SpringfieldAirPort Springfield Massachusetts Airport of 1920s-1930s


New England & Western Air
Transportation Co. Inc.

Springfield Massachusetts Operation ---Boston-Springfield--Hartford ( Brainard Field) -Albany NY--NY City ( Jackson Hts. -Grand Central Air Terminal)



Operated only few months in 1930.
* Schedule on line is dated July 26th, 1930
* Web Site about Tait family that ran Springfield Airport---The Tait Brothers were wealthy Dairy men in area.
* Another site on Springfield Tait family & aircraft
* News Clippings About the Airport or Tait Family (Word File)
* Tait Family History Web Site
* Tait News Clippings
* Tait Icecream Sign
* Tait Brothers IceCream Add
* Tait Brothers IceCream Add Bird 


Early 1900s Tait Brothers Ice Cream business bird
 The top is a metal bird which is anchored by what appears to be a nail in the wooden yellow base.
The bird measures 2 1/4 inches tall and acrossed the base is 1/4 inch.
The base of the piece is wooden, rounded, and it reads, "Worth Chirping For, Tait Bros. Venetian Ice Cream, Pilgrim Novelty Co, Prov. R.I." The yellow part looks like paper that was applied onto the wood, not painted directly on.The metal base at the bird reads, "Patented 1913" in the metal.




Site up dated as of 11-16-2007
This was part of the professional photographer's studio in Springfield ( Art Photo) I bought back in 1960s that contained 1920-1940 images.!
Dick [email protected]


 

I think the Ford  Tri-Motor airplane in view is marked #3.

The black man on left clothes looks like he does most of the 
real work ! Somehave ties  & likely work inside for tickets & such.Some 
may do loading of mail & luggage ?

These are likely the pilots & male sturdi

This Ford Tri-Motor is marked #2.

Documents related to NE&WATC Mechanic , 
Albert William Wallsten, 
Hi.  I have been doing some research on my grandfather and found your site.  I have quite a few original pictures just like the ones you have and a few more.  My grandfather is the third mechanic from the right.  His name is Albert William Wallsten.  He had a long career in the aviation industry; both commercially and for the government.  Maybe you could help me find out more about him.  He died when I was 3; I am now 45.
Thank you [email protected]

New photo from daughter of airline owner.My maiden name was Georgia D. Corson and my father was 
  Chalon Eugene Corson, president of the above mentioned company.  Chalon's wife was Helen H. Corson and was his secretary before she married him. 

1930 Air Mail Letter from Bowles Airport 
Likely on NEWATC?
I think Ford Tri-Motors were built in 1926 on.
One web site it says NE&WATC used all male in flight help!
   "In one instance, the New England & Western Air Transportation Company, which operated in Massachusetts and New York during the summer of 1930, hired    men to work as "Pullman porters" on their planes."


Subject:
        New England & Western Air Transport Co.
   Date:
        Thu, 27 Jun 2002 11:45:50 -0400
   From:
        "Dan Hagedorn" <[email protected]>
     To:
        [email protected]

We received your e-mail communication of May 29, 2002, in which you
requested assistance in locating information on New England & Western
Air
Transport Co. of Springfield, MA.
According to information that we assembled from several sources, this
operator commenced first services in May 1930 with routes from
Springfield to new York, Boston and Albany. The President was C. E. Corson. It's
last known service was in November 1930, having apparently fallen victim to
the Depression. We have been able to identify three aircraft owned and/or
operated by the line. These were:

Ford 4-AT-E Tri-Motor NC-9614 manufacturers serial number 4-AT-57
acquired 2/10/30 Ford 5-AT-C Tri-Motor NC-410H manufacturers serial number 5-AT-69
acquired 5/8/30 and sold 10/16/30
Ford 5-AT-C Tri-Motor NC-412H manufacturers serial number 5-AT-71 leased
from Linden Associates 6/12/30 sold 10/2/30.

We regret that this is the extent of what we have on this short-lived
airline.
Sincerely,
Dan Hagedorn
Research Team Leader
Archives Division - MRC 322
National Air and Space Museum
Washington, DC 20560-0322



One of the pilots for this airline was Lowell Bayes of Gee-Bee air racing fame. He died in a Gee-Bee crash in 1931 . He was a relief pilot for NE&WATC.
There seems to be A Cleveland OH connection for Lowell!


There is likey more photos of the Old Springfield Airport around. The Gee-Bee was built & tested out of this airport. Internet discussions indicate it was located where the Springfield Shopping Center is today. I think was accross from CH40 TV station ???
From Spfld Museum web site:
Granville Brothers Aircraft Corporation constructed a number of biplanes during the late
                         1920s. But their signature design was the squat, round Gee Bee monoplane, with which
                         aviator Jimmy Doolittle flew to a world landplane speed record of 296.287 miles an
                         hour in 1932. A family business, Granville Brothers was operated by Zantford, Thomas,
                         Robert, Mark, and Edward Granville. Financed by the Tait family (which included female
                         aviator Maude Tait Moriarty), Granville Brothers built their famous Gee Bee
                         monoplanes at the old Springfield Airport on Liberty Street (now Springfield Plaza).
From another Springfield MA related site abt a proposed new sports stadium:
. The Old Springfield Airport
Located between the Springfield plaza and St. James Avenue. Currently being developed. In 1995, it was deemed to have poor access, and would have posed a "severe" impact on adjacent residential neighborhoods.



 One photo has the 9 ground crew members & another 7 likely pilots. They are using the Ford Tri-Motor planes as
 back drops to the photos. One of the mechanics is a young black  man his pants are blacker that the others also). Guess we know who
 did the real work !


Based on 1930 Timetable: NE&WATC had at least 3 planes & possibly 4. One based in NYCity area, one based  in Boston & one or two based in Springfield.


Q-Why Did Airline Go Out Of Business in Only One Year?


Subject:
            Re: New England & Western Air Transport Co.
       Date:
            Sun, 9 Jun 2002 02:45:51 +0100
      From:
            "AirlineHistory at FREEUK" <[email protected]>
        To:
            "Dick Bolt" <[email protected]>
Dear Dick

Getting back to you about NE&WATC...

I cannot find anything explicitly about this airline.  Between the mid 1920s
and 1931 the mail routes between NY and Boston and Alberny were owned by
American Airways.  These eastern hub routes were renewed in 1931 by
American.  They used contract airlines for some of the 'end' routes but I
can find no mention of NE&WATC.

Is it possible that as the NY area mail contracts were coming up in 1930
this airline gambled on being able to win the local route contracts from
American Airways?  If so they lost out... the US Postal Service didn't like
to take chances on small carriers when a large and well established one was
available.  Also these contracts were bid for, I would imagine American
Airways (now American Airlines) would have have been able to under-bid a
small carrier running on a shoe-string.  Even in 1930 these mail contracts
were extremely important financially to the airlines. (It is hard to believe
that in the 1920s passengers were an after-thought for the airlines and air
mail and freight was the big prize!)

But looking at the photographs and the timetable extract you have on your
site, I would suspect that this airline was mainly aimed at passengers.

In 1930 the mail routes were pretty secure and held by the big four but the
non-trunk routes were often sub-contracted to small local carriers.  These
local carriers made much of their revenue flying the mail and freight.  But
by 1930 they had also started taking passengers on as a serious business.

Most of these small local airlines that linked the trunk route hubs to local
destinations were short-lived, either being forced to merge with competitors
to keep flying, or simply going out of business altogether. It was a
cut-throat time for the airlines who flew into what are now called regional
airports which usually had no navaids or real facilities.  They often used
old equipment discarded by the trunk route airlines like TWA, American and
so on.

If NE&WATC had been bought out by a larger carrier then I think I would have
found reference to this.  It seems more plausible that the airline simply
went under- the real money was only ever made by the big four who had a firm
grip on the better paying trunk routes (trans-continental routes).

Thank you again for pointing me to this airline and to your photos.  I would
like to use two of them with your permission (I will copyright them to you
as you own them now).  I would also like to put a link to your page.

PS... I notice that the Tri-Motors seem to have a circular fuselage logo
'NEW'.  Is it possible that the airline was called 'N.E.W.' for short?

Best wishes

Sarah

Ms Sarah Ward  -  Airline History Admin

Airline History website - www.airline-history.co.za



Scandal...
                       In 1933, the FDR Administration was convinced that the previous
                       Republican Administration had been making shady deals with big
                       business. Senator Black of Alabama was appointed to investigate
                       the airline industry, where United, TWA, American and Eastern had
                       suddenly and mysteriously been awarded almost all of the nation's
                       domestic airmail contracts. When Black subpoenaed the records
                       kept by the airlines, it was revealed that the Republican
                       Postmaster General, Walter Folger Brown, had summoned a select
                       group of airline executives to secret meetings in Washington. To
                       bring a chaotic, cutthroat industry under control, Brown demanded
                       that the men pick four airlines from among themselves to divide up
                       all of the country's airmail routes.

                       With the FDR administration believing that monopolies were not in
                       the public interest, Roosevelt canceled all government contracts
                       with the big four airlines. Then he ordered the Army Air Corps to
                       take over airmail delivery. But he only gave the Air Corps ten days
                       to gear up in midst of the worst winter in years. As a result, twelve
                       pilots died within a month. The President finally decided that the
                       army should get out of the airmail business and give it back to
                       private industry. But Roosevelt did make changes. The Airmail Act
                       of 1934 restored open bidding. In addition, the huge holding
                       companies like Boeing that controlled both manufacturers and
                       airlines were broken up. It was a law with enormous consequences.
                       For with their lucrative monopolies on flying the mail gone, if the
                       airlines were going to grow, they would have to expand in an
                       entirely different market - flying passengers.



New England and Western Airlines.
Papers; 1929-1931; 0.5 linear feet.
The collection contains correspondence, administrative papers, printed materials and photographs concerning the operation of the airline out of Springfield and Agawam, Massachusetts. Much of the material relates to endeavors to host the 1929-1930 National Air Races. Finding aid available.

Located at:
Connecticut Aeronautical Historical Association, Inc.
New England Air Museum
Bradley International Airport
Windsor Locks, Connecticut 06096
(203) 623-3305
 
 



If you view this site, I am looking to build it with more information. Please help.
Questuions are:
* Who owned it & funded it ?
* Why did it go out of business ? Purchased by another airline ?
* Where did equipment go ?
* Who were these workers ? Did they go on to work on other projects such as the GEE-BE ?
* What airline took over for Springfield Massachusetts ?
* Why did Springfield loose out to having an airport like Bradley, Worcester, Albany?
* Why did they bypass Pittsfield & Worcester ? Competition ?
* Why was it centered in Springfield ? Owner lived there ? Company that used freight or personnel most was centered there ?
* What about their mail contract ? Did they loose it to cause failure ?
* Was the Springfield Armory involved ?
* Is this where the Springfield Shopping Mall is now ? Accross from CH 22 ?
Dick


See also more old Springfield Old Photos from same old photographer & more. See link to "Photo History"
 http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~dickbolt/index.html
 Dick
.
.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

.