New York Airways Collection - Cierva Rotorcraft Helicopters, 1971

About the Project

New York Airways (NYA), one of the first three helicopter carriers certificated by the United States Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), began mail service between New York City's three major airports in October 1952, and inaugurated the world's first regularly scheduled passenger helicopter service in July 1953. NYA soon extended mail, freight, and passenger service into the greater New York City metropolitan area, extending routes into New Jersey and Connecticut. As ground traffic in the New York area became increasingly congested, NYA, based at LaGuardia Airport, worked closely with the Port of New York Authority to establish heliports on the island of Manhattan, most famously from the rooftop of the Pan Am Building, from which NYA inaugurated regularly scheduled passenger service on December 21, 1965. Despite its best efforts, NYA depended heavily on government subsidies for its economic health, and was plagued by financial issues throughout its lifetime. In June 1965, as subsidies were being eliminated, NYA entered into operating support agreements with Trans World Airlines (TWA) and Pan American World Airways, whose connecting passengers were some of NYA's biggest customers. NYA, already suffering from rising fuel prices, ceased operations in April 1979 following a fatal accident at Newark International Airport, and filed for bankruptcy the following month in May 1979. Richard Wheatland II joined New York Airways in January 1953 as the Manager of the airline's Traffic and Sales Department, and soon became NYA's Vice President of Sales and Service. He left the company in 1968 to take a position in his native home of Boston, and died peacefully at his home on June 26, 2009. Note: Please do not describe the images, photographs, or maps that appear in this project. We are only seeking transcriptions.

Read more

|
Show pages needing (scroll down to load more): Transcription | All

Completed!

Project Progress (details)
71 pages completed
Difficulty
3 out of 5
(details)

27

Contributing
members

71

Total
pages