Wheeling, WV
September 24
Our first stop westbound was Wheeling, WV. Sometimes the unexpected is the most fun. 
Greeted by Thomas S. Tominack Airport Manager since 1986, we soon found ourselves touring a delightful mini museum. Tom and his airport crew have transformed the Terminal Lobby into a small, fine museum, complete with TWA memorabilia.
Four carriers served Wheeling from 1946 until 1970: PCA/Capital, TWA, All American/Allegheny, and Lake Central.
Tom had even located original chairs stored in the basement which had been tagged as the ones John F. and Jackie Kennedy sat in as they waited for their limousine during a political visit in 1960. These have been restored and are displayed. Tom told us Mrs. Kennedy accidentally left her handbag behind. He said he use to display her purse along with the rest of the Kennedy display, but visitors kept knocking on his office door notifying him that someone had left their purse behind.
There are interesting items exhibited relative to the Fokker Aircraft Company; the Fokker Tri-Motor Factory was located just outside of Wheeling in Glendale.
Early TWA history, Jack Frye, Paul Richter and Walt Hamilton started Standard Air (a subsidiary of Aero Corporation which eventually became TWA) with 3 Jennies and a Fokker in February 1926.
1996 marked the 50th Anniversary of the Airport Dedication. Tom commissioned a mural, four feet by twelve feet, of the PCA DC-3 "Capitaliner City of Wheeling" as it passes over the city on its first approach to HLG. The mural is titled "Inbound to Stifel" and was placed in the main Terminal Lobby as a tribute to PCA/Capital's inaugural service to the city. This mural has been a very interesting concept, combining history with computer technology.
Ellie must have felt right at home. Once owned by Texaco, it was fun to watch a Texaco truck pull up for refueling. On the outside of the office was a large Texaco sign.
We thank Tom and the rest of the Wheeling Airport team for sharing their marvelous aviation history museum with us. It truly was a chance to catch a glimpse of the "Golden Era" of air transport.
Kaye