Landing in Las Vegas: Commercial Aviation and the Making of a Tourist City

Illustration Insert

A Western Air Express Douglas M-2 used for transporting mail is being refueled at Rockwell field before it departs for Los Angeles. Courtesy of Howard W. Cannon Aviation Museum. “Wild Bill” Morgan hands Western Air Express pilot Jimmie James a bag of mail at Rockwell Field on the inaugural airmail flight of the CAM-4 route from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles on April 17, 1926. Courtesy of Howard W. Cannon Aviation Museum. A Hacienda Airlines Lockheed Constellation is parked at McCarran Airport in 1961. It was one of eight airplanes used for junket flights to Las Vegas. Courtesy of Howard W. Cannon Aviation Museum. facing page: Top: An aerial view of the “C” gates at McCarran International Airport in 1998 before it became entirely occupied by Southwest Airlines. The mega-resorts are in the background . Courtesy of Howard W. Cannon Aviation Museum. Bottom: An aerial view of McCarran International Airport in the 1970s with the Dunes Hotel and Resort in the foreground. Courtesy of Howard W. Cannon Aviation Museum. A Bonanza Airlines DC-3 gives passengers an aerial tour of the Hoover Dam as part of a promotional sightseeing package. Courtesy of Howard W. Cannon Aviation Museum. ...