In 1940, Albert and Florence Reed came back to visit Hood River, where they had lived 25 years before. This view of a DC3 at the terminal says so much about air travel in that era.
Those were the day’s when air travel meant "wearing your Sundays finest" and no security checking.
Kenn
The new 1940 airport at PDX had a public rooftop viewing area, quite an improvement from the 1930-1940 Swan Island airport.
Arthur
Kenn, can you confirm this is PDX and not Swan Island? I’m not sure.
Kenn
When the present airport opened it extended from 47th to 82nd, both presently well within PDX. The original terminal building remains east of 47th and Marine Drive.
Kenn
Second thought, may be Swan Island, the top of the building does not look big enough for the viewing platform and I do not recognize the bay window. Time for a drive out there, sorry if I missed the proper location..
Buzz
Can remember when flyers were treated like valued customers. Today they pack you in like sardines and herd you around like sheep. Another example of "progress and efficiency" with less civility.
Bill Seaton
A DC3 was the first plane I got to fly in–but it was the military version, a C-47 at the Portland Air Base.
Arlen Sheldrake
and Bill, remember the rattles……as I remember this was a BSA event of some sort. yes, first flight…..Buzz, they treated us better but it took FOREVER to get anywhere….as I remember my first flight to Hawaii on a USAF prop sitting backwards which was better for water ditching…twas like 10 hours out of Travis to Hickam……I’ll take comfort plus and jets……
Kenn
Arthur, you are probably right on it being Swan Island, it looks like my Swan pictures with the bay windows. I also have a partial third floor and see no reason to have added it after PDX opened and so soon before Swan became WWll shipyards Sorry I spoke without final knowledge, my motto seems to be "speak first, think later".
L.E.
That is a good motto Kenn. I am quite good at putting it into practice myself. When I first opened up the photo and saw Arthur’s tags, I thought it didn’t really seem like the Portland airport. Not that I really know what the Portland or Swan Island airport looked like in the early 1940’s. However, the building looks fairly knew, and photos I have seen of the Swan Island Terminal were of a more stately building.
Arthur
I’m having trouble matching it to pictures of either Portland or Swan Island in 1940– but the album does say "Portland". They lived in Minnesota at this time, but it doesn’t match Minneapolis airport at all.
Buzz
LOL You got me there Arlen, but I wasn’t talking about military flights when we were cannon fodder. Was thinking of commercial jet flights in the early 60’s thru the mid 80’s.
L.E.
Arthur, I think you should have made this a Mystery Monday photo. Searching through photos of both Swan Island and Portland-Columbia terminals, I still can’t decide. My only clue is that Swan Island appeared to use some wood trimming around doors and windows. The Portland-Columbia terminal opened March, 1940, so unless they arrived in January or February, the date doesn’t help. Troutdale Airport opened in 1939, but I have not been able to find a photo of the terminal. I’m not sure a plane this large could land at Troutdale, although they did use the airport during 1948 while PDX was under water. Wish my mother in law was still around, since she lived in the area.
Roger Sheldrake
The sheer beauty of that plane should get all our hearts pounding. The starting of those thundering radial engines that could carry us off to a new adventure!!! And for all those rattles; try flying in an Air Bus today.
Dale Nicol
Those were the day’s when air travel meant "wearing your Sundays finest" and no security checking.
Kenn
The new 1940 airport at PDX had a public rooftop viewing area, quite an improvement from the 1930-1940 Swan Island airport.
Arthur
Kenn, can you confirm this is PDX and not Swan Island? I’m not sure.
Kenn
When the present airport opened it extended from 47th to 82nd, both presently well within PDX. The original terminal building remains east of 47th and Marine Drive.
Kenn
Second thought, may be Swan Island, the top of the building does not look big enough for the viewing platform and I do not recognize the bay window. Time for a drive out there, sorry if I missed the proper location..
Buzz
Can remember when flyers were treated like valued customers. Today they pack you in like sardines and herd you around like sheep. Another example of "progress and efficiency" with less civility.
Bill Seaton
A DC3 was the first plane I got to fly in–but it was the military version, a C-47 at the Portland Air Base.
Arlen Sheldrake
and Bill, remember the rattles……as I remember this was a BSA event of some sort. yes, first flight…..Buzz, they treated us better but it took FOREVER to get anywhere….as I remember my first flight to Hawaii on a USAF prop sitting backwards which was better for water ditching…twas like 10 hours out of Travis to Hickam……I’ll take comfort plus and jets……
Kenn
Arthur, you are probably right on it being Swan Island, it looks like my Swan pictures with the bay windows. I also have a partial third floor and see no reason to have added it after PDX opened and so soon before Swan became WWll shipyards Sorry I spoke without final knowledge, my motto seems to be "speak first, think later".
L.E.
That is a good motto Kenn. I am quite good at putting it into practice myself.
When I first opened up the photo and saw Arthur’s tags, I thought it didn’t really seem like the Portland airport.
Not that I really know what the Portland or Swan Island airport looked like in the early 1940’s. However, the building looks fairly knew, and photos I have seen of the Swan Island Terminal were of a more stately building.
Arthur
I’m having trouble matching it to pictures of either Portland or Swan Island in 1940– but the album does say "Portland". They lived in Minnesota at this time, but it doesn’t match Minneapolis airport at all.
Buzz
LOL You got me there Arlen, but I wasn’t talking about military flights when we were cannon fodder. Was thinking of commercial jet flights in the early 60’s thru the mid 80’s.
L.E.
Arthur, I think you should have made this a Mystery Monday photo. Searching through photos of both Swan Island and Portland-Columbia terminals, I still can’t decide. My only clue is that Swan Island appeared to use some wood trimming around doors and windows.
The Portland-Columbia terminal opened March, 1940, so unless they arrived in January or February, the date doesn’t help.
Troutdale Airport opened in 1939, but I have not been able to find a photo of the terminal. I’m not sure a plane this large could land at Troutdale, although they did use the airport during 1948 while PDX was under water.
Wish my mother in law was still around, since she lived in the area.
Roger Sheldrake
The sheer beauty of that plane should get all our hearts pounding. The starting of those thundering radial engines that could carry us off to a new adventure!!! And for all those rattles; try flying in an Air Bus today.