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Sound Airways, Inc.

    Long before New Bedford’s Municipal Airport, Fairhaven was the SouthCoast’s main hub for airplane traffic along side Col. Green’s Round Hill Airport in Dartmouth Mass. Sound Airways, Inc. provided a valuable service from the mainland to the islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket for passengers and freight.

    The small airline company was owned by Ike Dawson, of The Dawson Brewery fame, and operated by Fairhaven resident and pilot, the late, Henry Olden. His name was synonymous with New Bedford, Fairhaven, Acushnet Airport as it was officially called at one time. The airport was once located off Pontiac St. in Acushnet, but the pilots had difficulty with its small muddy fields.  It was eventually relocated to a large, more stable field along the west side of Mill Rd. and the north side of Route 6, in between were Titleist and Comcast border today. 

     The late John “Ace” Roderiques once recalled to me, that  as a youngster he stumbled on to the scene of a plane that crashed on take- off and ended up off New Boston Road. The wreckage was strewn with broken bottles of “hooch” and jugs of whiskey he said.

     Over 25,000 attended the 1930 Air Show. More than three dozen aircraft were  on display at Baylie’s Field.  Ford Tri-Motors like these (below) became the workhorse for the fledgling airline industry. Transcontinental flight was taking shape. One could now carry a meal on board, along with a new perk, an airline stewardess.

This picture (above) was taken looking towards the southwest from Mill Rd.
Note the white house in the upper left side, that is now CareFree Homes on Huttleston Avenue.

The Ford Tri-Motor on display at Baylies Field.

No. of passengers:  13-15
Engines:  Three 420/450 hp      Pratt & Whitney Wasps
Cruising speed: 122 mph
Ceiling: 18,600 ft.
Range: 560 miles
Weight: 13,500lb
Wing Span: 77ft 10 inches
Length: 50ft

  This pilot stands by his  2 seat bi-plane nicknamed “Hap Hazard”.  Note his co-pilot’s name painted on the side captioned “Mary Hart, Co-Pilot”. 

  Special Addition: Story added Jan 19, 2010: 

80 YEAR OLD FAIRHAVEN AIRPORT PHOTO LINKS OREGON GREAT GRAND DAUGHTER ON GOOGLE SEARCH
By M.L.Baron

     When Melissa Hart of Oregon searched for info about her great grandfather on the internet, it brought her back 80 years to the The Town of Fairhaven. A photo of pilot Harold Hart  by his bi-plane nicknamed "Hap-Hazard"  was taken at the Fairhaven Airshow, March 1930 at the airfield on Mill Rd.and Bridge St. (now the Titleist Heaquarters)

      The story of Fairhaven Airport in it's hey day, along with many planes on display at the Airshow in 1930 is featured on the West Island Weather Station web site.

"I just wanted to thank-you for a delightful surprise this morning-I looked for my great grandfather "Hap Hazard" on Google and found a photo of him that I've never seen before with the Fairhaven Airport story on your web site"  Melissa stated in a recent email.

Ms. Hart, who's an Author and Journalism teacher at The University of Oregon is compiling a book on the aviation/circus and vaudeville days of her great grandfather "Hap Hazard" and his wife and co-pilot Mary Hart. "They flew from theater to theater along with fairs and other events in the 1920's and 30's." she said.

Sadly, Harold "Hap Hazard" Hart died in a plane crash in 1974 in Salinas, California. He apparently pushed his home built plane too far doing some barrel rolls and crashed.

Melissa Hart's book is sure to be a fascinating look back at the early days of aviation, especially with this unusual husband and wife team of aeronautical entertainers.

   Women played a significant role in the early days of flight. Amelia Earhart would soon be the first woman to fly across the Atlantic from Newfoundland to Londonderry England just 2 years after this photo was taken.
 

 The planes (above) appear to be military aircraft on display

 

     This postal commemorative, marked December 22, 1929, 330 PM, Dedication and Air Races, Sound Airways, Inc and insignia of Fairhaven Post 166 of The American Legion.  The envelope was addressed to,  Mr. Frank Dunn, 77 Main St, Fairhaven, Mass. And signed by the Postmaster.

Mayor Ashley, cigar in hand,  offers a hearty hand shake and a big Thank-You for his new fridge.    

    Oh, the stories this pilot could tell. The propeller, a simple, but carefully tapered piece of wood, soon changed the world forever. 

Thirty nine years after this picture was taken, man landed on the moon.

                               

   

    Is this the co pilot’s nickname?  “SKID DOO” painted on the side of this classic Waco model.                                     

  The annual air shows were as popular as the Homecoming Day Fair of today. The airport struggled through the early  thirties with Depression related financial problems.  The need for a larger, modern airport  brought about its demise with the construction of New Bedford Municipal Airport. In the mid 1940's, Bailey’s Field was sold to a farm dairy . The once familiar sounds and sights of aircraft were replaced with grazing cows, ending a fascinating chapter in Fairhaven’s history.


Story by MLBaron

Photos courtesy of the MLBaron archives   c 2006
mlbaron525@hotmail.com