SEATTLE AIRLINE COLLECTIBLES SHOW

Seattle is indeed richly steeped in aviation history. Here are a few examples of airline memorabilia with a Pacific Northwest emphasis. Hope you enjoy them. To find your airline items of interest or just to stroll down memory lane, make plans to attend this year's Seattle Airline Collectibles Show.


	Vern Gorst, the founder of Pacific Air Transport and the "granddad" of United Airlines later began air ferry service on Puget Sound in 1929. The 15 mile trip taking 20 minutes on Keystone Leoning amphibian "Air Yachts" was the shortest airline route in the country. This souvenir from 1934, was near the end of Gorst Air Transport era.
	A Pan American Airways' postcard dating from the late 1930's showing the Sikorsky S-42B during its days as the Alaska Clipper at the Seattle Lake Washington Terminal. NC-16735 was originally delivered in September 1936 as the Bermuda Clipper and after its Seattle-Alaska tour, was transfered to the Pacific as Hong Kong Clipper II. It was written off in Manila, 1941. Another late 1930s postcard. This one of the Boeing 307 Stratoliner, the first airliner to have cabin pressurization. This card is no doubt meant to convey to the public of its benefits and safety. "Fully loaded it is climbing on the power of two of its four Wright Cyclone 1100 horsepower engines." Note the rudder position. Probably issued by Boeing.
	In the early days, most longer range airlines promoted their services to Seattle as either their west coast stopping off point or identified the city associated with Northwest traditions, such as totem poles. But once the Space Needle arrived in 1962, the airlines have consistently used that icon to promote their Seattle and Pacific Northwest routes. Here are a few examples on posters and timetables.
	As new or existing airlines added routes to Seattle Tacoma International Airport (SEA), they used a wide variety of items to promote themselves with the public and travel agents. Here are some examples from Pan Am, British Airways, Thai, American, PSA, United, Air Cal, SAS, and Braniff. Remember Braniff's wild color schemes?
	In a kinder gentler era, Seattle area airlines, Boeing, and even the airport provided smoking memorabilia. Note that Boeing, in that era, referred to themselves as "unmatched". Remember the days of sitting in the last row of the non-smoking section? The one with a smoking aft of here sign stuck in the seat headrest?
	Quite a few airlines besides Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air have called the Pacific Northwest region home. Here are just some timetable examples. Remember, United Airlines also got its start as a merger of local Boeing Air Transport and other airlines.
	The Museum of Flight has come a long way from its early days as the Red Barn Air Park. It was an ambitious and grand idea by the PNAHF to move the Red Barn off of Port property and use it as a centerpiece for an aviation museum. Now the Museum is home to many famous airliners, such as the Concorde and Air Force One. By the way, this is the second coming for Concorde. It originally visited back on November 16, 1984. This time, it stayed....
	There have been plenty of Seattle area postcards issued by the Port, the airlines, Boeing, or other parties showing Northwest aviation at its finest. Here are a few examples of the then new $11million airport facility and one of the more famous Alaska 727s, Seahawk One. Did you ever try to arrange your schedule just to get to fly it?
	Before the web, airlines had to get pretty creative on how they promoted themselves to travel agents. Everyone got the reminder rulers, models, or posters. But this example from Air Cal is a airplane in a bottle presented to a Burien, Washington area agency. The plane is made from business cards.