Bob would be born in Toronto , Canada and our Dad Norman in 1914 in Long Beach, California. Our Grandmother Marie Johanna Von Leuchsenring Craig was 31 years old and our Grandfather John Craig was 38 Years old.

[@emperorryanii]

The commercials and advertisements are so much more interesting then modern day ones.

[@wakkowarner4288]

Amazing to see how it was, and how much of it still survives today. Seat-back pockets, individual light and air vent, narrow seats with not much legroom.. reclining seatback.. newspapers instead of wifi, but hey. Boarding's still much the same. And you fly so low! That plane didn't have more than 5000 ft between the tires and the ground. Next time you're doing 550 mph in the smooth-air stratosphere at 40.000 ft think of this film, and how they were doing 150-ish at much less than 10,000 ft -- where it is really, horribly bumpy at times. You really did have a good chance of death flying those old airplanes. Then think how safe you have it in the modern jet.

[@WitchidWitchid]

Yeah, but at those altitudes the passengers were treated to a really awesome view of the landscape. Unless you fly your own small plane or helicopter that's a view you rarely get these days except just after takeoff and just before landing. I would have loved to fly in one of those old airliners. Must have been quite an experience.

[@wakkowarner4288]

+WitchidWitchid Oh, I agree. Jet Flight for convenience and safety, and for that you-won't-see-it-anywhere-else deep indigo of 40,000 ft and up.. but there's much to be said about 8000 ft in an unpressurized DC-3, doing maybe 110 kts. That, in and of itself, is an experience any airplane buff should have at least once.

[@EricJamesHanson]

DC3s cruised routinely at 180-190mph which is 150? knots. @@wakkowarner4288

[@wakkowarner4288]

DC-3 is a million years more advanced than the Condor ;o) @@EricJamesHanson I'd trust my life to any dc-3, anywhere. Love 'em.

[@RatPfink66]

The rate of progress in aviation in the 1930s was nothing short of astounding. And not a little of it was due to the knowledge that there would surely be another world war...and that it would be in great part, an air war.

[@chrisnewman7281]

Not fast enough to get jet lag, not high enough to miss the weather. You won’t miss a thing!

[@granthart7120]

One sentence that offends cannot remove all the historical value that this film has. Even that bad word teaches us our own history. Errett Loban Cord was a great man.

[@romie1967]

Agreed. But you've got to call it ALL out

[@fairfaxcat1312]

Lamentable as the use of that racial expression may be I am, nonetheless, thrilled that no other offensive language exists anywhere on the internet.

[@dshmechanic]

@@fairfaxcat1312 Loved your comment! BTW, your username...does it refer to Fairfax, VA by chance? I was born there in 1972. One month later my folks moved north to central PA...just before Hurricane Agnes and the great '72 flood!

[@montsemajanmartinez9824]

Good eye. I was going to make a note, but you beat me to it!

[@mtlicq]

@@dshmechanic giving out too much personal info, be careful eh!

[@lindaeasley4336]

Untill the 1980s , air travel was not something regular folks did very often . It was something only people with alot of money could afford

[@d.e.b.b5788]

Regular folks went nowhere. 1933 was the depths of the depression. Regular folks were lucky if they could afford enough food to eat. My parents and their siblings lived through the depression, and oh, the stories they told. And all of THEM were employed!

[@lesizmor9079]

@@d.e.b.b5788 Take it easy DEBB--- Linda's comment was about a very long time period: the beginning of air transport until the 1980's. She didn't single out 1933 as you have done.

[@lylecosmopolite]

Air travel really took off right after WW2, when two fine piston airliners went into service: the Lockheed Constellation and the DC-7. These aircraft could carry 90+ passengers, fly 350mph with a range of 5000m+, and had pressurised cabins. I would guess that more half of all passengers in those days were flying on expense account.

[@lylecosmopolite]

@James Sempy The transition from piston to jets was a peaceful one, much welcomed.

[@lylecosmopolite]

Linda Easley For those on expense accounts, the DC-4 and 6, and the Connie, had made air travel the norm by 1950, both domestically and internationally. Because it was much faster. For those not on expense accounts, there was a big shift from train/boat to air during the 1950s. Jets killed crossing the North Atlantic by boat. During the 1960s, jets led to a huge increase in international holiday air travel. My family of orogin numbered 5. We were far from rich, but we flew to San Francisco in 1961 and 64, France in 1962 and 66, and to Mexico City in 1969.

[@unelectedleader6494]

That old guy literally saw the transition in his life from horses to cars to planes. If he lived to be 100 he might’ve seen space-age

[@HobartZircon]

Sorry folks, but political correctness is not retroactive. That's the way it was.

[@leandroitapolis]

Fuck political correctness.

[@abandonedchannel281]

Wtf does that have to do with anything, silly boomers if you wanna complain about something do it in the Fox News comment section not here

[@banjo2019]

Idiot racists. They just can’t stop complaining. To be fair this video from 1933 was probably from when they were 20 or so, so they’re getting emotionally triggered by watching it.

[@bridgetstoli2347]

These comments are a test for assholes.

[@jamiebrown8608]

@@abandonedchannel281 That boomer shit is getting old. I'm makes you seem so stupid. Grow the fuck up!

[@wcstflyer]

The voice-over announcer in this video was more famous in another role. Clue: "We're millionaires boys! I'll share it with all of you!" And later a more dubious claim: "Don't worry ladies and gentlemen, those chains are made of chrome steel." It's King Kong's Robert Armstrong.

[@tomw377]

The T-32 Condor is one of my favorite interwar aircraft. The BT-32 was a military bomber version that saw service with the Nationalist Chinese Air Force prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor. Look at 7:15 thru 7:23 and you can see how big swinging cargo bay doors made it easy to convert into a bomber.

[@JTrost1234]

People spoke and dressed so well back then. I love the narrator's voice.

[@brucemonts6530]

air travel is not perfect 2day.... but those people didn't realize how unsafe those planes were and all the trial and error flight travel was done to make flying as safe as it is 2day.

[@lincolnpaul1814]

Bruce Monts it not perfectly safe today

[@johnsmilowitz]

@@lincolnpaul1814 Look at the stats, air travel is the safest mode to get anywhere. People get bent out of shape when there is a plane crash. You you realize how many planes fly on a daily basis, thousands a day and they all travel safely. I hate when people who don't know what they are talking about and talking out of there ass makes me want to puke.

[@timothykissinger4883]

Check out the 1923 passenger plane from Handley Page Transport from London to Paris.It has folding wings.On Utube

[@Makeyourselfbig]

Actually typing in "to" is a bit much then?

[@johnp139]

2day, really?

[@oldschoolgreentube]

Curtiss Condor. Maximum speed: 190 mph (306 km/h; 165 kn) Cruise speed: 167 mph (269 km/h; 145 kn) Range: 716 mi (622 nmi; 1,152 km) Service ceiling: 23,000 ft (7,000 m)

[@Bill23799]

Thanks, I was wondering who made that Bi Plane air liner.

[@emwavemhz]

About the same specs as a Cessna 210.

[@oldschoolgreentube]

Bet the 210 gets better mileage. @@emwavemhz

[@emwavemhz]

FooBar Maximus Many of us here have/had their careers in Aviation as I am retired from a career in Aviation and enjoy discussing such things as vintage aircraft with other like minded individuals and if you don’t like that then you simply don’t belong here! Go find another thread where you can enjoy slamming others!

[@MikeGreenwood51]

TY. Oldschoolgreentube

[@hebneh]

I look forward to the American Airlines limousine picking me up and taking me directly to the airport to board the giant 18-passenger aeroplane. Why, the time I'll save by flying will more than defray the cost of the ticket!

[@abuyalatip7590]

Imagine during those days, the cabin of the aircraft was not pressurized as present. So the plane couldn't fly very high due to lack of air for the passengers to breath. They just used ventilator vents, not air conditioners. Fantastic vintage video.

[@martinusher1]

1933, the depths of the Depression -- some had the money, most didn't. (I liked the air terminal. Not a metal detector in sight!)

[@zelphx]

Not a Muslim in sight.

[@johnsmilowitz]

Yes, times were different and simpler, but dumb people wanted things to be controlled for their likings. They just couldn't leave things alone, it's all about greed and control. They go hand in hand.

[@hschwie1]

John Smilowitz Guess who’s 'invented‘ metal detectors or rather the need for them, some time in the 70s

[@johnsmilowitz]

@@hschwie1 I really don't care who did, my point was people had more freedom to board a plane than today, most of TSA workers think their shit don't stink and are smarter than you, but it's just the opposite, they are as dumb as a log.

[@RADIUMGLASS]

@@zelphx lol

[@theevilmeister]

"You can go from Boston to Los Angeles in a little more than a day". Hehe

[@alankobrin762]

ha!

[@james5460]

The most interesting thing to me was the route map at 12:47. Notice how the transcontinental routes were over New Mexico and Arizona. Denver was just a regional hub. I presume this was because the planes of the time had difficulty flying over the Rockies.

[@dfirth224]

+James That and government regulation. Airlines then were subsidized by the Post Office for carrying air mail.

[@altfactor]

"From Boston to Los Angeles in little more than a day!". Today, that flight takes just about five and a half hours.

[@merrillyeager6612]

+altfactor IF there are no delays .... Good Luck!

[@itsmegp46]

I'd take today's flying over anything from that era any day.

[@richterkleiber]

2:45 “Hmmm! The’ run this place like a reg’lar dee-pōh.” Young dude with smirk: “It is a dee-pōh, granddad, an äîr dee-pōwh.”

[@emtpilot132]

That kid probably fought in World War II.

[@dudeboy59]

What a great little slice of history!

[@martinmartin5904]

3:50 wow , le plus haut édifice de Montréal des années '30 : le building de la banque Royale qui fut aussi le plus haut édifice de l'empire britanique de 1928 .

Hid

[@dallasdowden645]

Wonderful film, thank you !

[@cartman4885]

I like these old shows

[@penguincommunity6218]

This is one of the best science fiction faux documentaries I’ve ever seen! Set an a world that might have been where we fly like eagles on “air planes”. Can you imagine if we really could do that? Glide from place to place at hundreds of miles an hour? They cleverly used hot air balloon footage to give the illusion of a fanciful air bird zooming from city to city. Marvelous work! I especially liked the notion that mail and cargo would be transported this way. It does have some terrifying implications, though. An mechanical accident in the clouds ☁️ would mean falling thousands of miles to certain death. That’s even more frightening than the Titanic disaster! I wonder how the invention of such an airship what have affected military history? Would America have had a role in World War II? Can you imagine those mechanical monsters raining death from above? Chilling.

[@slashingsparrow9790]

What a fascinating time in history with future tech today!

[@cristovaodacosta4000]

fascinating time of the airlines! thank you !

[@gregghanson6095]

"our genial fat friend" "darkes loading the ship" Good god!!

[@anonov1]

Yeah...air travel has changed. Takes longer to get through security and boarded at the terminal than the flight duration..

[@johnp139]

anonov1 maybe if you are flying from Detroit to Chicago. Time where driving beats a direct flight is 4-5 hours.

[@kindratia5623]

Yeah, but plane hijackings were a common occurrence back then.

[@erwinschmidt7265]

Liked the "Detroit Cradle of the Automobile"' quote, together w/shots of Ford Tri-Motors never lost due to a mechanical & still in service today! 3/5/27 on Gramps' B-day invited on tour of area by his old buddy Henry in his new Ford the Tri-Motor. Gramps went as let bring 3 pals & his Son 4 (my Dad). Gramps had been Ford's neighbor & assistant building both race cars and Ford Motor Co unit #1 in 1901, so they was tight. And that was the day a brand new Ford Tri-Motor soared over Detroit area w/Owner of the manufacturer & his Grandson 9 (also Henry), Henry's buddy Organizer & Boss of The Purple Gang & his Son, plus other 3 original gang members. I never met Henry Ford as was born too late, but remember in '60 out at Gramps' place sitting with him, Dad, & Henry Ford II, three of the wild and crazy guys reminiscing about that day in '27 when they all toured Detroit in one of the first true airliners! I was only kid there, had never seen men cry, but there were three of 'em blubbering away like that flight had been yesterday....oh Christ....and that was 60 years ago, sobbing about something that happened 92 years ago today?? Sorry, I gotta go take my senior nap. Thanks for your video to remind me of all this!

[@fairfaxcat1312]

Erwin Schmidt Is all of that true? If so you ought to publish these recollections.

[@erwinschmidt7265]

Fairfaxcat - Yeah...that's all true! History almost forgotten that's for sure, but have never published anything as not much of a writer. As a comical aside, our Best Man was Howard J. Barber who FDR had tagged to represent steel industry and chairman his WW 2 War Production Board, the main reason why a 10 yr war only took 3 yrs & change for U.S. involvement to complete. He was genius, I needed the best man in '79, but we had cruised his customer route selling zinc & alum in '76. 1st time to "meet" CEO & President Ford Henry Ford II at World Headquarters, we walked past 20+ salesmen waiting, Secretary said Mr. Ford is expecting you, and Howard introduced us. Mr. Ford said "Erwin Schmidt...the real Erwin Schmidt from Howell?". I replied yes and he said "We're old friends....how the hell did you find out about this Howard completely making my day here?". Howard at loss for words 1st time I think, so we were invited in his office, Mr. Ford ordered out lunch, zinc & aluminum prices set/order made, and walked over to wall where photos of our '60 meeting at Gramp's farm were displayed. There I was a 10 yr old kid doing demo for Mr. Ford of disking gardens w/'41 Ford 9N Tractor, a product he had never seen worked. Howard told him he had just bought nice new Ford Elite for his Missus to change the subject, but Mr. Ford said Ford did not make an Elite model. I said we drove in with it and parked in his lot. We went out to the car, Ford inspected the Ford Elite, he drove it about 5 times around the lot, and Howard said "And I know where there's one just like it in Brighton"! Back to the office Howard & Mr. Ford made a few calls, so agreed we'd complete our route to GM and Chrysler returning to pick Mr. Ford up for trip to Brighton fetching his wife's brand new car. When we arrived at dealership, owner was there, Sales Manager was there, and Salesman had one brand new Ford Elite w/every option all prepped and ready to go! Kind of overkill I would say just to make sure nothin' went wrong with that particular delivery! Now tell me history ain't weird!! Sorry to bore you, but as you like history might get a kick out of it. Oops...time for my senior nap again...I gotta go.......

[@cant144]

Only 30 years after the Wright Brothers! Yes, it was called American Airways, then; it became American Airlines in 1934. Airfare in 1933 between Chicago and NYC was $33.00. (Average per capita income in the Great Depression year of 1933 was $474.00.)

[@blabla9845]

That's about $3,800 into today's dollars!

[@Sparky5999]

Hmmm my on line calculator shows $650 present day dollars for $33 in 1933

[@cant144]

That sounds about right -- 20x inflationary boost in 85 years. In that Depression year of 1934, a new Studebaker truck cost $625.00. A new house could be bought for $6,000.00. Monthly rent of a house was $25.00. It is difficult, though, to come up with truly comparable figures. For instance, a ticket to the 1915 NYC preview of the movie Birth of a Nation was $5.00. Allowing for inflation again, this comes out to more than an eye-watering $100.00 in 2019.

[@danielshon]

Wonderful film

[@safetychoice]

No metal detectors, no TSA, they didn't even make you take your shoes off. Ah, those were the days!

[@AverageAlien]

They just winged it....

[@machia0705]

There was no NY Airport at this time. Newark Airport was the only NY area airport located in northeast NJ. It was the first commercial airport in the world built by the City of Newark.

[@RatPfink66]

NYC had North Beach, but it was strictly a seaplane station. At the end of the '30s, Mayor LaGuardia - who had long resented Newark getting NYC's passenger air traffic - built an airport nearby in preparation for the World's Fair. They named it after him.

[@machia0705]

RatPfink66 Thanks. Great info. Yes, LaGuardia didn’t want to land in Newark. He said; “we need to build a NY airport....” And he did ! He was quite a character.

[@mike89128]

12:17 are the Indiana Dunes. Now the Dunes National Lakeshore 10 miles east of Gary Ind. Notice the three glass fire extinguishers on the rear bulkhead.

[@sandydennylives1392]

Depression? What Depression? Fly above it all with AA.

[@Springbok295]

Wow, the year my mother was born. She'd go on to be an Eastern FA herself.

[@Springbok295]

FooBar Maximus yes I know what they were called then. Don’t question my knowledge of history pal.

[@chriskelleher349]

👍👍

[@hdagelic]

The transitions at 3:50+ are incredible!

[@fairfaxcat1312]

A well organized deluxe travel service far in advance of anything you have ever known.

[@lasuvidaboy]

All planes were 1st class in those days. Only the well-off could afford to fly up until the 1970s. BTW, Pan American Airways was an international airline in those days. American and United were offering all 1st class domestic servive. Pan American did'nt get into the US domestic market until the 1960s and 70s and by then it was to late. United took over many of Pan Ams original International routes when it went out of business.

[@AlMeans]

"our genial fat friend ... can't help but share his cigars" HAHA! Beautiful!

[@Pithecanthropus2483]

Let's go places and do things!

[@MrBandity]

Warmed my heart to see classic American Airways aviation footage. Ah the good old days when management cared for the success of their flagship company! Now it is all about bonuses for them and busting unions. So sad!

[@r.t.h.k.o]

Very true, although they were busting unions back then too

[@theislanddweller1335]

So....back then folks went to Detroit for a honeymoon?

[@Minong_Manitou_Mishepeshu]

And a well paying job.

[@hankaustin7091]

yes, people would purposely travel to Detroit years before it became the world's biggest ghetto...

[@Minong_Manitou_Mishepeshu]

Back when Detroit won WW2.

[@Minong_Manitou_Mishepeshu]

@Asimzmn Should have seen it in 43-63.

[@fairfaxcat1312]

Lol back before urban America, aided and abetted by the mainstream media, was universally highjacked by Democrat mayors, council members, prosecutors, crime, waste, and illicit drug leniency. When will wise residents in America’s cities annoy the media and break their addiction to the Democrat Party?

[@enochrasmussen7214]

Wow imagine flying like this today!

[@anjojune]

funny now one can go by car to NY from Chicago the same time it took that plane to fly the same route..

[@robervalmachado5709]

Fantástic,from Brazil.

[@Iangonzalezz22]

Damn I’ve stayed in that Custom House in Boston back in 07’ crazy to see it standing in 33’

[@RatPfink66]

Never mind airlines. Most Americans in 1933 couldn't afford to travel *at all* - even by car or bus. A trip on a Pullman sleeper train was something one could consider oneself very lucky to experience. And in 1933, too, came the first act of airline sabotage. A nitroglycerin bomb blew up a United Boeing 247 in flight. Only 7 lives were lost - all those aboard - but the case was never solved.

[@Pithecanthropus2483]

"It is a dee-poh. An air dee-poh!", said Robot Boy.

[@richterkleiber]

That was quite the regional accent too! I wonder where they were from. Either way, hilarious.

[@ILMBeaches]

This is great (retired AA)

[@matiasferreyra1014]

Given away cigars to other fellers, just great!@@

[@signmanbob2]

Wow! 120,000 people a year actually travel by air. That's amazing!!

[@RSEFX]

It'd be great to travel across country at a lower altitude like this. I've seen this sort of thing from a bi-plane, blimp and hot air balloon, each of which really felt magical, at least as compared to flying at 35,000+ feet. However, these old planes seem even more cramped than modern jet travel!

[@bajajoes1]

At 12:47 the Map looks like they were flying into Mexico, maybe Monterrey. It's amazing the contrast between flying then and now. Then it was pleasurable and now its akin to preparing to go to jail!

[@lesizmor9079]

Baja J --- I'm guessing you've never flown on planes like that. They're loud as hell and fly at lower altitudes where turbulence is very prevalent. Not pleasurable at all. Just expedient for the business traveler.

[@HGbunny]

I just got to the part you're talking about, 4:39. I had to listen to it 3 times to be sure what they were saying. Indeed, things are better, and the hope that things will continue to improve and evolve.

[@hdagelic]

Nice transitions.

[@jeffdhedouville5852]

I think flying today is better today then it was back in the 30's.

[@TheItsmegp46]

Better believe its better today, than 80 years ago and thousands of times safer.

[@albear972]

Thank you captain obvious!

[@Dreamskater100]

Brilliant.

[@benthejrporter]

So much more cheery and less stressful than air travel today.

[@SuperLittleman101]

Did I see pilots loading freight mail on to the plane.

[@albear972]

9:22 The chubby 1933 guy was freight! 😂🤣😂🤣

[@Bill23799]

Haha I resemble that remark.

[@gdaholic]

They should definitely make a commercial with clips of this and showing progress from this film all the way to the new American.

[@salty-as-heck9915]

As glamorous as we all think aviation in the 30's through 50's were, keep in mind that in those decades it was normal for a major airline to lose 1-2 passenger planes a year (it was normal to have 6 or 7 deadly commercial plane accidents a year). Today we may be cramped and get little comfort, but at least we are flying in an era where the norm is 5-7 years and millions of flights in between deadly accidents.

[@salty-as-heck9915]

@Waxel Punkt. That's far from the norm though. That was a case of pure negligence by the manufacturer. However, my comment still stands. If you go back to the 1950s and 60s there were 5-6 crashes in the US every year from the major airlines. These days it's one every 5-6 years yet more people are flying than ever.

[@alanschur]

I was waiting to see superman!

[@misterjag]

Before the DC-3, air travel was a gamble.

[@TheItsmegp46]

Compared to today's jets, it was still a gamble.