Stout Air Services

Stout Air Services was an airline based in the United States. Stout Air Services was the first regularly scheduled passenger airline in America.[1]

Stout Air Services
Founded1925
Ceased operationsPurchased by National Air Transport in 1930
Parent companyUnited Aircraft and Transport Corporation
Key peopleWilliam Bushnell Stout

History

Stout Air Services was founded by the engineer and businessman, William Bushnell Stout. Stout operated in close conjunction with his aircraft production company, Stout Metal Airplane company. Stout operated from Ford Airport (Dearborn) under the name Detroit-Grand Rapids Airline with round trip fares of $35 in 1926.[2] An airline of firsts, Stout was the first to hire male flight attendants,[3] and the Book Cadillac Hotel became the first airline ticket office by selling Stout Air Services tickets.[4] With expanded services, Stout operated aircraft as Detroit-Cleveland Airline.

In 1928 Stout Air Services purchased airmail routes from Ford Air Transport Service.[5]

On April 29, 1929, Stout Air Services was purchased by United Aircraft and Transport Corporation (UATC).[6][7][8] It continued to operate under the Stout name as a separate division. In June 1930, the Universal Air Lines hangar caught fire destroying 27 aircraft, leaving only five. The fire spread to the neighboring Grey Goose Air Lines hangar that housed aircraft leased to Stout Air Lines.[9] On September 12, 1930, National Air Transport (NAT), itself a newly acquired division of UATC, purchased the Stout division.[10][11] In 1931, NAT in turn became part of the newly formed United Air Lines.

Destinations

Fleet

The Stout Air Services fleet consists of the following aircraft as of 1928:

Stout Air Services Fleet
Aircraft Total Routes Notes
Stout 2-AT Pullman
Ford 4-AT-5 1 Detroit-Cleveland delivered 23 June 1927
Ford 4-AT-8 1 Detroit-Cleveland delivered 18 February 1928
Ford 4-AT-34 1 delivered 14 September 1928
Ford 5-AT-15 1 delivered 25 February 1929

Incidents and accidents

Stout Air Service flew over 200,000 miles without an accident or incident.[12]

See also

References
  1. "Coachbuilt". Archived from the original on 26 September 2010. Retrieved 2 Feb 2011.
  2. "Stout Air Services Detroit". {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  3. "Stout Airlines". Retrieved 2 Feb 2011.
  4. William Bushnell Stout, James Gilbert. So Away I Went!.
  5. "Air cargo's foundation".
  6. "Third Air Line to Span Nation". The Milwaukee Journal. 29 April 1929. sec. II, p. 1, col. 1.
  7. "National City Unit Buys Stout Air Lines". The Palm Beach Post. 29 April 1929. p. 1, col. 3.
  8. "Acquires Stout Air Lines". The Pittsburgh Press. 29 April 1929. p. 31, col. 7.
  9. "Hangar Explosion in Chicago Causes Big Property Loss". The Owosso Argus Press. 25 June 1930.
  10. "Announcement Made of Air Line Merger". The Owosso Argus-Press. 12 September 1930. p. 1, col. 3.
  11. "City Now on Chief National Air Route". The Toledo News-Bee. 13 September 1930. p. 2, col. 7.
  12. Popular Mechanics. Jun 1953. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
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