World’s First Commercial Aviation
The significance of Tony Jannus and his early career is hard to overrate since he was the first pilot to navigate the very first flight of the aircraft that operated between St. Petersburg and Tampa. January 1, 1914, marked the initiation of the world’s commercial aviation, and Tony Jannus will be forever regarded as the first pilot of the early commercial aviation. He was a “test pilot and barnstormer” with a vast experience in navigating the planes (Sharp, 2018). At that point, Tony Jannus was already recognized by many as a real master of aviation since he was engaged in a multitude of activities related to this field. For instance, he gave flying exhibitions. Also, he acted as the test pilot of the military aircrafts and was able to fly airboats for long distances (Sharp, 2018). Tony Jannus was also the one who was involved in the testing of airborne machine guns. It is apparent that he had an extensive experience in navigating aircrafts of different kinds, being used to the high level of risks, and that is why Tony Jannus became a great fit for the early commercial aviation.
The aircraft that was used for the first flight of St. Petersburg-Tampa line was called a Model 14 Benoist airboat. Although halfway to Tampa the engine misfired, Tony Jannus managed to fix the problems and take off again. The huge crowd was celebrating the success of the first commercial flight ever in history. Later, the pilot back to St. Petersburg. This day marked the start of the rising popularity of the early commercial aviation since the airline started operating daily, having transported more than a thousand of passengers in four months, while Sarasota, Bradenton, and Manatee were added to the list of the travel destinations. Yet, two years after Tony Jannus died in the aircraft crash as his plane fell into the Black Sea.
It is apparent that Tony Jannus made a great contribution to the history of aviation he was the first pilot who navigated the commercial aircraft. His success in operating the first passenger airline marks the evolvement of early commercial aviation. Later on, it was expanded and transformed into the modern commercial aviation that features millions of aircrafts and destinations today.
- Sharp, T. (2018). World’s First Commercial Airline | The Greatest Moments in Flight. Space.com, May 22, 2018. Retrieved from: https://www.space.com
