Standard to Texas (and Beyond)

Airofher Passenger Airline

While Western Air Express had introduced passenger service along the California corridor, another enterprising company was doing the same (also without a mail contract) in the south. The Aero Corporation of California, an aircraft deal­ership and flying school, had formed a subsidiary, Standard Airlines, on 3 February 1926, incorporating it (as a Nevada Corporation) on 1 May 1928.

Creature Comforts

The Fokker Universals and a F-VIIa which at first comprised Standard’s fleet were adequate to fly from Los Angeles to Tucson; but the journey was quite long when service started on 28 November 1927. Recognizing a need, it provided on­board “comfort facilities limited to men.’’ But a brief stop was made for women at Desert Center, where “a solitary filling station boasted two crude outhouses.”

Transcontinental Ambitions

Standard’s officers included Lieut. Jack Frye, president; Paul Richter, Jr., treasurer; and Walter Hamilton, 2nd vice-president. As early as 4 February 1929, Frye announced the inauguration of “America’s First Transcontinental Air-Rail Travel Route.” This claim was made by extending its route beyond Tucson to El Paso, where it connected with the Texas and Pacific Rail­road. The claim became more legitimate, albeit still stretching the definition a little, when the coast-to-coast linkage was com­pleted on 4 August of that year by an alliance with Southwest Air Fast Express and the New York Central Railroad.

STANDARD AIR LINES

Purchased by Western Air Express, 1 May 1930

Los Angeles. —*3^ p El Paso

Service opened Phoenix

28 Nov. 1927 Tucson’ __

Douglas

Harris Hanshue expanded Western Air Express’s network considerably during 1929 and 1930, as shown in the map on page 20. The purchase of Standard Air Lines consolidated W. A.E. ’a grip on the airways west of the Rockies, but the T. A.T. merger reduced Hanshue’s influence and he sold this southern transcontinental link to American Airways in October 1930, to complete the latter’s coast-to-coast link-up.