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Catalina Air Transport-Airplane diving - A little history
Dr. Bill wrote:
It never ceases to amaze me that 35 years ago we had air service from Catalina's Airport-in-the-Sky to LAX, Oxnard, Santa Barbara and other mainland destinations back when the population of the town was about 1,500. Golden West Airlines flew DeHavilland otters. I used to fly up to S.B. to see my then girlfriend since I didn't own a car on the mainland until 1976. Now, with a population of nearly 4,000 we have no such service.
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FYI.
It never ceases to amaze me that so much diving history has been forgotten...
Prior to WW11, in the 1930s a company was established called "Avalon Air Transport" (AAT) which provided regularly scheduled daily flights from Long Beach to Avalon, using the then popular amphibians fling boats. They would fly off the hard runway at Long Beach Air Port and land in the crystal clear waters at Avalon bay discharging their passengers high and dry at a special dock in the harbor.
At that time the Casino was holding regularly scheduled big band concerts; the attendees had two travel choices, the exciting 30 minute air plane ride or the 3 hour rocking and tossing Great White Steamship ( which now is slowly deteriorating in Ensenada, Mexico harbor.--so sad! )
The airplanes of choice prior to WW11 was the Skorsky (SP?) amphibian flying boats. Some time after WW11 the company switched to the Grumman series of flying boats; the Wigeon, Duck and Goose, the Duck and the larger Goose being used the most; however I seem to recall flying to Avalon one time during a winter trip on the smaller Wigeon.
A dive buddy's parents had a summer home in Avalon so during the winter months of 1950s-60s I flew to the island a number of times and spent the week end diving the harbor for bottles and other antiques long buried in the sand.
I don't recall the exact date but there was a terrible accident involving an amphibian and a fishing boat underway in the Avalon harbor, which was possible a contributing factor along with the age of the Grumman airplanes-which were produced in the 1930s for the demise of AAT. (Dr. Bill please check with Lorraine Sadler athe chamber or some other long term Catalina resident and they possibly can provide additional details of the accident and the demise of AAT landing in the harbor)
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Some of you who may have access to early SKin Diver Magazines might recall the story...
Winter 1955...A group of LA county UW instructors joined forces and charted a Grumman Goose, the very same airplane that flew regularly from Long Beach air port to Catalina island for a fast hop to the then never dove Cortez banks.
The participants met at LB airport, donned their costumes of diving. Leaving their clothes behind were off for the adventure and dive of their life
The conditions were fantastic! Calm seas, not a ripple, just right for the first recreational dive on the Banks. The Goose landed in calm seas, the divers jumped off the airplane into the crystal clear water for the dive of a life time, a never dove area in the middle of the Pacific ocean. With in a very short time the divers had limited out on huge lobsters, which in 1955 the limit was 10 lobsters. In ones and twos crawled back on board to the comfort of the flying boat and and in a very few moments were back on the ground in Long Beach.
The owner of Avalon Air Transport Company made the unilateral decision that it would be the first and the very last such airplane adventure
Difficult to recall the participants at this juncture..there was about 10 or possibly 12 divers - some who come to mind were..Chuck Blakeslee, of Compton, founder of Skin Diver Magazine (SDM) and the organizer of the adventure, Herb Samson, the UW camera/spear gun manufacture of Costa Mesa, Nelson "Doc" Mathinson of Long Beach,who graced the front cover of the first issue of SDM in December 1951 and Harry Vetter, of Lakewood, who was on the back cover the same issue of SDM, and now holds the distinction of being the oldest living NAUI instructor - #4.
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A short time after the Cortez trip, Herb Samson purchased a Republic Aviation "Sea Bee" amphibian high wing pusher type aircraft After a day at his machine shop on 17 street in Costa Mesa Herb would also dress in his diving uniform jump in his airplane which he keep at the then very rural Orange County air port and fly solo over to the island for a few hours of spear fishing.
He would fly back to OC AP, scrub the salt water off, secure the aircraft and home a be on time for dinner.
After Herb gave up diving due to a number of reasons the airplane was stored in a field behind his Costa Mesa shop for many years..He never flew it again and it slowly deteriorated to a useless non operational airplane.
Sam, I was living here when the two men were beheaded by the seaplane flying through the harbor to land. I don't think Lorraine lived here then. I can't remember the exact date, but it must have been the late 60's or more likely the early 70's. During that period I lived out at Toyon Bay which was somewhat isolated from the events in Avalon.
I used to fly in the seaplanes when they landed in Avalon Bay... certainly much faster than the steamer (which only ran in the summer) or the old Cabrillo and other early boats which ran in the winter. There actually were two competing seaplane operations... the blue and the red. After that incident they began landing at the seaplane ramp on the Mole if I remember correctly, but then at Pebbly Beach a bit later.
I don't remember the exact year the Grumman Gooses were discontinued, but Trans Catalina Airlines did run the larger Mallards into the late 70's. I remember flying in them around 78 or 79.
Very cool days and cold diving...the dry suit of Bill Barada didn't come on scene until late Hugh Bradners wet suit didn't arrive until 1954...or was it 53?.
I Some how suspect there are pictures of early Catalina all over the Island and possibly the electronic high way
I admire you living on Whidbey Island. The Island which produces one of the world's greatest greatest "tonics."
I can remember, as a kid, flying out to the isthmus on both a big flying boat and a smaller twin (goose I'd guess).
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"Too often ... people enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought" - Leapfrog
"... what good would it have done? People like this are always right and no one can ever prove otherwise." - Paladin954
"It truly does boil down to motivation ... if you believe something is hard, or unnecessary to learn, you won't learn it ... even if it's completely within your capability" - Bob (Grateful Diver)
I always flew the Goose and never once took the "Great White Steamer." Heck the Goose got me to Long Beach (and home) in 18 minutes while the steamer took nearly 3 hours. No thanks.
As for the wrecks of our Grumman Goose aircraft, there are a few off the island. I almost was involved in one becoming a wreck in 150 ft of water when the pilot didn't see the old Coast Guard mooring can due to a setting sun. It would undoubtedly have been the last "dive" of my life and that was back in the early 70's.
[QUOTE=drbill;4205706]I always flew the Goose and never once took the "Great White Steamer." Heck the Goose got me to Long Beach (and home) in 18 minutes while the steamer took nearly 3 hours. No thanks.
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You should have taken the Great White Steam ship just once-- To travel in luxury to the island on such a magnificent ship was a privilege that will be imbedded in my sub-conciseness for ever....The live band, dancing, the party atmosphere, the docking at Avalon --the local kids diving for coins -- You missed out on a opportunity of a life time.
Now the Great White Steamship is no more. After being at anchor in the Ensenada harbor for many years and slowly deteriorating it was sold for scrap and is being dismantled.
My only regret is that on my way south I flew past it numerous times and not once did I take the time to snap a few pictures in it's later days
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