Donald MacMillan (1874-1970), standing on the float, made over 30 expeditions to the Arctic. In 1931 he used this white and orange Vega on an air survey and photo expedition to Labrador and Greenland, sponsored by Multicolor film. Built as an L-1 Vega in 1929, the plane had first been used by an operator in Montana. After MacMillan it had many owners. In the 1960s it was used for movie work by Paul Mantz and Frank Tallman, and registered N965Y to play Amelia Earhart's Vega NC965Y. It is preserved in the Henry Ford museum in Dearborn. Photo by: Leslie Jones / Boston Public Library

August 1953 and kids are allowed to climb on this F-84C. The Boston Daily Globe of 8 August 1953 does not confirm there was an airshow, but does carry an article on the 102nd Fighter Interceptor Wing of the Massachusetts ANG, with a photo showing probably the same F-84. The unit had been 'stripped of jets' three years earlier, because these 'early model jets were lacking in performance' and 'difficult to service, too'. Wikipedia says the wing flew F-84Bs and then Mustangs again until they were replaced by the F-94 Starfire in 1954. Photo by: Edmund Mitchell / Boston Public Library

The first Santa Maria, MM45043, flew from Italy to New Orleans via Brazil but burnt in Arizona. This replacement aircraft was shipped to New York and headed north to Boston on 8 May 1927. But this was merely a test flight or a gesture to the Italian community in Boston, for Francesco de Pinedo did not skip the stretch between New Orleans and New York. He flew back south along the coast to New Orleans, and then to Chicago via the Mississippi, rather than via the US west coast as originally planned. Then he flew back to Europe via Newfoundland and the Azores. Photo by: Leslie Jones / Boston Public Library

The DT torpedo bomber won Douglas its first military contract, beating the Fokker FT (T.II). This photo is captioned 'Navy plane off USS Wright' and was perhaps taken in December 1927 when the seaplane tender Wright visited Boston. The last DT apparently served until 1928. Photo by: Leslie Jones / Boston Public Library

Although designated Curtiss Scout, the CS was a scout and torpedo bomber designed by the US Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics. CS became SC in the Navy's post-1923 designation system. Only eight CS-1 and CS-2 aircraft, including A-6504, were built by Curtiss. 75 more SC-1s and SC-2s were built by Martin, and the design evolved into the Martin T3M. By mid-1927, the SC was only still in use with a training unit at NAS Pensacola. Photo by: Leslie Jones / Boston Public Library

The original designation of the OU observation aircraft was UO, with the letter U allocated to Vought. In the US Navy's post-1923 designation system the letters were reversed. Fitted out as a seaplane the type used a larger tailfin than as a landplane. Photo by: Leslie Jones / Boston Public Library

Photographer: Unknown photographer.

There were still few passenger airlines in America in 1928 and here mail on route CAM-1 from New York is delivered to Boston by a new PA-5 mailplane. CAM-1 was contracted to Colonial Air Transport, who apparently hired this aircraft. Pilot Ray Wonsey is known to have flown a Mailwing for Colonial around this time. NC3468 was registered to Phineas Millis, the owner of an airfield in Mendon, Massachusetts in 1928. Note logo of American Railway Express. This was a package delivery service like UPS or DHL, which did not operate aircraft itself. Photo by: Leslie Jones / Boston Public Library

The Douglas DWC was a DT torpedo bomber modified for the US Army Air Service's 'World Flight' project. This was the prototype. The four series aircraft left Seattle to fly around the world westward on 6 April 1924, using both floats and wheels. One crashed in Alaska and another one, Boston, was lost off the Faroes. After crossing the Atlantic, the two survivors were joined in Nova Scotia by the prototype, now named Boston II, for the remainder of the flight to Seattle. The floats were exchanged for wheels here in Boston. The aircraft still wears its McCook Field code P318. Photo by: Leslie Jones / Boston Public Library

The gunfire spotting flight of the battleship Texas during a visit to the Boston Navy Yard. The fuselage band of the aircraft on the right, 1-O-1, should be red - see photo 449450 for an explanation. 1-O-3 is BuNo 9290. Photo by: Leslie Jones / Boston Public Library

Name Apache not initially applied. Photo taken before TWA's five Stratoliners were withdrawn from LA - NY route on 24 December 1941 to be operated on behalf of the USAAF. NC19908 was the first Stratoliner to land in Britain in April 1942.. Operated again by TWA from 1944 until 1948, then to Aigle Azur as F-BELY. Operated in war-torn Southeast Asia for many years. Last reg XW-PGR of Royal Air Lao. Damaged in a collision with a C-47 at Luang Prabang in February 1972 and scrapped due to lack of spares. Photo by: Leslie Jones / Boston Public Library

A very interesting photo as Skyway from Providence, Massachusetts, operated the world's first helicopter passenger service apparently between Logan airport and this garage rooftop in central Boston. A trial flight was made on 16 April 1947 and commercial runs started within days, but were suspended after four months. NC92809 was reportedly the company's sole helicopter. It went to the US Coast Guard as 230, one of four S-51s returned to the manufacturer after commercial failures and sold to the USCG as HO3S-1G Dragonflies. Photo by: Leslie Jones / Boston Public Library

Igor Sikorsky arrived from his Bridgeport, Connecticut factory in style for a luncheon. Sikorsky chief test pilot Jimmie Viler flew a display. The landing spot is now occupied by the Museum of Science's parking garage. N410A was apparently used as a demonstrator and was delivered to the Argentine navy in 1959. Photo by: Edmund Mitchell / Boston Public Library

'The first helicopter to land at NAS South Weymouth.' Originally commissioned as an R-4B, US Army serial 43-46576. Note the blimp mooring masts and hangar. Photo from: National Archives at Boston

An obscure Bell H-12 helicopter in the Boston Common park in Boston. An 8 is just visible and this should thus be 46-108. The ten YH-12Bs were not delivered until 1950 it seems. They probably didn't last until 1956, when Leslie Jones retired as a newspaper photographer. Photo by: Leslie Jones / Boston Public Library

Lovely slide of an HH-52 taking off from the Coast Guard boat station at the North End in Boston. There doesn't appear to be a designated helipad here. Photo by: Edmund Mitchell / Boston Public Library

'Seaplane from SS Île de France lands mail in Boston Harbor after leaving the liner 300 miles off Nova Scotia and landing 10 hours later, saving 30 hours [for the mail]. Deer Island light in background.' The light is close to Logan airport. On the ship's return trip from New York to Le Havre, the aircraft, operated by Air Union, was launched again on 13 September, but a magneto failure caused an emergency landing off the Scilly Islands. It was repaired and interestingly we have another photo of F-AIQP in China. Photo by: Leslie Jones / Boston Public Library

Northeast Airlines CV-240 at HYA, near Cape Cod. N91241 was worn earlier by c/n 161, which crashed at Portland, Maine on 11 August 1949, just four months old. It was replaced that September by this machine (c/n 162). Apparently its first registration was N90838. Perhaps it was intended for another customer? Photo from: The Barnstaple Patriot / Cape Cod Community College

The fifth L-14. Happy with the L-10, Northwest Airlines was the launch customer for the L-14, which it called the Sky Zephyr. Four Sky Zephyrs crashed, however, between January 1938 and January 1939, and the type was phased out in the summer of 1939. Normally Northwest didn't fly farther east than Chicago back then, but here NC17386 is seen in Boston for reasons unknown. NC17386 to TACA of Honduras as XH-TEG. To PP-AVA of Aerovias Brasil. Crashed on 13 February 1943. Photo by: Leslie Jones / Boston Public Library

The Helio H-370 was the first attempt to add turbine power to the Courier. A standard H-250 was re-engined with an Allison 250-B15G turbine for testing in 1969. It found little performance benefit and increased fuel consumption. Instead pursuing work on the aircraft the company decided to focus on the purpose built H-550 turboprop Helio Stallion. N6309 got it's piston engine back and became the pattern aircraft for the HT-295 tri-gear Super Courier. The nose gear equipped Courier was developed from a request by the Mexican Government and the aircraft was exported to Mexico as XA-SEW in 1973.