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Tampico was a key player in the history of the commercial aviation in Mexico. The foreign oil companies established in the region, were the ones that stimulated the creation of the first air transport company in the country.
At that time, the payroll service was done by ground transportation and suffered from constants attacks by bandits for what the CMTA air service offered was an improvement in speed and safety. In 1923, after participation in the festivities of the centennial of the city, and after not having the economical success expected and their increment in their expenses, the CMTA was sold to Messer. George L. Rihl and Williams Mallory, who immediately searched for a way to make it economically feasible, offered the services of air taxi to the people who managed the foreign oil companies in the region. At first, the service was done with a Lincoln Standard plane. Later, two more planes were acquired adding up three planes with open cabin with capacity for one passenger. At the beginning, the service consisted in the transportation of passengers to the required destination paying according to the traveled distance. This approach did not bring profitability to the company for what the procedure changed with a new type of agreement in which the seven oil companies that used their services had to pay each a retainer amount for a minimum of one hundred flight hours per month at a cost of USD $100 each. With this, they secured enough income to cover the expenses of pilot’s and maintenance crews, supplies, repairs and other maintenance related expenses. In addition, the company offered their services to other parties at a cost of USD $70.00 per hour, or about a dollar per minute of flight when these airplanes reached 60 miles per hour.
This way, Rihl secured the life of the air company for a while. In September of the year 1924, he received from the Technical Section of the Air Navigation, the franchise or permit number 3 to operate his company under the name of Compañía Mexicana de Aviación (CMA). In 1926, CMA acquired two Fairchild airplanes with capacity for four passengers and use those to cover flights from Tampico to Mexico City with flight times of 3 and a half hours. This company operated from the El Moralilo airfield, considered as the first airport in the Mexican Republic as per the historian, Salvador Novo. It was ready for the landing and departing of the three Lincoln Standard airplanes that were used initially. This airfield had a large hangar to protect the airplanes and enough land for their maneuvers. At the beginning of 1929, after failing to secure the funds to expand and modernize his company, George Rihl had a meeting in the New York City with Mr. John Trippe, owner of Panamerican Airlines, to whom he offered to sell his company. Thus, this is how Panamerican acquired the Compañia Mexicana de Aviación leaving Rihl in charge. Immediately, the company started looking for international routes and renovated its planes. The one-engine Fairchild were replaced by modern Ford tri-engine with the idea of expand the route Mexico City-Tampico-Tuxpam to Brownsville, Texas, that was inaugurated with several events that made this city in the eye sights of the rest of the world. The most relevant event took place on March 9th, 1929 and consisted in hiring the famous pilot Charles Lindbergh to lead the initial flight of the new route. Early in the morning departed from the Balbuena Airport in Mexico City aboard a Ford Tri-motor plane of the Compañía Mexicana de Aviación with destination for Tampico with hundreds of witnesses that wanted to be present in this historical event. Hours later, at 10:05 AM, landed at the El Moralillo Airfield. From the plane S-ATM-SCAN debarked Charles Lindbergh, commander in chief, accompanied by R.I. Kentill and William Wislock, pilot and mechanic and only stayed for an hour in Tampico and used the time for press photos and conversation with other members of CMA. They departed towards the city of Brownsville and closed the first stage of the inaugural flight of the first international route of the history of the Mexican commercial aviation. The next day, Lindbergh completed the final phase of the route returning via Tampico to Mexico City.
With the increase in air traffic and the size of the airplanes, it became necessary to have a better airport. This one was inaugurated on August, 1929 in the site that occupies today. It had initially a one floor building that housed the administrative offices and the reception of passengers as well as an observation tower of three levels in addition with an improved landing strip. In 1930, the first flight attendants positions were incorporated in the commercial flights. Among their job description in addition to service the passengers, it included the duties of checking travel documents, the amount of gasoline available, names of the passengers, checking the weight of the mail bags and those of the passengers as well as to service the members of the crew. Initially, this service was composed only by men.The special tariff for the flight on the route from Mexico City to Tampico, that took two hours, was of USD $100 one way, while the Mexico City-Brownsville had a cost of USD $165 with a flight time of two hours.
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The House of Castilla
The Breakwaters and the Channel for Navigation
History of the
Indpendence Movement in Nuevo Santander
Tampico, victim of Pirates, Bucaneers, and Privateers
León Trotsky in Tampico
New Street Names
Tampico Wakeboard City
Tajín Summit
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