Famous aviator visits

The year 1927 saw Fort Myers visited by Clarence Duncan Chamberlin, one of the nation's most famous aviators. The Tropical News reported on July 16, that Chamberlin was "on an inspection tour of a new airline that will connect both coasts of Florida with New York." Only six weeks earlier, Chamberlin had made history.

In 1919, New York hotel owner Raymond Orteig had announced he was putting up a $25,000 prize "to the first aviator who shall cross the Atlantic in a land or water aircraft (heavier than air) from Paris or the shores of France to New York or from New York to the shores of France without stopping."

The prize had excited several pilots of the day. Admiral Richard Byrd, Charles Lindbergh, and several others, including Chamberlin had begun to prepare.

Chamberlin, who decided to take a navigator, was ready five days before Lindbergh; however, the navigator, Lloyd Bertrand, demanded they take along heavy radio equipment.

Charles Levine, managing director of the Columbia Aircraft Corporation which had built the Bellanca plane Chamberlin would fly, felt the extra weight could be a problem since every pound was critical. He vetoed the idea of taking Bertrand. Bertrand sued and the litigation delayed the flight.

Lindbergh, of course, became the first to cross the Atlantic nonstop; but within days of his triumph, the Brooklyn (New York) Chamber of Commerce offered $15,000 to anyone who could better the "Lone Eagle's" (Lindbergh's nickname) record.

This time, Chamberlin was ready and determined to go without a navigator. At the last minute, Levine offered an additional $10,000 if Chamberlin would take him along.

On June 4, 1927, Chamberlin and Levine, sitting on oil drums with life preservers for seat cushions, commenced the long journey to Berlin. Forty-two hours, 31 minutes and 3,911 miles later, they landed their small plane, the "Miss Columbia," in a wheat field about 70 kilometers from Berlin.

They flew on to Paris and London where they were greeted by enthusiastic crowds, an enthusiasm that culminated in a ticker tape parade in New York City.

This was the man now visiting Fort Myers. His stopover in Lee County had no immediate impact, but later he returned to retire on Fort Myers Beach where he lived with his wife, Louise, until his death in 1976.

By August 30, 1927, Florida Air Ways was no longer operating out of Fort Myers. Local aviators Roy E. Larson and Philip A. Roll appeared before the City Commission to request "use of the 160 acre tract which the City had prepared for the Air Mail Service, but which later proved inadequate." They wanted to establish a flying school and later a municipal airport.

Petitions were signed and various aviation figures appeared before the City Commission, but it was to no avail. In February of 1928, City Manager Staley, "stated he realized the advantages of having an airport but did not at this time favor an expenditure such as it would to take to put this field in Class B condition." His reason was simple. If the airport were to be improved, important street work would have to be abandoned.

Air mail service continued. It was unreliable since planes would have to fly over and not stop in rainy weather when the runways were muddy. Not until July 1937, would the need to provide air passenger service to Lee County again become a high priority for the airlines.

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