UNITED AIRLINES DAY: It was this day 66 years ago that a giant celebration was held to welcome air service at the Bradford-McKean Airport in Mount Alton.
On Tuesday, Sept. 7, 1948, an article appeared in The Era describing the events of the next day.
The article, “City Set to Welcome Regular Air Service,” read, “Tomorrow will be ‘United Airlines’ day in Bradford.
“Mayor Hugh J. Ryan has issued a statement that all citizens consider themselves as the official reception committee to the many visitors who will come to Bradford and the Mt. Alton airport to take part in the inauguration of regular passenger, mail and express service by air.”
Mayor Ryan described the events planned. “The public is invited to attend all ceremonies incidental to the inauguration of air service. The airport will be the scene of courtesy flights for many invited guests of United Airlines today with the airship, a DC-3, twin-engined, carrying 21 passengers, to be opened for public inspection at 4 p.m. this afternoon.
“We hope that the school children of the county especially will have the opportunity of inspecting the ship.”
“Wednesday morning a motorcade will go to the airport to meet the first incoming regular flight which will arrive at 10:45 a.m. fast time,” Ryan said. He said a luncheon would be held at 11:45 a.m. at The Emery, then a second motorcade was scheduled to return to the airport for more ceremonies.
The mayor concluded, “This is a great day for Bradford — a step forward in a world of progress. Let us all feel we are a part of this monuments civic event.”
The day of the event, Wednesday, Sept. 8, 1948, the event was well-covered in the pages of The Era. Numerous airport-related articles ran across several pages, surrounded by advertisements many business took out to welcome the airport.
According to that day’s edition of The Era, “Inaugural ceremonies, replete with band music, military plane flights and addresses by city, state and airline officials, are scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. today at the Bradford-McKean Airport, marking the addition of this area to United Air Line’s coast -to-coast and Honolulu airway system.”
The cost to build the Bradford-McKean County Airport?: $1,350,000, according to the newspaper.
Today, it’s easy to forget the hard work over several years that went into bringing air service to McKean County and the surrounding counties. On Tuesday, we’ll talk about that effort and tell you more about the Sept. 8, 1948, ceremonies.
