Pan American Airways Inc. introduced its flying service to Jamaica with the arrival of southbound and northbound planes. The planes, initially focusing on a mail service, will operate bi-weekly, with southbound flights from Miami on Wednesdays and Saturdays and northbound flights from Cristobal on Wednesdays and Sundays. Despite a brief one-hour halt for mail delivery and refuelling, the service is expected to commence passenger operations.

PUBLISHED THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1930

Flying Service To Jamaica Inaugurated Yesterday

-Two planes of Pan-American Airways Inc. come in Harbour

One flew from Cienfuegos, Cuba, and after landing mail and taking in fuel, again took the air for Cristobal the other came from Isthmian Port and went on to Cuba.

Local planes form an escort

Pilot of first aircraft to arrive is welcomed by the Custos on behalf of the city, many well-known people came down to meet ‘sky boat’.

Soon start passenger service

Pan American Airways Inc. inaugurated their flying service to Jamaica yesterday, the southbound plane arriving at 10:10 a.m. from Cienfuegos and the northbound plane from Cristobal arriving at 1:00 p.m.

Both planes were in the harbour for about an hour, and after delivering their mail and taking up gasoline, resumed their journey.

The service will be, as already stated, a bi-weekly one; the southbound planes from Miami arriving here at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday and Saturday and the northbound planes from Cristobal arriving at 11:45 p.m. on Wednesday and Sunday.

At present, the planes will not be running a passenger service but only a mail service. The passenger service will commence in about two weeks.

At 10:00 to the minute, the plane was sighted coming from the south-east. She was then about 500 feet up and flew straight up the harbour about as far as Myrtle Bank Hotel then turned and came down to make a perfect landing about hundred yards away from the barge and fast up to it.

Flies At 100 Miles An Hour

It was exactly 10:10 when she drew alongside the base, having flown from Cienfuegos in just four hours, the distance being 807 miles.

She left Miami at 2 p.m. on Tuesday and arrived in Cienfuegos for Kingston at 5:20 p.m., the distance being 277 miles.  She then left Cienfuegos for Kingston at 6:10 yesterday morning, arriving here at 10:10.  She left Kingston at approximately 11:45 and arrived at  Cristobal at about 8:30 last night, the distance being 716 miles – the longest sea-flight made by any flying Company.  The total distance of the trip from Miami to Cristobal was 1,885 miles.

Given Air Welcome

As the ‘plane came into Kingston, she was met by two of the ‘plane of Caribbean Airways, the new Fairchild ‘plane being flown by Capt. Holland, and the Moth being flown by Capt. de-Pass.

This is, incidentally, the only occasion in the West Indies when the Pan American Service has received an “air welcome” as Jamaica is the only West Indian Colony that possesses an Air Company of its own.

As the plane came alongside the barge, Commander Schultz, her pilot, stopped off and was officially welcomed by the Hon. A. E. DaCosta on behalf of the City, and by Major Hulse on behalf of the Pan American Company.  After this she landed her mail and baggage and then took on 450 gallons of gasoline for the long hop to Cristobal, being in the harbour, altogether for about an hour and a half.

The northbound ‘plane

The northbound ‘plane, which arrived nearly half an hour before her schedule, was also here at about the same time.

The northbound ‘plane carried a crew of three: Commander E. Schultz, Pilot; Assistant Pilot C. Lorber; and Radio Operator C.A. Paffe. The north-bound ‘plane also had on the same number of crew, Capt. Basil Rowe being the pilot.

Commander Schultz and Captain Rowe are the two senior pilots in the Pan American service and have had flying experience over every route on which the Company runs.

Commander Schultz Views

Interviewed by the Gleaner yesterday, Commander Schultz said:

“We are very glad to inaugurate a flying service to your Island and are confident that it will be in the future a most important air route.  I should like to express the pleasure it gave us to be escorted in by the ‘planes of your Company, Caribbean Airways, Ltd.  This is the first time in our history that we have been welcomed in by the ‘planes of a local Company, and I can tell you, we thoroughly appreciate it.

“We do not expect to start a passenger service for about a couple of weeks yet as we want to try out the route thoroughly first to find out just what our schedule will be.”

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