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American Trans-Oceanic Company was an airline based in the United States.
| Founded | 1914 |
|---|---|
| Hubs | Port Washington, New York Palm Beach, Florida |
| Headquarters | New York City [1] |
| Key people | Rodman Wanamaker Glen Curtiss Grover Whalen |
Rodman Wanamaker published a letter in 1916 stating the founding of the American Trans-Oceanic Company to capitalize on the 1914 effort to fly across the Atlantic non-stop. A Curtiss H-16 aircraft was ordered for the company. Wanamaker claimed that if the trans-Atlantic flight could be accomplished once, then it could be accomplished over and over with commercial transports shortly thereafter.[2]
![Thumb](#/media/File:Rc15190_Curtiss_H-16_"Big_Fish"_biplane_flying_boat.jpg)
Forming just prior to America's full involvement in World War I, American Trans-Oceanic Company became one of the earliest commercial airlines in the United States. Operations also included a full-time flight school in Long Island and Palm Beach using Curtiss aircraft.[3] New innovations were deployed, such as a Sperry autopilot.[4] Rates varied from $15 for a 15-minute flight to $250 for a 320-mile flight to Cuba. Four five-hour flights a week were flown to Bimini at night.[5] By 1918, the company carried four to five thousand passengers without incident.[6]
The company's most distinctive aircraft was Big Fish, A Curtiss H-16 painted as a fish that flew between Palm Beach, Havana, Nassau, and New York City.[7]
In 1927, Wanamaker sponsored Richard E. Byrd through the American Trans-Oceanic Company to make the Transatlantic attempt again in a Fokker Trimotor, the America. The company put up nearly $150,000 to fund the effort.[8] The aircraft crashed on the attempt to win the Orteig Prize, losing to Charles Lindbergh. The team attempt was accomplished on July 1, 1927, crashing in Ver-sur-Mer.[9]
Wanamaker died in May 1928. Without Wanamaker's involvement, American Trans-Oceanic Company's sponsorships did not continue.
- Country/Continent
The American Trans-Oceanic Company fleet consists of the following aircraft as of 1918:[10]
| Aircraft | Total | Routes | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curtiss Model F | Short Routes | 5-6 place open flying boats | ||
| Curtiss H-16 | Long Routes | 14-16 place flying boats |
In January 1917, one of the Twin engine Curtiss flying boats was destroyed when it was torn from its hangar in a gale storm in Long Island.[11] In 1921 the Big Fish, Curtiss H-16 was destroyed in a crash.[12]
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