Hard to believe, but commercial aviation can nowadays look back on over a century of history.
Miami International Airport and HistoryMiami Museum have celebrated the opening of Hall of Aviation attended by leading lights of the industry, and quite a few people for whom the events of the last few decades are not so much history as memories.
Around 100 community leaders and employees past and present from the Miami-Dade Aviation Department, Eastern Air Lines and Pan American World Airways, as well as students from George T. Baker Aviation Technical School attended the opening of the hall in Miami’s South Terminal.
Miami-Dade County Commissioner and chairwoman of the county’s Economic Development and Tourism committee, Rebeca Sosa, remarked: “Miami-Dade has an incredible aviation history, and I commend Miami International Airport and HistoryMiami for showcasing it.
"The Hall of Aviation will help visitors and residents alike appreciate our contributions and know just how proud we are of our community’s history.”
The inaugural exhibition, A Century of Flight: The Story of Aviation in Miami, features images, uniforms, model airplanes and other artifacts chronicling Miami’s rise as a hub for commercial aviation. The Hall of Aviation will rotate exhibits every 18 to 24 months.
HistoryMiami Museum director Jorge Zamanillo pointed out: “HistoryMiami Museum collects and cares for hundreds of aviation artifacts, from original Eastern Airlines flight maps to the iconic Pan American World Airways uniforms.
"We are thrilled to showcase our collection in this exhibition and share with everyone flying in an out of our city, Miami’s rich aviation history.”