AIRWAYS HISTORY
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The railroad men quickly decided to contract the operation to an organization that knew something about running an airline . Juan Trippe was contacted to see whether his Pan American Airways , then making a name for itself in the international arena , would be interested in taking on the task . Trippe was receptive , but he had his own agenda in mind when he accepted the invitation . He saw an opportunity to establish a foothold along the northeastern seaboard for a potential route to Europe via Nova Scotia , Newfoundland , Labrador , Greenland , and Iceland .
Pan American contracted to operate a joint passenger service between Boston and Bangor via Portland and Rockland under the title Boston-Maine Airways , using Fokker 10-A tri-motors . In addition ,
under its own name , Pan Am flew two Sikorsky S-41B amphibians between Boston and Halifax , Nova Scotia via Portland , Bangor and Calais , Maine , and St . John , New Brunswick . Service was offered for the 1931 summer season ; flights during winter would not be attempted until this first experiment had been successfully completed and analyzed . Trippe supplied the crews and aircraft and clearly considered this a Pan Am operation — financed by the railroads . Pan American secured a foreign air mail contract ( FAM-12 ) for this trial , supported by 70 employees transferred north from Miami .
The inaugural flight took place on August 1 , 1931 , with much fanfare , including a performance by the 100-piece Boston Fire Department Band . The biggest challenge to this new endeavor was New England ’ s weather , and fog in particular . During the first two weeks , some flights were canceled and one S-41B enroute to Portland was forced to land short of its destination . Then , on August 24 , with Boston shrouded in fog , a Sikorsky attempted to land in the Outer Harbor of Salem , Massachusetts , and crashed . One of the 10 passengers died in the accident .
Despite these setbacks , the operation — which lasted only two months — was considered a success , with the Pan American Boston to Halifax service attracting an 80 % load factor . The service to Maine from Boston under the banner of the railroads had
2 A Stinson SM-6000 Trimotor graces the cover of Boston- Maine Central Vermont ’ s November 1 , 1933 timetable . // DAVID H . STRINGER COLLECTION
3 Boston-Maine Lockheed L-10A Electra NC16056 shares the ramp at Boston ( Logan ) with two American Airlines DC-3s . This aircraft was delivered new to Boston-Maine in October 1936 . // PHOTO : PROCTOR- LIVESEY-THOMAS COLLECTION
4 5 “ North of Boston , Go Airways ” and “ Making a Neighborhood of the Northeast ” are the descriptive catchphrases on the covers of these 1938 and 1939 timetables . The Boston-Maine Central Vermont name cleverly covered all three railroads involved in the airline ’ s operation : Boston & Maine , Maine Central , and Central Vermont . // DAVID H . STRINGER COLLECTION
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