Valley Girl Views: The Williamsport Airport, Dedicated July 20 1929

Located in Montoursville Pa, the Williamsport Airport was dedicated on July 20 1929.

Special Aviation Edition of the Gazette and Bulletin

July 18 1929

Cleo Francois Pineau, a motorcycle racer and World War I flying ace, was instrumental in founding the Williamsport-Lycoming County Airport, and fostered it through his connections in the aviation community, including a friendship with Wiley Post

More than 25,000 attended the opening ceremonies, Seventy Five planes were on the field at 1pm, representing every branch of aviation, including:

Fighting Planes, Sports Models, Commercial, Transport Planes, and Gliders.

F.W. Sole, of Kansas City MO won the "On To Williamsport" race, having traveled 991 miles to reach the airport. Edward J. Deveraux of Ozone Park Long Island NY won the free for all race for planes under 510 inch cubic displacement.

"Maj. John P Wood and his winning plane in the main race at the Williamsport Airport Dedication". - according to the Grit. All other papers list Wood as coming in 2nd place in the "On To Williamsport Race". Wood traveled from Wausau Wisconsin, to Williamsport.

The airport company, with help from the Chamber of Commerce and the City of Williamsport, sold hundreds of shares of stock at $100 each until it had raised about $75,000, enough to buy 161 acres of the Tomb, Nolan and Eck family farms south of the Reading Railroad line at Montoursville.

At the Airport Dedication

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Was Earhart At The Williamsport Airport Dedication In Montoursville?

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An Article in the Williamsport Grit, July 21 1929 tells us that Amelia Earhart arrived at 6pm, staying for half an hour while her pilot refueled for their flight to New York City.

We know Earhart visited both Sunbury, and Hughesville. Both were unplanned visits, both emergency landings. Read more here:

https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2019/10/when-amelia-earhart-came-to-hughesville.html

The history page of the Williamsport Airport includes this:

"I'm sorry I'm late", said Amelia Earhart, "but I flew here to Williamsport from New York to pay my respects to a city which I hear has one of the most modern airports in the East" So said the famous aviatrix upon her arrival at the dedication of the Williamsport Airport on July 20, 1929.

"Miss Earhart, the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, was one of five trans-Atlantic fliers to attend the dedicatory event which marked the formal opening of the airfield , located in the southern portion of Montoursville borough. The newspapers of the day estimated the crowd at 30,000 people attending the ceremony, the largest crowd of any type in Lycoming County history." http://www.flyipt.com/airport-history

On July 19th 1929, Earhart flew from Roosevelt Air field to Elmira New York, where she spent the night at the Mark Twain. This is well documented, as the 1 hour and 35 minute flight was a record time. She was on her way to the Chautauqua golf course, where she was scheduled to give a talk on the afternoon of the 20th.

According to the Star Gazette "Amelia Earhart, who stopped at Elmira Friday afternoon, landed her plane at 6:15 pm Saturday. She addressed the New York Chautauqua, and flew directly to Williamsport when her talk was complete."

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