Milton Hersberger papers

Milton Hersberger (29 December 1901-1987) was an aviator who created an air transport service connecting the islands lying off the southwest shore of Lake Erie with the mainland. He operated the service, one of the first of its kind, from 1930-1953. An important figure in the history of the Erie Islands, the success he made of his air service received national attention during the years after World War II when passenger air service was beginning to develop on a large scale. The story of his airline played a small role in the effort to popularize air travel.

Born in Anderson, Indiana, Hersberger was taught to fly by Erret Williams, a barnstormer, in 1923 and soloed the summer of that year at Berry Field in Richmond, Indiana. Between 1924 and 1926, he barnstormed throughout Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. It was while he was airport manager at Sandusky, Ohio during 1927-1928 that he realized how useful air service would be to the Islanders, especially during the winter when they were sometimes cut off from the mainland for several weeks. In the winter of 1928 he made several tripis to Kelley's Island and Put-in-Bay using the frozen Lake as his runway. Father J. A. Maerder, who served the parishes on these islands flew with Hersberger and encouraged him in his dream of starting an air service for the Islands, though financial conditions did not make it an immediate possibility.

Between 1928 and 1930 Hersberger held a number of positions. He was manager and chief instructor at Landsdown Airport in Yougnstown from 1928-1929. In 1929, he began working as a pilot for Ohio Air Transportation which soon after went bankrupt. He then worked for the Argo Company in Alliance as a test pilot. After this, he was a mail carrier for the Cliff Ball Airlines which, after several mergers, became United Airlines. In 1930, Hersberger was working at Chicago's Stinson Airport as chief pilot for Art Killip's passenger service and had an opportunity to compete in the 1930 National Air Show. He won the dead stick landing competition three consecutive days. Late in 1930 he heard of the sinking of the lake Island ferry "Mascot." Learning that its passengers were stranded on the mainland, he flew back to Ohio to transport them to their homes.

When a fire at Chicago Municipal Airport destroyed a number of hangars and forced the sale of salvaged engines, Hersberger was able to replace the water-cooled engine in his Waco. Using this plane and a second plane he had borrowed, he started his air service to the Islands in November of 1930. His mainland air field was on a piece of land near Port Clinton leased from U.S. Gypsum. He also purchased land on Put-in-Bay, which became his base of operations, and leased small plots of land on Middle Bass, North Bass, and Kelley's Islands. With the support of Father Maerder, who flew with him to Washington, he was awarded the mail contract for the Islands (effective 1 July 1931).

Increasing cargo loads and passenger demand soon necessitated larger planes with enclosed cabins. Hersberger thought the Ford Tri Motor would be ideal for his purposes but their expense ($55,000) was prohibitive. He got his chance to buy his first one for $2,500 in 1934 when he heard that one had crashed after running out of fuel near Pittsburgh. Throughout his career he traveled widely to purchase used Tri-motors, making trips to such places as Fairbanks, Alaska, the Dominican Republic, and Havana, Cuba. It is the so-called "Tin Goose" with which his airlines came to be identified.

In addition to flying Islanders and summer residents back and forth to the mainland, Hersberger ferried many visitors, especially during the summer, the pheasant hunting season, and the ice-fishing season. His most frequent cargo, in addition to the mail, was wine from the Lonz Winery and other wineries on the islands. He also transported farm animals, appliances, groceries, and other necessities for the Islanders. His plane was also used as an ambulance by the Islanders and occasionally as a means of transporting the deceased.

Hersberger and his airlines received widespread media attention in the 1940s. Feature articles were written for such publications as Air Transport, Business Week, and Collier's. It was during this period that Hersberger was nominated by then-Governor Frank Lausche, as one of the first members of the Ohio Aviation Board. He served in this position from 1945-1947.

In 1953, Hersberger sold his airline to Travelair Taxi, Inc., a subsidiary of Sandusky Airport, Inc., headed by Ralph Dietrick, for $95,000. The sale followed a period of conflict between Hersberger, who wished to keep Port Clinton airport closed to other pilots, and Port Clinton officials, who wanted to open it to other pilots.

Hersberger had purchased Urb's Cafe, located in Port Clinton, in 1951. After the sale, he and his wife devoted their energies to operating it and, in 1965, he opened a professional building at 105-109 Madison Street in Port Clinton.