Tony Jannus ephemera

Burritt, R.E. Opening St. Petersburg - Tampa Air Boat Line, January 1, 1914.

Burritt, R.E. Biographical Sketch of Anthony Jannus 1890-1916, Pilot of the First Schedule Commercial Airline in the World. [Unpublished], [Date Unknown].

Burritt, R.E. "Mile-A-Minute Delivery By Air Boat." Collier's, March 7, 1914.

On New Year’s Day 1914, veteran pilot Tony Jannus flew from Tampa to St. Petersburg in the first regularly-scheduled flight in history.What would normally have been a three-hour drive or a long, lazy steamboat ride, Jannus crossed the bay in just 23 minutes.  Jannus dropped off mail and a ham as a crowd of 2,000 greeted the pilot.  St. Petersburg Mayor Abram C. Pheil was the airline’s first fare, paying $5 for the ride.  These routine flyovers of Tampa Bay helped to eliminate the “frontier” imposed by large bodies of water.

Read more: Biographical Sketch of Tony Jannus