WINGS ACROSS THE CHANNEL
CATALINA ISLAND'S AVIATION HISTORY
PART ONE: 1912-1945
May Day. On May 10, 2007, an aerial firefighting armada saved the town of Avalon from certain destruction by a raging wildfire. This salvation from the skies was borne of a legacy of aviation on the Island that began exactly 95 years earlier.
Take Off. On May 10, 1912, aviation legend Glenn Martin made the first flight to Catalina Island, bringing with him a bold new world of daring aviators in their flying machines. With Hollywood's nouveau riche flocking to the Island, Catalina was blazing new trails in the skies.
Turbulence. World War II closed the Island to tourism and civil aviation on Catalina slowed to a crawl. This segment chronicles not only the role of aviation on the Island during the war, but the Island's many non-aviation contributions to the war effort as well.
PART TWO: 1946-PRESENT
Knight Flights. With the end of the war came the return of the seaplanes and the pilots who flew them. Throughout the Golden Age of the Catalina seaplanes, the "Knights of Avalon" tirelessly flew their Grumman Goose G-21s and the mighty Sikorsky VS-44 "Mother Goose" (pictured) to the Island, sharing the skies above Avalon with wheeling seagulls and lazy lines of pelicans.
Final Approach. The 1970s and '80s were the "last hurrah" for the seaplanes as well as scheduled fixed-wing land-based aviation on Catalina. Dozens of new airlines came on the scene, but it wasn't enough to stem the march of time versus the aging equipment. Rising air fares and an increasing number of accidents heralded the end of a unique era in America's aviation history.
