Maddux Air Lines
Encyclopedia
Maddux Air Lines was an airline
based in Southern California
that operated Ford Tri-motors in California
, Arizona
, and Mexico
in the late 1920s.
Ford and Lincoln
car dealership
, founded Maddux Air Lines. The airline’s inaugural flight was on September 22, 1927 when Charles A. Lindbergh piloted the airline’s Ford 4-AT Tri-motor carrying 12 passengers from San Diego, California
to Los Angeles, California. This flight was to a small dirt landing strip that would later become Los Angeles International Airport
, although the landing strip, called Inglewood Site, was not suitable for the airline, and Jack Maddux chose instead Rogers Airport, with improved facilities, and later Grand Central Air Terminal in Glendale. Among the passengers were several notables, and although the event was kept relatively quiet, it served as a publicity act.
In April, 1928 Maddux started passenger service from Los Angeles to San Francisco, California
, with scheduled stops in Fresno
and Oakland and, by reservation, in Visalia
and Bakersfield. It competed with Western Air Express on this route. Service also began from San Diego to Agua Caliente Casino
, in Mexico, in November. 9440 passengers were transported that year.
In February 1929 passenger service to Phoenix, Arizona began. Other local short-hop flights were also added. On August 26, 1929 a Maddux Tri-motor, along with other aircraft, escorted the famous LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin
airship to Mines Field (now part of Los Angeles International Airport
) where it stopped during its around the world flight.
Among the famous aviators who were involved with Maddux were Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart
. Maddux also had a publicity department that advertised the celebrities who flew with the airline. These included Will Rogers
, who rode on the inaugural flight, and Hollywood actors Arthur Edmund Carewe
and Dolores del Río
.
Maddux Air Line, established in 1927 was the California teminus for TAT when it started New York to California operations in July 1929. For six months the Maddux and TAT airplanes carried a combination logo of their two companies until TAT bought out Maddux in November 1929. Lindbergh helped establish TAT but had nothing to do with the Maddux operation.
(T-A-T), an airline offering transcontinental service with the use of trains and planes, bought Maddux Air Lines, resulting in TAT-Maddux Air Lines, with Jack Maddux as the western head. Charles Lindbergh, who worked more with TAT than with Maddux, stayed at the Maddux’s home to negotiate the merger. Combined, this airline operated the largest fleet of Tri-motors at the time, including seven 5-AT’s and several more 4-AT’s, carrying 40,000 passengers in 1929. In 1930 TAT-Maddux merged with its former competitor Western Air Express to form Transcontinental & Western Air (T&WA), which later became TWA
.
On January 19, 1930 TAT-Maddux Flight Number 7, a Ford 5-AT-C Tri-Motor crashed north of Oceanside, California. Flying from the races at Agua Caliente, near Tijuana, Mexico to Los Angeles, the plane encountered rain, low clouds, fog, and possibly engine problems. The pilots were attempting to turn around and/or land when they misjudged the aircraft’s height off the ground and the left wing struck the ground, slamming the aircraft into the ground, which subsequently caught fire. Both pilots and all 14 passengers aboard were killed in the crash. Charles Lindbergh, as chairman of TAT-Maddux’s technical committee, was involved in the investigation and made an aerial inspection of the crash site after the disaster.
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
based in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
that operated Ford Tri-motors in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
in the late 1920s.
Founding
In 1927 Jack L. Maddux, an owner of a Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
Ford and Lincoln
Lincoln (automobile)
Lincoln is an American luxury vehicle brand of the Ford Motor Company. Lincoln vehicles are sold mostly in North America.-History:The company was founded in August 1915 by Henry M. Leland, one of the founders of Cadillac . During World War I, he left Cadillac which was sold to General Motors...
car dealership
Car dealership
A car dealership or vehicle local distribution is a business that sells new or used cars at the retail level, based on a dealership contract with an automaker or its sales subsidiary. It employs automobile salespeople to do the selling...
, founded Maddux Air Lines. The airline’s inaugural flight was on September 22, 1927 when Charles A. Lindbergh piloted the airline’s Ford 4-AT Tri-motor carrying 12 passengers from San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
to Los Angeles, California. This flight was to a small dirt landing strip that would later become Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually...
, although the landing strip, called Inglewood Site, was not suitable for the airline, and Jack Maddux chose instead Rogers Airport, with improved facilities, and later Grand Central Air Terminal in Glendale. Among the passengers were several notables, and although the event was kept relatively quiet, it served as a publicity act.
Further history
In the remaining few months of 1927 Maddux carried 1400 passengers. For the following few years Maddux expanded its fleet of Ford Tri-motors and its routes. The airline’s hubs were in Los Angeles and San Diego.In April, 1928 Maddux started passenger service from Los Angeles to San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, with scheduled stops in Fresno
Fresno
Fresno is the fifth largest city in California.Fresno may also refer to:-Places:Colombia* Fresno, TolimaSpain* Fresno, a ghost village in Nidáliga, Valle de Sedano, Burgos* Aldea del Fresno, Madrid* Fresno de la Vega, Ribera del Esla, León...
and Oakland and, by reservation, in Visalia
Visalia
-California:* Visalia, California* Downtown Visalia* Greater Visalia Area** Tulare County, California* Visalia Municipal Airport-Fictional Places:* Visalia, California , a fictional version of Visalia where parts of Season 2 of 24 was set....
and Bakersfield. It competed with Western Air Express on this route. Service also began from San Diego to Agua Caliente Casino
Agua Caliente Casino
The Agua Caliente Casino is an Indian-gaming facility in Rancho Mirage, California. It is run by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. The facility currently has over of gambling floor. The casino has completed a 16-story, hotel tower which opened on April 18, 2008...
, in Mexico, in November. 9440 passengers were transported that year.
LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin
LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin was a German built and operated passenger-carrying hydrogen-filled rigid airship which operated commercially from 1928 to 1937. It was named after the German pioneer of airships, Ferdinand von Zeppelin, who was a Graf or Count in the German nobility. During its operating life,...
airship to Mines Field (now part of Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually...
) where it stopped during its around the world flight.
Among the famous aviators who were involved with Maddux were Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart
Amelia Mary Earhart was a noted American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first woman to receive the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean...
. Maddux also had a publicity department that advertised the celebrities who flew with the airline. These included Will Rogers
Will Rogers
William "Will" Penn Adair Rogers was an American cowboy, comedian, humorist, social commentator, vaudeville performer, film actor, and one of the world's best-known celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s....
, who rode on the inaugural flight, and Hollywood actors Arthur Edmund Carewe
Arthur Edmund Carewe
Arthur Edmund Carewe , was an Armenian-American actor in the silent and early sound film era.-Early life:Born Hovsep Hovsepian in Trabzon , Ottoman Empire, Carewe was from a prosperous family in his native country...
and Dolores del Río
Dolores del Río
Dolores del Río was a Mexican film actress. She was a star of Hollywood films during the silent era and in the Golden Age of Hollywood...
.
Maddux Air Line, established in 1927 was the California teminus for TAT when it started New York to California operations in July 1929. For six months the Maddux and TAT airplanes carried a combination logo of their two companies until TAT bought out Maddux in November 1929. Lindbergh helped establish TAT but had nothing to do with the Maddux operation.
Merging
On November 16, 1929 Transcontinental Air TransportTranscontinental Air Transport
Transcontinental Air Transport was an airline founded in 1928 by Clement Melville Keys that merged in 1930 with Western Air Express to form what became TWA....
(T-A-T), an airline offering transcontinental service with the use of trains and planes, bought Maddux Air Lines, resulting in TAT-Maddux Air Lines, with Jack Maddux as the western head. Charles Lindbergh, who worked more with TAT than with Maddux, stayed at the Maddux’s home to negotiate the merger. Combined, this airline operated the largest fleet of Tri-motors at the time, including seven 5-AT’s and several more 4-AT’s, carrying 40,000 passengers in 1929. In 1930 TAT-Maddux merged with its former competitor Western Air Express to form Transcontinental & Western Air (T&WA), which later became TWA
Twa
The Twa are any of several hunting peoples of Africa who live interdependently with agricultural Bantu populations, and generally hold a socially subordinate position: They provide the farming population with game in exchange for agricultural products....
.
Accidents
On April 21, 1929 a Maddux Air Lines Ford 5-AT-B Tri-motor was involved in a midair collision with a single-engine U.S. Army Boeing B-PW-9D pursuit biplane near San Diego. Shortly after taking off from San Diego, the airliner was flying at around 2,000 feet on its way to Imperial Valley, California, when the pilot of the biplane buzzed the airliner and, misjudging its speed, collided with it. The army pilot, Lieutenant Howard W. Keefer, tried to bail out of the wreckage, but his parachute got entangled, and both aircraft crashed near the Lexington Park subdivision of eastern San Diego on the side of a canyon. All five people aboard the Tri-Motor and the Army pilot, who was found “criminally negligent” for approaching the airliner, died in the crash. This was the first midair collision involving a U.S. airliner.On January 19, 1930 TAT-Maddux Flight Number 7, a Ford 5-AT-C Tri-Motor crashed north of Oceanside, California. Flying from the races at Agua Caliente, near Tijuana, Mexico to Los Angeles, the plane encountered rain, low clouds, fog, and possibly engine problems. The pilots were attempting to turn around and/or land when they misjudged the aircraft’s height off the ground and the left wing struck the ground, slamming the aircraft into the ground, which subsequently caught fire. Both pilots and all 14 passengers aboard were killed in the crash. Charles Lindbergh, as chairman of TAT-Maddux’s technical committee, was involved in the investigation and made an aerial inspection of the crash site after the disaster.