1935 Smethport Airport Air Show

photo credit: Carolyn Bausinger Collection & a little help from Photoshop
see topo map of location of the Smethport Airport
view a picture of the propeller from Clark Barnhart's plane
read Harriet Rockefeller's Account of the Smethport Airport
read articles about the Smethport Airport
see pictures of the Smethport Airport location in 2004 and 2006

photo credit: Carolyn Bausinger Collection

photo credit: Carolyn Bausinger Collection

photo credit: William Jarrett
The above photo is the propeller from Clark Barnhart's plane which he used to fly out of the Smethport Airport.
The propeller was found on the property of William Jarrett.
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Harriet Rockefeller's Account of the Smethport Airport

There was an airport on East Valley Road on what is the Jim Barr's property today. The runway was in the back field. I graduated high school in 1932 and went to college in Philadelphia. Some point after returning from college, a Ford plane gave airplane rides at the Smethport Airport. I can't remember the full name of the airplane but it had the name Ford in it and it was made of metal. The plane seated many people. My friend and I decided that we wanted to go on the airplane but the tickets were all sold out. My cousin, Donald Nicholas, was a student pilot at the time so he and his instructor from I believe Mt. Jewett took us up in the airplane for a free ride over Farmer's Valley. I believe that the fair may have been sponsoring the airplane rides or somehow the rides were associated with the fair so therefore it was probably at the end of August or the beginning of September.
Read the newspaper article believed to be about the same event which Mrs. Rockefeller recalls.
Smethport Airport Newspaper Articles
Fine Airport Possibility For Smethport
Fine Airport For Smethport Now Assured
Airplane Rides
Smethport's Fine New Airport Ready
New Airport Means Much To Smethport
Local Pilot Flew To Chicago
Urge Boro To Finish Airport With CWA Aid
Council Turns Down Borough Airport Plan
Smethport Airport Is Licensed By The State
Pilot Alexander Buys Airplane
Aviators Busy Here Sunday
Kennedy Lauds Pilot Alexander
Boys Tamper With Plane -- Force Landing
Alexander Will Stunt Big Plane
Pilot Alexander Thrills Citizens
Pilot Makes Two Flights To Cleveland Air Races
Municipal Field For Smethport
Alexander Participates In Annual State Air Tour
Local Pilot's Plane Crashed In Kane Sunday
Alexander Flys Again After Being Injured In Plane Crash
Huge Tri-Motored Ford Plane Flys In Smethport
Air Mail Pickup
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Fine Airport Possibility For Smethport
McKean County Democrat June 14, 1934

Local Aviators Have Plans For Nearby O.K. Farm

Smethport may have an airport this summer if present plans go through.

Herman Alexander, local transport pilot, and Clark Barnhart, his flying partner, have made a tentative arrangement with Ruel Evans, owner of the O.K. Farm on the East Valley Road, near East Smethport, to convert part of that farm into a landing field.

It is said that this site offers possibilities for conversion into one of the best airports in this section of the United States.

The promoters have already received offers of donations of necessary equipment to go ahead with the project.

It is hoped that one runway will be constructed this year.

Buildings on the farm can be altered at slight expense to afford shelter for four planes.

At the present time Messrs. Alexanders and Barnhart keep the planes at the Kane Airport.
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Fine Airport For Smethport Now Assured
McKean County Democrat June 28, 1934

Work Being Started On O.K. Farm At Once

Herman Alexander, Smethport transport pilot, his flying partner, Clark Barnhart, several other local aviation enthusiasts and Ruel Evans, owner of the O.K. Farm on the East Valley Road, below Smethport, have formed a company to construct a model airport at the beautifully situated O.K. Farm and operate the same.

The airport will be one of the best in this section of the state and will be ready for use by Old Home Week, July 23-28, when an air circus and parachute jumps will be a feature of the program.

The port will be 1900 feet in length by 200 feet, with additional ground space, if needed.

Work on grading the beautifully located land and putting in drain tile will be started at once.

The land, level as a floor, is situated in a wide valley, close to the paved highway, and is singularly free from tricky air currents.

Experts who have viewed the site say it possesses the best airport possibilities of any in McKean County.

Two planes will be located at the port to start with and present farm buildings will be used, temporarily for conversion into hangars.
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Airplane Rides
McKean County Democrat July 19, 1934

Herman Alexander , local transport pilot, will carry passengers aloft daily during Old Home Week at a rate of $1.50 per passenger in the open cockpit planes.

Parties of four will be taken up in the Ryan cabin plane at $1.00 per person.
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Smethport's Fine New Airport Ready
McKean County Democrat July 19, 1934

Herman Alexander and Clark Barnhart who are building the new Smethport airport on the Ruel Evans farm, near East Smethport, have received a temporary approval certificate from the State Department of Aeronautics which permits the carrying of passengers during Old Home Week.

Three planes will be on the field -- two Waco open cockpit biplanes and a four-passenger Ryan cabin monoplane. The latter craft, powered by a Wright whirlwind engine, is worth inspecting as it is an exact duplicate in most respects of the ship which Col. Chas. Lindbergh flew to Paris. The Ryan monoplane received the required periodic examination and o. k. by the Unites States Department of Commerce, Bureau of Aeronautics, in Pittsburgh three weeks ago.

The long "prevailing-wind" runway is being finished at the local airport this week. It is 1930 feet in length and 230 feet wide. After next week work will start on two more cross runways, one to be 2200 feet long and the other 1500 feet.

Negotiations are underway for the purchase of a portable hanger to house five planes.

The long-dreamed-of airport for Smethport which the Democrat started agitating 14 years ago, is at last a reality.

Many firms and individuals are cooperating with Messrs. Alexander and Barnhart to help with the expensive project. Smethport borough is donating use of a roller, Keating township is providing a tractor, A. M. Anderson, Socony-Vacuum distributor, and the Quaker State Refining Co. have contributed a large quantity of gasoline and oil, Cleveland & Sons Garage, who donated a great deal of truck service, and the Smethport Conopus Club and individuals are helping in a substantial manner. However, the more assistance forthcoming, the better the port will be. With sufficient help, Alexander and Barnhart will build the best airport in this section of the state.

A blueprint of the airport is on display in the show window of the Corner Drug Store.
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New Airport Means Much To Smethport
McKean County Democrat July 26, 1934

No doubt most local people are under the impression that the new Smethport Airport, being constructed by Herman Alexander and Clark Barnhart, on the Rual Evans' O.K. Farm, near East Smethport is more or less of an amusement enterprise of limited scope.

However, some airminded persons with vision which it is hoped will be prophetic, visualize the port of the near-future as a great aerial crossroads for regularly scheduled passenger and mail flights between Buffalo and Pittsburgh and Buffalo and Washington D.C.

Already it is reported that an inspector of the United Air Transport Co. intends to look over the field with the excellent possibility that it may be approved by the company. This approval would no doubt mean that there would be some financial aid granted for improvements, including some kind of an emergency illumination system. It is only a short distance across the Potato Creek to the high tension transmission lines of the Bradford Electric Co. which supply Smethport with current.

Smethport occupies a strategic position closely linked with the Emporium airport and others to the the South and established ports to the north in the dangerous Allegheny foothill country, the lack of suitable landing fields in which has seriously retarded, in fact rendered imposssible, the creation of any regular air lines any closer than the great east-west transcontinental route which traverses the Clarion-Dubois air trail to the south.

In the event of storms to the south, it is not entirely impossible that the east-west trans-continental air-liners might be re-routed to the north over Smethport from time-to-time.

Just a few weeks ago a huge transport ship which had evidently been forced northward by a terrible electric storm to the south, passed eastbound over town, its tremendously powerful multiple engines roaring to detour around the storm area.

Smethport would not be far from the route of a third air line, Philadelphia to Erie and Cleveland, if such were established.

With the intended plans of creating seeded runways in the form of a giant X over 200 feet wide and both more than 2000 feet long with the addition of a shorter cross runway and hanger facilities, Smethort is apt to occupy an important spot on the airways maps of Northwestern Pennsylvania.

It is hoped that members of the Bucktail Post will volunteer to touch up the aerial sign painted on the roof of the Legion Tyeeun and paint another large arrow pointed toward the new port as soon as it is licensed permanently. The directional arrow, now considerably faded, points to the north, in absence of a local port formerly, in according with U.S. Department of Commerce regulations.

Some federal aid may be available for improving the local port, inasmuch as it is a municipal project, with both Smethport and Keating township operating in its construction. It can easily be made into the finest field in this section, being much better than the Bradford port, which is handicapped by tha fact that it is only a two-way field. As such, the Bradford port can never, it is reported, secure the position which its other facilities easily entitle it to.

Headed by Herman Alexander, employed by the McKean county maintenance division of the Pennsylvania Department of Highways, and a licensed transport pilot with years of flying experience, Smethport has a good start for a sizeable aviation colony. Pierre Allison, son of County Detective and Mr. J. J. Allison, salesman for the Quirk Garage, is a graduate of the Parks Air College, St. Louis, Mo., Lindbergh's old base. Mr. Allison specialized in ground work but is now putting in time for his transport pilot's license. Clark Barnhart, Mr. Alexander's Associate, has soloed for some time and will soon be elgible for license. Raphael Kessler, III, is a student pilot and plans to purchase a plane some time in the future. Several other local men are prospective student pilots and plane owners.

Mr. Alexander gives instructions in aviation at the low rate of $10 per hour.

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Local Pilot Flew To Chicago
McKean County Democrat August 16, 1934

Herman Alexander, local transport pilot, left the Kane Airport at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday for an aerial jaunt to Chicago.

Mr. Alexander piloted the Ryan cabin monoplane owned by J. L. Hinaman of Williamsport. Mr. Hinaman and two sons and another Willamsport man were passengers. Chicago was reached in 4 1/2 hours.
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Urge Boro To Finish Airport With CWA Aid
McKean County Democrat August 16, 1934

A general movement has been launched to fully complete Smethport's fine new Evans farm airport on the East Valley road this fall and place it conspicuously on the nation's map of airways.

At the September meeting of the borough council a delegation of citizens will seek action by that body to have the borough officially sponsor a municipal airport without cost or obligation to the taxpayers.

The plan is to seek National CWA funds for the labor as a further local unemployment relief work and this aid, which is available for the asking, can be secured by Smethport without cost or the involving of responsibility of the borough.

As the situation stands, the airport program can be completed with the construction of two more runways to assure all-weather safe landing facilities, which would make it one of the greatest flying fields in this section of the United States, outside of Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Erie.

It is found that these runways can be completed, including grading, installation of drainage tile and grass seeding of the entire field, for a cost not to exceed $2,000, and this mostly for labor, which would come under the government's CWA relief program.

At the present time one "prevailing wind" runway 1930 feet in length and 230 feet wide stands completed and has been in successful use since Old Home Week.

This runway was completed entirely at the private expense of Herman Alexander, local transport pilot, and his flying partner, Clark Barnhart, assisted by donations of materials and labor by a number of local individuals who desired to provide the town with a needed airport and aided by donations of use of road-building machinery by Keating township and Smethport borough.

Thanks to the generous cooperation of Ruel Evans, owner of the O.K. Farm, a real aviation booster, Messrs. Alexander and Barnhart were given a most generous lease on the land.

The parties of both parts are willing to turn this lease over to the borough without cost and with the assurance that the aiport will thereafter be operated and maintained to be self-sustaining without cost to the town.

However, the borough must officially sponsor the project as a municipal airport if CWA aid is to be available.

Two planes controlled by Alexander and Barnhart will be quartered permanently at the local port and three more planes will be located here as soon as the field is fully completed -- making a fleet of five ships.

Mr. Alexander, one of the country's foremost transport pilots, intends to give flying instructions to student aviators at the airport.

There is also a strong possibility that the port, if and when completed, will figure conspicuously on the route of a proposed new airplane service between Buffalo and Washington to be inaugurated soon.

Aviators who have inspected the local flying field are enthusiastic over its location and possibility for development. The field easily passed the state requirements when it was offically inspected a few weeks ago.

It is high time for Smethort to awaken to the fact that the time has come when an airport is absolutely necessary to any community which expects to advance.

A meeting of interested citizens, including President W. H. Rockman and several members of the Smethport Conopus Club, was held Monday night at the office of A. M. Anderson, local Vacuum Oil Co. distributor, and discussion of the airport plan brought forth much enthusiasm.

It was voted to send a committee to the next meeting of the borough council to seek the necessary official action to fully complete the airport project.
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Council Turns Down Borough Airport Plan
McKean County Democrat October 4, 1934

Inability To Secure A Clear Title Is Given As Reason

The proposition of Smethport borough acquiring a municipal airport failed Monday evening when a special committee rendered an adverse report at the regular meeting of the borough council.

Investigation by the committee and Borough Solicitor C. W. Shattuck revealed that it would be impossible to secure a clear title to the portion of Valley road where Herman Alexander and Clark Barnhart had offered to deed to the borough for the sum of $1.00 per year.

Members of the council feared that if they assumed ownership of the port and if money, including possible PWA or CWA aid, was expended, that legal difficulties might ensue in the future which would cause the borough to lose the port or be compelled to go to extra expense in securing a clear title.

Messrs. Alexander and Barnhart, who have done considerable work on their own initiative at the airport near East Smethport, hold a 99-year lease on the property. However, as individuals, they are not able to secure funds which the federal government is donating to encourage establishment of aviation fields throughout the country.
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Smethport Airport Is Licensed By The State
McKean County Democrat January 17, 1935

A state inspector visited the Smethport Airport on the Rual Evans O.K. Farm, East Smethport last week, and after a careful examination pronounced the field entirely qualified for state commercial license.

The inspector expressed suprise that the airport was so favorably situated on level land in this mountainous section. He was enthusiastic over possibilities of development of the field, saying it could easily be made one of the best in Northwestern Pennsylvania.

The Smethport Airport was operated briefly last year by Transport Pilot Herman Alexander and Pilot Clark Barnhart of Smethport, aided by several concerns and individuals. It was temporarily licensed for passenger flights and student instruction at that time.

Considerable grading has been done on one runway. Plans have been drawn and approved for another crossrunway.

The borough council for some time has been considering the advisability of assuming control of the airport, thus making it elgible for federal aid. This action has been held up by legal technicalities beclouding title to the land.

Smethport is now on the aerial maps issued by state and national departments of aeronautics and will also be listed on Rand-McNally maps.
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Pilot Alexander Buys Airplane
McKean County Democrat April 11, 1935

Herman Alexander, Smethport transport pilot, has purchased a Stinson 4-passenger cabin monoplane. The plane was flown Sunday from Meadville to the Kane Airport by Mr. Alexander and housed in the hangar there.

The handsome craft, which is practically new, is powered by a 9-cylinder Lycoming engine rated at 215 horsepower. The engine was manufactured at the Lycoming plant in Williamsport and is of the radial type.

Possessing a crusing speed 100 miles per hour, the Stinson has a top speed of over 115 m. p. h. It is a dual controlled for relief pilot or student instruction, the two pilots sitting side-by-side. This arrangement is much more satisfactory for students than two open cockpits connected by phone only.

The plane, a late model, has all standard naviagation instruments. It has brakes and other modern devices, including a self-starter which does away with the dangerous necessity of turning the propeller by hand to start the engine.

A handsome color scheme of green and cream is used for decoration of the monoplane. It has comfortable leather-upholstered seats, which are adjustable.

Pilot Alexander states that the ship may be chartered for flight to any point in the country at a reasonable figure. The cost of the average flight will be little more than railroad train fare for a full pay load.

The airplanes will also be available at all times for short sight-seeing flights and student instruction.
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Aviators Busy Here Sunday
McKean County Democrat June 6, 1935

Last Sunday was a busy day for aviation here.

Transport Pilot Herman Alexander, flying his beautiful new Stinson cabin monoplane, and Pilot Clark Barnhart, flying his Waco biplane, landed at the Smethport Airport, East Valley Road, for the first time this season.

Local aviation enthusiasts have been doing considerable work at the local port lately.

Pilot Alexander made a number of flights with passengers during the day. He gave a splendid exhibition of skill by maneuvering his big ship down on the lone runway with a strong cross-wind blowing. Mr. Alexander, with over 3,000 hours in the air, can manipulate a plane in a manner which might well be described as "artistic".

While the two local aviators were at the Smethport Airport, two other crafts passed over, one of them a large transport ship.

No developments are reported on the the project of establishing a municipal airport here and making application for federal emergency relief labor for its improvements.

It is hoped that the proposition will not be allowed to die a natural death.
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Kennedy Lauds Pilot Alexander
McKean County Democrat July 11, 1935

John B. Kennedy, prominent journalist radio news commentator and former editor of Colliers was secured to deliver a remarkable address in Ludlow July 4th, through the initiative of James A. Connelly, Ludlow manufacturer in using the airways to transport the speaker, who had previously been booked to deliver an address in Hartford, Conn. the same date.

Mr. Kennedy flew by plane from Newark, N.J., to Kane Thursday morning and traveled by motor the few miles to Ludlow in time to speak at noon.

Following the speech he returned to the Kane landing field and boarded the Stinson cabin plane owned by Herman Alexander, Smethport transport pilot.

Redfield Gillett of Smethport was a third passenger in the plane for the trip to Hartford and return.

The trip to Hartford was made in 2 hours and 15 minutes.

In the Catskill region of New York stormy weather was encountered and Alexander flew around the mountain peaks, rather than over them, due to low ceiling.

Mr. Kennedy was profoundly impressed with Alexander's flying skill.

That night, at Kennedy's insistance, Alexander and Gillett accompanied him to the Hartford broadcasting station while the celebrated news commentator gave his regular broadcast over the radio network.

Kennedy devoted much of his talk to a discription of his flight noting the fact that Alexander and Gillett were in the studio with him and paying the Smethport pilot high tribute for his skill.

The local men found Mr. Kennedy to be a regular fellow.

Alexander and Gillett spent the night in Hartford and returned to the Smethport airport Friday morning.

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Boys Tamper With Plane -- Force Landing
McKean County Democrat July 11, 1935

After making a successful flight to Hartford, Conn., under adverse conditions, last Thursday afternoon, Transport Pilot Herman Alexander was forced to land his big Stinson cabin monoplane in a hayfield on the farm of Dominic Isadore, near the Smethport Country Club last Friday afternoon.

Reason for failure of the engine, which stopped over McCoy Stadium, was lack of gasoline resulting from the closing of valves by unknown persons. It is believed that children, climbing over the plane as it rested at Smethport Airport, closed the gasoline lines between the tanks and carburetor.

They landed here at 1 o'clock Friday afternoon, taking off for Kane later.

When the engine quit over town, Mr. Alexander at first inclined to land in the Stadium but changed his mind when he decided he could make the Isadore hayfield. With the utmost skill, he skipped over the chimney tops of residences on Hilton avenue, swooped over a patch of plowed ground and made a perfect landing just short of a barbed wire fence and close to Blacksmith Brook.

It was necessary for Mr. Isadore to cut a swath through his heavy crop of hay before Mr. Alexander could take to the air again Saturday afternoon.

Forced landings are not exactly a novelty to Pilot Alexander, who has over 3,500 hours of cross-country flying to his creditl, in addition to many more hours of "just flying about". It was Student Pilot Gillett's first experience of this kind.

Last summer, Mr. Alexander made a perfect landing on the Marvin Comes farm when a piston broke in his Ryan monoplane.
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Alexander Will Stunt Big Plane
McKean County Democrat July 25, 1935

Transport Pilot Herman Alexander, ordinarily the most conservative of birdmen, has agreed to put his big Stinson cabin plane through a series of stunts at the Smethport Airport next Sunday afternoon after the local baseball game between the Quakers and St. Marys, W. Va., Sterlings. The exhibition will occur at about 5:30 p.m.

Mr. Alexander will do all the tricks possible with a ship of the Stinson's size and power to create interest in aviation here and to entertain the crowd.

A large number were thrilled by a similar exhibition by Mr. Alexander at the Kane Airport last Sunday afternoon.

The Waco biplane owned by Clark Barnhart will also fly from the local port all day next Sunday.

Passengers will be carried in either ship by Mr. Alexander all day.

Local aviaiton boosters have done a great deal of grading on the lone "prevailing wind" runway and it's in first-class condition, in spite of handicaps imposed by adverse weather during the past week. The sizeable hump in the middle has been pared down and other improvements made.

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Pilot Alexander Thrills Citizens
McKean County Democrat August 2, 1935

Transport Pilot Herman Alexander thrilled Smethport residents last Sunday afternoon when he went through a series of difficult maneuvers with the big Stinson cabin plane.

The stunting was postponed from the preceding Sunday on account of rain.

A large number of people visited the Smethport Airport last Sunday and Mr. Alexander made a series of passenger flights. In addition to giving instructions to students.

Kenneth Green, son of Mr. and Mrs. Sam Green of East Valley Road has added his name to the sizeable list of local student-pilots. Rates for instructions in flying are $10.00 per hour, by the way, and is hoped that other residents of Smethport and vicinity will learn to fly.

The Stinson and Clark Barnhart's Waco biplane will be here again next Sunday, weather permitting. If the local field is too wet the planes will go to Emporium to participate in the air meet to be held there next Saturday and Sunday.
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Pilot Makes Two Flights To Cleveland Air Races
McKean County Democrat September 5, 1935

Transport Pilot Herman Alexander of Smethport made two flights to Cleveland over the weekend taking passengers in his Stinson cabin monoplane to attend the National Air Races.

The first flight was made Saturday morning with Student Pilot Raphael Kessler, III, Dr. R. E. Hockenberry and Willim Taylor as passengers. The party returned Sunday morning and Pilot Alexander immediately took off again for Cleveland with Student Pilot Harold German and Kenton Abbey of Smethport and Edgar Johnson of Mt. Jewett as passengers. The last return trip was made Monday evening.
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Municipal Field For Smethport
McKean County Democat September 12, 1935

Council Acts To Put Airport In Line For Federal Aid

President W. A. Ostrander called a special meeting of the Smethport borough council Tuesday night to take additional action on the proposition of creating a municipal airport for Smethport.

As a result of the meeting there now exists a Smethport Municipal Airport, thanks to a council unanimously adopting a resolution to assume a lease on the Ruel Evans O.K. Farm field on the East Valley road formerly held by Herman Alexander and Clark Barnhart.

Another council resolution, also unanimously adopted, calls for prompt application for either Federal Works Progress Administration or State Emergency Relief Board to aid to the extent of about $25,000, to be used in improving the landing field.

The council was informed that the sum of $2,000, pledged by a number of interested individuals, is now available for the sponsors' requisite provision of materials to be used in improving the airport. An additional $500 is also guaranteed for maintenance during the five-year minimum period the borough will be responsible for the project. However, it is expected that the rental of hangars will more than cover cost of maintainance.

As soon as the airport is constructed, the council will immediately re-lease the property to responsible private parties who will assume active management and the proceeding will relieve the borough of all liability.

Federal or State aid is only given to municipally-owned airport -- not to private individuals.

It was pointed out at the council meeting that the county commissioners can allocate funds to municipal airports. President Ostrander appointed Councilmen Freeman, German and Burdick as a committee to visit the McKean commissioners and ascertain if county aid is available.

Last spring the local council passed a resolution expressing favorable sentiment toward a municipal airport and paving the way for the Conopus Club aviation committee and other interested persons to go ahead with solicitation of funds and completion of extensive legal and engineering details. Attorneys E. G. Potter and Joseph P. Wilson prepared the legal forms, while C. L. Lorah provided surveys and estimates.

I financial aid is forthcoming from Federal or State sources, and there is an excellent chance it will be, Smethport will have a $30,000 airport, with hangars and three smooth runways for all-direction use. Roughly, the runways, all about 2,000 feet long, will resemble a huge "X" with a line drawn horizontally through the middle. Planes can land from six points of the compass.

At least $2,000 worth of improvements have already been made to the field by Messrs. Alexander, Barnhart and local aviation enthusiasts.

Smethport council will not be required to spend a cent for construction or maintenance of the airport.

Council members present at the meeting Tuesday night were: Ostrander, Burdick, German, Johnson, Dickinson and Freeman. Burgess Daniel Bacon was present. Citizens in attendance included Raphael Kessler, III, C. L. Lorah, Dr. R. E. Hockenberry, A. M. Anderson, Clark Barnhart, Attorney Joseph P. Willson and Kenton Abbey.
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Alexander Participates In Annual State Air Tour
McKean County Airport October 17, 1935

Transport Pilot Herman Alexander flew his Stinson cabin monoplane in the annual Pennsylvania air tour over the week-end, but left the large aerial squadron at Erie and returned home on Sunday after the flight was delayed by bad weather conditions.

It had been planned to continue from Erie to Scranton and Philadelphia but all pilots abandoned the flight at Scranton.

Pilot Alexander was accompanied by Raphael Kessler, III, and Redfield Gillett, local student pilots, and C. L. Lorah, WPA engineer, also of this place.

The air tour started in Harrisburg.
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Local Pilot's Plane Crashed In Kane Sunday
McKean County Democrat May 7, 1936

H. Alexander Badly Injured -- R. Kessler Slighlty Hurt

H. Alexander, 33, Smethport transport pilot, was seriously injured Sunday when his Waco biplane crashed a few seconds after taking off from the Kane Airport. Mr. Alexander has a broken nose and fractured left wrist. It was first thought that his skull was fractured but it is now believed that this did not occur.

A report from the Kane Community Hospital, where the pilot was rushed after the crash, indicated that his condition was good yesterday.

Raphael Kessler, III, Smethport student pilot, the other occupant of the plane, escaped with lacerations of the face and bruises. He was attended at the hospital and discharged.

It was Mr. Alexander's first serious accident in years of flying. He has been compelled to execute several forced landings but always before escaped injury to himself or passengers and major plane damage.

The local pilot has more than 3500 hours of cross-country flying in his log book. He has held a transport license ever since they were first issued about 10 years ago. The writer, who has flown at least eight hours as a passenger in Mr. Alexander's plane, can testify not only to his ability, which is obvious, but also to the fact he never took an unnecessary chance.

Mr. Alexander was unexpectantly faced with one of the worst situations in aviation -- motor failure at the dead end of the airport at such a low altitude that the plane is limited insofar as gliding or turning range is concerned. A similar accident cost the lives of Will Rogers and Wiley Post in Alaska.

Mr. Kessler, who has had about twenty hours experience as a student pilot, was handling the plane at the take-off. Direction of the cross-wing forced him to use the field's shortest runway, about 1400 feet in length.

The ship handled to the satisfaction of the pilot in the early stages of the takeoff, for he gunned the motor and started to climb.

At an altitude of about fifty feet the motor started to misfire. By this time the plane was at the end of the runway and just about to go over a copse of saplings about 300 feet wide.

At this point Alexander took the controls in the front cockpit and attempted to bring the crippled ship in a circle back to the airport. Unable to reach the field, he had to land in a pasture, full of rocks and holes.
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Alexander Flys Again After Being Injured in Plane Crash
McKean County Democrat June 4, 1936

Transport Pilot Herman Alexander of Smethport, who received fractures of the wrist and nose when his Waco biplane was forced down at the Kane Airport early in May, resumed flying last week.

Pilot Alexander carried passengers in his Stinson cabin plane from the Kane field on Memorial Day and has resumed instruction on his large class of student pilots.

Pilot Lester Simons, formerly of Ridgway, who is now employed in Kane as a garage mechanic, put on a one-man air circus when he stunted at the airport on Memorial Day.
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Huge Tri-Motored Ford Plane Flys In Smethport
June 18, 1936 McKean County Democrat

The Morrison & Denning Service Station, dealers in Mobilgas and Mobiloil have been sponsoring the appearance of a 16-passenger, trimotored Ford plane here this week.

The monster sky-cruiser arrived at the Smethport Airport on the East Valley Road at 2:00 o'clock. It came from Indiana, Pa., with Harold German, Mrs. Herman Alexander and Fred Heinletn of Smethport and Mr. and Mrs. Harry Schloppy of Betula as passengers.

Passengers will be carried by the ship here until 1:00 o'clock Friday afternoon, when it will leave for Emporium.

The giant plane is one of the largest of its kind in America, with 1,000 total nationally-known transport pilots. Capt. J. Mac. Gilmour, former United States airmail pilot, has safely carried over 100,000 passengers, and A. T. Hartman, who has had four years commercial flying experience.

Safety of the passengers riding in the plane is assured by use of three independent motor plants, all metal construction throughout and the ship's being manned by a pilot and co-pilots at all times. The big plant cost $56,000 and is capable of carrying sixteen passengers. It is equipped with three Wright whirlwind motors of over 300 horsepower each. Some of its modern conveniences include lavatory, electric lights, dressing room, and heat. It has a wing spread of 76 feet and weighs 10,000 pounds when loaded. It is capable of a top speed of 150 miles an hour and has a cruising speed of 125 miles an hour. The visit of this plane is offering the people an opportunity to ride in absolute safety and luxurious comfort.
return to Harriet Rockefeller's Account of the Smethport Airport
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Air Mail Pickup
The McKean County Democrat January 23, 1941

Extension of air mail pick up service has been requested for the nearby towns of Bradford and Kane, Pa., and Olean and Salamanca, N.Y. The application was forwarded to the Civil Aeronautics Board by All American Aviation, Inc., at the request of the communities involved.

Smethport, although somewhat smaller in population than these towns, is located geographically so that it should be included in any extension of air mail service involving Bradford, Kane, or Olean with little or no additional expense to the government.

A large airport or perhaps no airport at all lis required to pick up the mail on the fly. The landing field used by Smethport aviation enthusiasts could probably be used for this purpose.

Smethport, as the county seat, is a nerve center of the county and due to the type of industry here, this pick up of air mail by plane is no longer an extravagance but a neccessity.

We can't get anything unless we ask for it, let's ask.
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