Preview
Source Collection
Twentieth century photograph collection, Special Collections Department, University of Memphis Libraries
Identifier
sc.0462.010_010.028
Description
Hanger and offices of Mid-South Airways at Memphis Municipal Airport, Tennessee, 1932. Vernon C. Omlie was the manager.
Vernon Omlie, a flight instructor during World War I, and Phoebe Fairgrave began barnstorming in the Midwest in 1921. They landed in Memphis a year later, married and opened the first commercial aviation company in Memphis. Mid-South Airways, Inc. offered charters, cargo transport, aerial photography, crop dusting, and flight training. The Omlies taught hundreds to fly, including the author William Faulkner and his brothers. The Omlies and the Memphis Aero Club leased a field at Woodstock and established the first airport in the Memphis area, Armstrong Field, in 1927, Mid-South Airways offered $60 roundtrip flights to Chicago.
When Memphis Municipal Airport opened in June 1929, Mid-South Airways relocated to the new facility, part of the Curtiss-Wright complex, with Capt. Omlie as chief pilot and operations manager. Vernon Omlie continued in that capacity until his death in a plane crash in St. Louis in 1936.
Date Created
2021
Date
1932
Recommended Citation
"Mid-South Airways, Memphis Airport, 1932" (2021). Other images. 255.
https://digitalcommons.memphis.edu/speccoll-mss-20thcenturyphoto3/255
Keywords
Omlie, Vernon C.
Rights Statement
Archival Statement
This item was created or digitized prior to April 24, 2026, or is a reproduction of legacy media created before that date. It is preserved in its original, unmodified state specifically for research, reference, or historical recordkeeping. This material is part of a digital archival collection and is not utilized for current University instruction, programs, or active public communication. In accordance with the ADA Title II Final Rule, the University Libraries provides accessible versions of archival materials upon request. To request an accommodation for this item, please submit an accessibility request form.
