Valley Oldies: Unique Monongahela air service rekindles questions
By Ron Paglia
Residents of the Mid-Mon Valley have found their way to McKeesport in a variety of ways over the years — automobiles, trains and boats.
They had another option in the mid-1940s, a unique mode of travel called to our attention by a woman in Monongahela who sent a copy of an advertisement from the Sept. 26, 1946, edition of The Daily Republican.
“My grandfather often spoke about this service,” she said. “He said he once took a ride in the plane, which was rather small and was equipped with pontoons for taking off from and landing in the (Monongahela) river. The experience, he recalled, was a tour of the area that offered a wonderful view of the towns and rural areas from the sky.”
“This service” was the Monongahela Seaplane Base operated by Johnny Evans, an obviously enterprising individual who played a key role in aviation in this area.
The newspaper ad read:
“Fly With Johnny Evans
“Foot of Eleventh Street at the Sea Scout Base.
“Fly off the longest runway in the United States.
“Government licensed instructors and planes.
“Sight-seeing rides.
“Daily Plane Service to McKeesport.
“By Appointment Only.”
To read the rest of this story, please see a copy of Monday’s Mon Valley Independent, call 724-314-0035 to subscribe or subscribe to our online edition at https://e.monvalleyindependent.com.
