A Unique 20th-Century Composite Atlas.
Custom-made for the Ford Motor Company during the Production of the Trimotor Airplane.
Comprising the First Three Series of Official American Air Navigation Charts.
This is a unique, comprehensive collection of the earliest official air navigation charts produced in the United States. This custom composite atlas was compiled for the Ford Motor Company amidst the production of their iconic Trimotor aircraft, which was produced from 1926 to 1933. Incorporating the three earliest series of official American air navigation charts, this atlas presents an unparalleled picture of the birth of nationwide civil aviation in the United States.
The maps span 1923 to 1930, years that marked a revolution in American aviation. The post-World War I era saw a significant surge in interest in civilian and commercial aviation. This was notably fueled by the Ford Trimotor, a pioneering aircraft of its time. The Trimotor, affectionately dubbed the "Tin Goose," was among the first mass-produced commercial aircraft.
This atlas includes charts from the Army Air Corps, the Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Hydrographic Office. Each map showcases the evolving standards and methodologies of air navigation, reflecting the advancements in aviation technology and the political considerations that shaped American aviation policy in the 1920s.
The Birth of Commerical Aviation in America
The birth of American commercial aviation traces its genesis to the early 20th century, following significant advancements in aviation technology and the success of military flight operations during World War I. In 1914, the world's first scheduled passenger airline service, operated by the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line, took flight in Florida, using a Benoist XIV airboat. This pioneering venture catalyzed the establishment of more organized and expansive air services. The Air Mail Act of 1925, commonly known as the Kelly Act, further accelerated the growth of the commercial aviation sector in the United States by authorizing the United States Post Office to contract with private airlines to transport mail. Subsequent legislation, including the Air Commerce Act of 1926, provided federal oversight and regulations for this nascent industry. By the 1930s, with infrastructural developments like airports and improvements in aircraft technology, commercial airlines had become integral components of the American transportation landscape, revolutionizing long-distance travel and setting the stage for the global aviation industry of the 20th century.
Ford Motor Company's Foray into Airplane Manufacturing
Following its enormous success manufacturing some of the first affordable automobiles, the Ford Motor Company, under the leadership of Henry Ford, ventured into aviation. In 1926, the company introduced the Ford Trimotor, often referred to as the "Tin Goose." Made predominantly of corrugated metal, the Trimotor was recognized for its durability and saw use in both civilian and military aviation. However, by the early 1930s, Ford ceased its airplane manufacturing efforts, owing to changing market conditions and competitive pressures. This period in Ford's history illustrates the company's willingness to diversify beyond its core automobile business.
This atlas reflects the focus that company leadership had on the evolution of civilian aviation in the United States and the potential market for one of its core products.
The Foundational Maps of American Airplane Navigation
On February 22, 1921, a pioneering experiment was conducted to determine the feasibility of cross-country flights without halting at nightfall. Two planes, each taking off from opposite coasts, attempted to traverse the route between New York and San Francisco. To aid night navigation, bonfires were strategically placed along the path. Of the participants, one mail plane, piloted by the aviator Jack Knight and equipped solely with a railroad map and a compass, successfully completed the journey. The first daytime, coast-to-coast airmail flight had only been completed the year before.
Around the same time, in 1921, the United States Army Air Corps began an extensive evaluation of aeronautical charts, aiming to establish a standardized map for aerial navigation. As a result of this study, in 1923, the Air Corps began to issue a series of air navigation maps covering the country's main air routes. Before 1926, these maps were produced in collaboration between the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Army Engineer Reproduction Plant. However, with the passage of the Air Commerce Act in 1926, the responsibility for creating these maps transitioned to the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey under the authority of the Department of Commerce. From this point forward, the objective was to integrate the burgeoning commercial airways system with the existing military network. The U.S. Navy and Hydrographic Office also determined to create a set of air navigation maps focused on the coasts of the United States. This was the third and last of the official air navigation map series to come out of the 1920s.
Rarity and Other Notes
Sets of these maps from the 1920s are exceedingly rare, largely because pilots of that era would only carry individual maps pertinent to their specific routes. Given that a pilot would typically be responsible for only a handful of routes at any given time, there was rarely a need to possess a comprehensive collection. Furthermore, the number of long-haul pilots in the United States during this period was quite limited, which further decreased the circulation of these maps. Compounding their rarity, as aviation technology and knowledge advanced, these maps were swiftly updated and replaced, leading to the disposal of earlier versions. The confluence of these factors makes finding a complete set from this time a remarkable discovery.
In some cases, it is clear that new versions of the strip maps have been pasted over earlier editions.
Maps Included in the Atlas
To the best of our knowledge, this atlas contains a comprehensive collection of maps from the three previously mentioned series, extending up to approximately March 1930. This means that many of the maps in the Department of Commerce series had not yet been completed and printed, and that only two maps from the Hydrographic Office had been completed when the atlas was compiled (more on that below). Evidently, Map 17 from the Army Air Corps series was intentionally left incomplete.
Please note: Only maps in bold are included in the atlas. We include maps projected to be included in the series in brackets even if these maps are not included in the atlas. We do this to help make the information more widely available and so readers can better understand the context and timing of these publications.
Army Air Corps Series
Air Navigation Map No. 1 Dayton Ohio, to Uniontown, PA. 1927
Air Navigation Map No. 2 Washington, D.C. to Uniontown PA. & Wheeling W.VA 1927
Air Navigation Map No. 3 Washington, D.C. to New York N.Y. 1927
Air Navigation Map [4] Washington, D.C. to Hampton, VA 1926
Air Navigation Map [5] Dayton, Ohio to Rantoul, Ill. 1926
Air Navigation Map No. 6 New York, N.Y. to Boston, Mass. 1927
Air Navigation Map No. 7 New Orleans, LA. to Beaumont, Texas 1927
Air Navigation Map No. 8 New Orleans, LA. to Montgomery, Ala. 1927
Air Navigation Map No. 9 Chicago, Ill. to Iowa City, Iowa 1924
Air Navigation Map [10] Iowa City, Iowa to Omaha, Nebr. 1924
Air Navigation Map [11] Omaha to North Platte, Nebraska 1925
Air Navigation Map [12] North Platte, Neb. to Cheyenne Wyo. 1925
Air Navigation Map [13] Cheyenne to Rock Springs, Wyoming 1925
Air Navigation Map [14] Rock Springs, Wyoming to Salt Lake City, Utah 1926
Air Navigation Map No. 15 Montgomery, Alabama to Augusta, Georgia 1927
Air Navigation Map No. 16 Augusta, GA. to Fayetteville, N.C. 1927
[Air Navigation Map No. 17, left blank according to Airway Bulletin 11a]
Air Navigation Map [18] Fayetteville, N.C. to Norfolk, VA. 1925
Air Navigation Map No. 19 New York, N.Y. to Bellefonte, PA. 1923
Air Navigation Map [20] Bellefonte, PA. to Cleveland, Ohio 1926
Air Navigation Map [21] Cleveland, Ohio to Chicago, Ill. 1926
Air Navigation Map [22] Chicago, Ill. to St. Louis 1924
Air Navigation Map No. 23 Saint Louis to Kansas City, Mo. 1926
Air Navigation Map [24] Kansas City, Mo. to Muskogee, Okla. 1924
Air Navigation Map [25] Muskogee, Oklahoma to Ft. Worth and Dallas, Texas 1926
Air Navigation Map [26] Dallas and Ft. Worth to San Antonio, Texas 1924
Air Navigation Map No. 27 Beaumont to San Antonio, Texas 1923
Air Navigation Map [28] San Antonio to Dryden, Texas 1924
Air Navigation Map No. 29 Dryden to El Paso, Texas 1924
Air Navigation Map No. 30 El Paso, Texas to Tucson, Arizona 1924
Air Navigation Map [31] Nogales and Tucson to Phoenix, Arizona 1924
Air Navigation Map No. 32 Phoenix, Arizona to San Diego, Calif. 1924
Air Navigation Map [33] Salt Lake City, Utah to Elko, Nev. 1926
Air Navigation Map [34] Elko to Reno, Nev. 1924
Air Navigation Map [35] Reno, Nev. to San Francisco, Calif. 1926
Air Navigation Map No. 36 Louisville KY. to Dayton, Ohio 1926
Air Navigation Map No. 37 Cincinnati, Ohio and Louisville, KY. to St. Louis, MO. 1927
Air Navigation Map No. 38 San Diego, Cal. to Tucson, Ariz. 1926
Air Navigation Map No. 39 San Diego to Los Angeles, Cal. 1927
Air Navigation Map No. 40 San Francisco to Los Angeles, Cal. 1926
Air Navigation Map No. 41 San Francisco, Calif. to Medford, Ore. 1927
Air Navigation Map No. 42 Medford, Ore. to Vancouver, Wash. 1927
Air Navigation Map No. 43 Vancouver to Seattle, Washington 1927
Air Navigation Map [44] Rantoul, Ill. to Clemens, Mich. 1925
Air Navigation Map No. 45 Uniontown, Pittsburgh, PA. to Cleveland, O. and Mt. Clemens, Mich. 1926
Air Navigation Map [46] Washington, D.C. to Middletown, PA. 1925
Air Navigation Map [47] Dayton, Ohio to Mt. Clemens, Mich. 1926
Air Navigation Map No. 48 Louisville, KY. to Nashville, Tenn. 1927
Air Navigation Map No. 49 Nashville, Tenn. to Birmingham, Ala.1927
Air Navigation Map No. 50 Birmingham, Ala. to Pensacola, Fla. 1928
Air Navigation Map No. 51 Muskogee, Okla. to Belleville, Ill. 1928
Air Navigation Map No. 52 Dayton, Ohio to Belleville, Ill. 1927
Hydrographic Office Series
According to Airway Bulletin 11, March 15, 1927, of 58 planned charts, only two had been produced up to that moment. These two maps are present in this atlas. A third chart, New York - Philadelphia, had been produced as of Airway Bulletin 11a.
U.S. Navy Aviation Chart Philadelphia-Norfolk, 1st Edition, Feb. 1927
U.S. Navy Aviation Chart Baltimore-Washington-Norfolk, Edition: 2d, April, 1926
Department of Commerce Series
Information Bulletin No. 8, Airway Map of the of the United States, March 15, 1928
Airway Map No. 102, Dallas to Oklahoma City
Airway Map No. 103, Oklahoma City Okla. to Wichita Kan.
Airway Map No. 104, Wichita Kan. to Kansas City Mo.
Airway Map No. 105, Kansas City, Mo. to Moline, Ill.
[Airway Map No. 106 Pilottown - New Orleans]
[Airway Map No. 107 New Orleans - Jackson]
[Airway Map No. 108 Jackson - Memphis]
[Airway Map No. 109 Memphis - St. Louis]
Airway Map No. 110 St. Louis Mo. to Chicago Ill.
Airway Map No. 111 Chicago Ill. to Milwaukee Wis.
Airway Map No. 112 Milwaukee to St. Paul - Minneapolis
[Airway Map No. 113 Twin Cities - Fargo]
Airway Map No. 114 Cincinnati Ohio to Chicago Ill.
Airway Map No. 115 Louisville KY to Cleveland Ohio
[Airway Map No. 116 Cincinnati - Dayton - Cleveland]
[Airway Map No. 117 Cleveland - Buffalo]
[Airway Map No. 118 Detroit - Buffalo]
Airway Map No. 119 Buffalo N.Y. to Albany N.Y.
[Airway Map No. 120 Albany - Boston
[Airway Map No. 121 New York - Albany]
[Airway Map No. 122 Albany - Montreal]
[Airway Map No. 123 Miami - West Palm Beach - Titusville]
[Airway Map No. 124 Tampa - Titusville]
[Airway Map No. 125 Titusville - Jacksonville]
[Airway Map No. 126 Jacksonville - Atlanta]
Airway Map No. 127 Birmingham ALA. to Atlanta GA.
Airway Map No. 128 Atlanta GA. to Greensboro N.C.
Airway Map No. 129 Greensboro N.C. to Richmond VA.
Airway Map No. 130 Richmond VA. to Washington D.C.
Airway Map No. 131 Pueblo Colo. to Cheyenne Wyo.
Airway Map No. 132 Los Angeles Cal. to Las Vegas Nev.
Airway Map No. 133 Las Vegas Nevada to Milford Utah
Airway Map No. 134 Milford to Salt Lake City Utah
[Airway Map No. 135 Salt Lake City - Boise]
[Airway Map No. 136 Boise - Pasco]
[Airway Map No. 137 Pasco - Seattle]