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New York Airways Collection

National Air and Space Museum

Object Details

Creator
Wheatland, Richard, II, 1923-2009
Names
Air Transport Association of America
American Helicopter Society
Bell Helicopter Company
Civil Aeronautics Board
Civil Aeronautics Board
Eastern Airlines, Inc.
International Air Transport Association
Los Angeles Airways
New York Airways
Pan American World Airways, Inc.
Port of New York Authority
Sikorsky (Aircraft manufacturer)
Trans World Airlines
Topic
Aeronautics
Aeronautics, Commercial
Aeronautics, Commercial -- United States
Air mail service
Airports
Airports -- New York
Helicopters
Helicopter transportation
Periodicals
Provenance
Richard Wheatland II, Gift, 1973, 1992, NASM.1992.0052
Creator
Wheatland, Richard, II, 1923-2009
See more items in
New York Airways Collection
Summary
Collection consists of materials created by and collected by Richard Wheatland II during the period when he served as a Vice President of New York Airways (1953-1968), a helicopter airline operating in the New York City metropolitan area from 1952-1977.
Biographical / Historical
Incorporated on August 31, 1949, New York Airways (NYA), one of the first three helicopter carriers certificated by the United States Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), began mail service between New York City's three major airports on October 15, 1952, and on July 8, 1953, inaugurated the world's first regularly scheduled passenger helicopter service. As was the case with all of the helicopter carriers, NYA depended heavily on government subsidies for its economic health, but worked steadily towards its goal of financial self-sufficiency, extending its routes into nearby Connecticut and New Jersey, carrying freight, and doing charter work. In October 1955, NYA signed joint fare agreements with many national and international airlines, promoting their service by making it easier for passengers transferring to and from the major New York City airports to go "all the way by air." As ground traffic in the New York metropolitan area became increasingly congested, NYA, based at LaGuardia Airport, worked closely with the Port of New York Authority (PONYA) to establish heliports on the island of Manhattan, inaugurating service into the West 30th Street Heliport in 1956 and the Wall Street Heliport (at Pier 6 on the East River) in 1960. In December 1956, as part of a campaign to break the color barrier in the airline industry, NYA hired pilot Perry H. Young, Jr.; Young made his first regularly scheduled flight for NYA as a co-pilot on February 5, 1957, becoming the the first Black pilot for a commercial airline in the United States. High operating costs continued to be an issue for all of the helicopter carriers, and in 1958, after continuing criticism from the CAB on the subject of alleged excessive costs and increasing subsidy need, NYA was forced to suspend some services. In 1961 Congress put a ceiling on helicopter carrier subsidy payments. The 1964-1965 New York World's Fair provided NYA the opportunity to add passenger and sightseeing service to and from the rooftop heliport of the Port of New York Authority Building at the Fair. Ever seeking a way to reduce its need for government subsidies (which were eventually withdrawn), in June 1965 NYA entered into operating support agreements with Trans World Airlines (TWA) and Pan American World Airways, whose passengers were some of NYA's biggest customers. NYA is perhaps most famous for its regularly scheduled passenger service from the rooftop heliport atop the Pan Am Building, inaugurated on December 21, 1965. Though undeniably glamorous, the noisy NYA helicopters were not appreciated by many of their midtown Manhattan neighbors. Service to the Pan Am Building heliport was cancelled on February 18, 1968, due to inadequate passenger loads, then was briefly resumed in early 1977 until a fatal accident on May 16, 1977, ended NYA service from the heliport. Already suffering from financial setbacks and rising fuel prices, NYA ceased operations permanently following a fatal accident at Newark International Airport on April 18, 1979, and filed for bankruptcy the following month in May 1979. Richard Wheatland II, born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1923, served in the United States Navy from 1943-1946 as a deck officer on a destroyer-minelayer in the Pacific; after his discharge he did one year of graduate work in government at Harvard University and then attended Columbia Law School, receiving his law degree in 1949. From 1950 to 1952, Wheatland was based in Paris, France, employed by the US Government in a division of the Office of the Special Representative in Europe for the Marshall Plan. Wheatland returned to New York to join New York Airways in January 1953 as the Manager of the airline's Traffic and Sales Department, and soon became NYA's Vice President of Sales and Service. He was married in 1954 to Cynthia McAdoo. Wheatland left the company in 1968 to take a position in his native home of Boston, and died peacefully at his home on June 26, 2009. NOTE: The airline covered by this collection, New York Airways (1951), should not be confused with an earlier New York Airways (1927) which was founded July 8, 1927, operated as a subsidiary of Pan American Airways, and was sold to Eastern Air Transport on July 15, 1931. It should also not be confused with the unrelated but similarly named New York Air (owned by Frank Lorenzo's Texas Air Corporation) which was founded in late 1980 and ceased operations on February 1, 1987, when it merged with Continental Airlines.
Extent
7.63 Cubic feet (7 records center boxes)
Date
1929-1971
bulk 1952-1969
Archival Repository
National Air and Space Museum Archives
Identifier
NASM.1992.0052
Type
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Correspondence
Clippings
Ephemera
Financial records
Photographs
Publications
Manuscripts
Reports
Timetables
Citation
New York Airways Collection, Acc. NASM.1992.0052, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Arrangement
Contents are in original order as received by NASM Archives. Folders in both series are arranged (roughly) in alphabetical by original folder title. Materials within the folders in Series 2 (1973 Acquisition) tend to appear in reverse chronological order. Multiple copies of the same materials may appear in different folders. Digital images of materials in this collection were repurposed from scans made by an outside contractor for a commercial product and may show irregular cropping, orientation, and color variations. Some materials may not be visible online due to copyright restrictions.
Processing Information
Arranged by donor; Series 1 (1992 Acquisition) described by Liz Dawson, 1992; Series 2 (1973 Acquisition) described by Melissa A. N. Keiser, 2020; encoded by Melissa A. N. Keiser, 2020.
Rights
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Genre/Form
Correspondence
Clippings
Ephemera -- 1940-1970
Financial records
Photographs
Publications
Manuscripts
Reports
Timetables
Scope and Contents
The collection includes a variety of material, probably collected by Richard Wheatland II (1923-2009) during the period 1953-1968 when he served as a Vice President of New York Airways (NYA). The material reflects the administration of the airline and many of the activities of its president, Robert L. Cummings, Jr., as well as its dealings with organizations such as the Air Transport Association (ATA), American Helicopter Society, Bell Helicopter, Eastern Air Lines, the Grand Central Building, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Pan America World Airways (Pan Am), the Port of New York Authority (PONYA), Sikorsky, Trans World Airlines (TWA), other organizations interested in helicopter operations, and the federal government. In addition to administrative correspondence, memoranda, proposals, employee operations manuals, speeches, and reports, there are also a large number of manuscripts and publications, clippings, timetables and other ephemera, and a small number of photographs. New York Airways' fleet included several helicopter models over the airline's lifetime, including the Sikorsky S-55, Sikorsky S-58, Bell 47H (used for charter work), Vertol V-44 (civil version of the Piasecki H-21 Workhorse), Boeing-Vertol Model 107, and Sikorsky S-61L and S-61N models. The collection contains materials relating to these aircraft and helicopter operations in general as well as other vertical flight and short take off and landing (STOL) aircraft including the Cierva CR Twin (CR LTH.1, Grasshopper III), Hughes H-500, Hiller FH-1100, Bell 206 JetRanger, and Fairchild (Pilatus) Porter (Heli-Porter, Turbo-Porter). In addition to the material directly relating to NYA, the collection includes material on topics of interest to the NYA executives. This includes information on the other two helicopter carriers, Los Angeles Airways (LAA) and Helicopter Air Services (HAS) of Chicago, as well as the later San Francisco & Oakland Helicopter Airlines (SFO), and other international, national, and local airlines. Also included are a large number of materials directly relating to air transportation and urban planning issues in the New York City metropolitan area (including northern New Jersey), particularly those related to the airports NYA served: Newark International Airport (IATA airport code EWR) and Teterboro Airport (TEB) in New Jersey, LaGuardia Airport (LGA), West 30th Street Heliport (JRA), Downtown Manhattan/Wall Street Heliport (JRB), Pan Am Building Heliport (JPB), and New York International Airport, Anderson Field, commonly known as "Idlewild" (IDL). New York International Airport was renamed as John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) on December 24, 1963. Series 2I (1973 Acquisition) contains more of Wheatland's personal notes on various topics, and also includes materials on topics of general business executive interest such as public speaking and management techniques.
Restrictions
No restrictions on access
Related link
Record ID
ebl-1529511005124-1529511005127-0
Metadata Usage
CC0
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2b3bbcc9d-3a28-4c1e-b604-d388bf85f32e

In the Collection

Pages

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  • Documents, Meeting, George J. Haney Newark Airport (EWR) helicopter service

  • Air Transport Association of America (ATA), Memoranda

  • Aviation Week and Space Technology, Vol. 82, No. 12

  • Clippings, News

  • Pan American World Airways, 1966 Wallet Calendar featuring Pan Am Building, New York City

  • Reports, Annual Reports

  • New York Airways, "New York Airways Scheduled Helicopter Service effective March 1, 1955: The First Helicopter Airline"

  • Documents, New York Airways, TWA Report, Phase I and II

  • "Combined Timetables, All Scheduled Airlines, Boston to and from …"

  • Manuscripts, "Operational Economics of Scheduled Helicopter Transportation," Robert L. Cummings, Jr.

  • New York Airways Timetable,"New York Airways, Spring Schedule effective March 1, 1966: The Skyline Route"

  • Proposals, "Rezoning New York City"

  • Periodical, Aviation Daily, Vol. 128, No. 4

  • Air Transport Association of America (ATA), Reports, "Regulation by Law of Aircraft Noise Levels from the Viewpoint of United States Airlines"

  • Documents, Local Service Carriers

  • Letter, Robert L. Cummings, Jr. (New York Airways) to Juan Trippe (Pan Am), suggesting NYA operation of helipad to be built on roof of Pan Am Building

  • Notes, Zambia (L.P. Mwanza)

  • Studies, "Reader's Digest Fly-Over Air Pollution Air Survey of New York Metropolitan Area"

  • New York Airways, "Pan Am Building Heliport: Facts and Figures" second copy

  • Documents, New York Airways, Historical

  • Brochure, Fairchild Hiller Aircraft Division, "Heli-Porter STOL Transport" (PR-2-116)

  • Documents, Miscellaneous (1)

  • New York Airways, Visual Presentation

  • New York Airways brochure, "We Now Introduce 30-30 Service"

  • Publications, Periodicals, Lockheed-California Company (Burbank CA), Lockheed Horizons

  • Sikorsky booklet, "When disaster struck..." Sikorsky emergency helicopter response to hurricane flooding in Connecticut, August 19, 1955

  • Publication, The Kiplinger Washington Letter Subsidies for Helicopter Lines

  • Photographs, Proof Sheets

  • Documents, New York Airways, Manual, Policies

  • Notes, "Change Mathis"

  • Paper, "Cost/Benefit Analysis of Short Take-off and Landing (STOL) and Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) Air Transportation for the United States"

  • Manuscripts, "Turning a Rotor into Profit," Harry W. Mitchell (AHS)

  • Air Transport Association of America (ATA), Reports, "Statement of John E. Stephen on Aircraft Noise Abatement"

  • Documents, New York Airways, Confidential Memos, Proposed Budget, September 16, 1964 1 of 2

  • Correspondence, Trans World Airlines (TWA) Proposal

  • Brochure, "Metropolitan New York's Billion Dollar Business," Aviation Development Council (Flushing, New York), June 1967.

  • Brochure, Conference of Local Airlines, "Fly All The Way to 500 cities and towns served by Local Airlines"

  • Documents, New York Airways, Personnel, Robert H. Miller, Jr.

  • Wheatland, Richard, Invitations and Souvenirs

  • Documents, "Airport Affairs"

  • Photographs, Passengers

  • Notes, Air Freight Meeting

  • Documents, Press Contact Address Lists

  • New York Airways Timetable," New York Airways, Fall and Winter Schedule effective October 29, 1967: The Skyline Route"

  • Brochure, "The Happy Helicopter: A New York Airways Production," New York Airways

  • Program, British Airports Authority Dinner, Airports for the Future Conference, St. Ermin's Hotel, London

  • C. M. Plattner, "Airmobile Concept Proves Effectiveness in Guerilla Fight," reprint from Aviation Week and Space Technology

  • Reports, Financial Reports (Quarterly)

  • Document, Pan Am Fire Bill Pan Am Building Helicopter Incident Emergency Instructions

  • Dr. Mortimer Feinberg, "Why Salesmen Fail," The Sales Executive, February 8, ?1965, pages 5-7.

  • Report, The Port of New York Authority PONYA, Manhattan East Side Vertiport-Garage Study (Heliport)

  • Air Transport Association of America (ATA), Speech, Stuart G. Tipton, "How Safe Is Flying?"

  • Publication, The Kiplinger Washington Letter US Population Growth

  • Press Release, New York Airways seeking to hire 18 additional helicopter pilots

  • Documents, New York Airways, Route Map

  • Letter, United States Trust Company, New York Airways 6% Convertible Subordinated Debentures due June 1, 1979

  • Documents, Miscellaneous (3)

  • Documents, New York Airways, Instrument Flight Rules Program

  • Documents, New York Airways, Cargo Improvement Cargo Revenue Forcasts, 1965

  • New York Airways, Comparison Passenger Traffic Results (Notes)

  • Correspondence, Pakistan International Airlines Corporation

  • General Electric, "Helicopter Data Chart Including Convertiplanes"

  • Documents, United Air Lines

  • Notes, Operating Costs "R L C May 1965" Robert L. Cummings, Jr.

  • "Combined Timetables, All Scheduled Airlines, New York to and from …"

  • Report, 20 Phase Maintenance Program

  • New York Airways Timetable," New York Airways, Winter Schedule effective January 5, 1965: The Skyline Route"

  • Proposal, New York Airways - Pan Am "Thru-Flight" Personalized Services

  • Periodical, Flight International, 6 April 1967, Ilife Transportation Publications, Ltd. (London, UK)

  • Documents, United Research Survey of New York Airways passengers from Septemeber 30 to October 6 1963

  • Book, John de S. Coutinho, Program Chairman; Transportation: A Service; Sesquicentennial Forum on Transportation Engineering, August 28-30, 1967, New York Academy of Sciences (New York, NY)

  • Documents, International Air Transport Association (IATA), Airline Code Change from 3 Letters to 2 Letters

  • Documents, New York Airways, Clerical Pay Policy

  • New York Airways Timetable effective September 28, 1953 Skybus, "Helicopter Airlift"

  • Sikorsky brochure, "Presenting the S-62"

  • New York Airways, "Pan Am Building Heliport: Facts and Figures"

  • Trans World Airlines (TWA), "Flite Facts"

  • Cierva Rotorcraft Helicopters

  • Documents, New York Airways, Stock Options (Richard Wheatland II)

  • Studies, Traffic Analysis

  • Map, New York City Metropolitan Area

  • New York Airways Timetable, "Sikorsky Mark II Schedule, 30-30 Service … effective March 2, 1970

  • Correspondence, Freeport Sulphur Helicopters / Petroleum Helicopters

  • Report, Study of Fleet Size, Utilization, Yield and Load Factor

  • Pan American Sales Conference

  • Ticket book blank, New York Airways Helicopter Service, "Copter Checks"

  • Map bound pocket-sized world atlas, copyright George Philip & Son, Ltd.

  • Port Authority

  • US General Services Administration (GSA), Safety Standards for Automotive Vehicles

  • Brochure, Air Transport Association of America (ATA), "Wings Work Wonders for small-city America"

  • Documents, Air Transport Association of America (ATA), Helicopter Fare Absorbtions and General Assistance, from ATA Meeting of April 26, 1965

  • Documents, Inauguration of New York Airways Service from the Pan Am Building Heliport

  • Brochure, Fairchild Hiller Aircraft Division, "Helicopter of the 1970s: FH-1100, Tomorrow's Turbine Power Today" undated

  • Clippings, Training and Management

  • Publications, Periodicals, Hotel Corp of America, Showplace

  • Documents, Exhibits for William C. Burt

  • "Combined Timetables, All Scheduled Airlines, New York to and from …"

  • Studies, "Competition among U.S. International Air Carriers"

  • Periodical, Lockheed Horizons, Issue 6, July 1967, Lockheed-California Company (Burbank, California)

  • New York Airways, Special Flight Coupon, Inauguration of Service, Pan Am Building Heliport

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New York Airways
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