This early Tri-Motor was the first plane of Maddux Air Lines, bought by Jack Maddux in July 1927. On other photos taken here at Dutch Flats, or Ryan Field, it still wears its initial registration NC3114, so perhaps changes were made here. By 1928, it reportedly wore fleet number 1 on the fuselage. This is the same Tri-Motor that was put on display in Pennsylvania Station in New York City in 1931. It was later sold or given to Henry Ford for his museum, but somehow it has not survived. Photo from: San Diego Air & Space Museum

Alameda Island once boasted two airports: San Francisco Bay Airdrome and Alameda Airport / Benton Field. Maddux used the latter and Pan Am had a flying boat terminal here from 1935 until 1939. The site was then expanded as NAS Alameda and the Bay Airdrome was closed. Photo from: San Diego Air & Space Museum

Opening day of the Grand Central Air Terminal. Parked behind are NC7118 (fleet number 6), NC5577 (4) and probably NC7119 (7). Maddux Air Lines started operations in Sep 1927, and merged into Transcontinental Air Transport (T-A-T) in Nov 1929. Photo by: John Underwood / Glendale Public Library