Customer Reviews

Jannus, an American Flier

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Before I read this book, I knew absolutely nothing about what it was like to fly in the early days of American aviation. After reading this book, I felt as if I had been there on each of the many dangerous flights that Tony Jannus had undertaken. What a man, what a man he must have been.

Seldom have I read a more thoughtful and well-researched treatment of early American aviation. The author should be commended for his full treatment of the subject. As I read each page, I sat on the edge of my seat waiting for what was to happen. This historical biography reads almost like a work of fiction. What a beautiful and well written story of one of America's early heroes of aviation. I would encourage everyone to read this book. It's uplifting not just because it deals with a very important part of American aviation, but because it fully tells the story of an American hero. Forget the Wright brothers, Amelia Earhart, Charles Lindbergh; Tony Jannus had the "right stuff" long before Chuck Yeager. Buy it, read it, it's a great book.

I met the author in Tampa Florida on April 18, 1998. His grasp of the subject as well as the subject of early American aviation is amazing. I encourage everyone to read this book. END

Thomas Reilly identifies Antony H. Jannus as one of the most significant transitional pilots between the Wright Brothers and Charles Lindbergh. More than just an intrepid aviator, Jannus was an aircraft designer, mechanic, and visionary. He anticipated airmail, transatlantic travel, and aerial warfare. Perhaps most importantly Jannus played a pioneering role in the first scheduled commercial heavier-than-air passenger transportation company in the world though it was not the first airline. That distinction belongs to Deutsche Luftschiffarts AG (DALAG) which began operating a Zeppeline airship on November 16,1909.

While the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line, operated only briefly during the first three months in 1914, it presaged one of the most remarkable industries of the twentieth century, that of scheduled commercial air service. Carrying about one thousand passengers, the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line was the first of all companies now transporting millions. In many ways the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line mirrored the successes and failures of aviation ventures to follow.

The designer of flying boats, Thomas W. Benoist, from the St. Petersburg Daily Times, March 18, 1914 explains the significance of Jannus' airline. "Many of the formulae, methods and details that have been worked out were and are still being worked on, will become a part of the classics of the science of aeronautics." The airboat line did indeed foretell the future, but Benoist went on to say, "the most encouraging thing about this experiment was the discovery of how easy the whole thing was."(157) Though it may have been easy to set up and operate, the company proved not to be viable economically. The establishment of a reliable American air transportation system would prove much more challenging.

Many of the challenges facing the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line in 1914 paralleled those of today's airlines. An airline begins with a grand idea. In the case of the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line, it began with Percival Fansler's idea of operating a scheduled flying service. Fansler, a traveling sales representative, saw the advantage of a quick twenty minute flight across the bay between St. Petersburg and Tampa. The land journey by steamship or rail could take hours. The publicity from Jannus' 1,973 mile flight down the Missouri and Mississippi rivers in a Benoist flying boat led to the formation of a partnership between Fansler, Benoist, and Jannus.

At five dollars each way, the fare would only cover operating costs but Benoist agreed to operate at a loss, expecting future profits. Additional financial support came from St. Petersburg boosters pledging financial support. The publicity, they felt, would be good and the city agreed to construct a hangar. A three month contract bound the city, Benoist, and Fansler. Succes, it was hoped, would lead to additional routes. In the modern era, one is reminded of Herb Kelleher's Southwest Airlines providing low cost service within Texas, taking advantage of convenient Love Field in Dallas as a hub for its operations.

Of all considerations in the operation of an airline, safety must be paramount. Jannus recognized this fundamental precept when he spoke prior to the inaugural flight. Reilly writes: "He promised to `always keep the maxim of safety first foremost in my mind.'"(130) These were not words only spoken for the moment. Jannus, in fact, had the reputation of being a safe, non-flamboyant flyer. As the first scheduled airplane pilot, he was a good role model. Indeed "Schedule with Safety" is the motto of the Airline Pilot's Association (ALPA) founded in 1931.

Information on the scheduling reliability of the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line from mechanical problems or the weather is lacking. Unquestionably a fatal accident would have been reported in the papers and probably shut down the airline permanently. This didn't happen. What is undisputable is that, once the contract expired, it was clear the company could not continue operating without additional capital or a subsidy.

The principle organizers undoubtedly intended the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line to be profitable but, as was so common in the early days of aviation, it proved only to be a noble experiment. Nonetheless, by being first, it was a significant milestone in the evolutionary development of commercial aviation.