May 1941.. "Old
Number One" was initially erected annually by
the City of Miami to serve as the judge’s stand
and timing tower for the "All American Air
Maneuvers" held during the month of January. Due
to a rapid increase in air traffic by 1941, the
tower was left intact.
Because of the increase, the
Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) ordered than
an airport traffic control tower be commissioned
at the Miami Municipal Airport or National and
Pan American Airlines would no longer be
authorized to operate passenger flight into
Miami Municipal. The control tower with only
light guns available to control traffic was
commissioned on May 1, 1941. Radios were
installed by the following month. The CAA
assumed operation of the control tower on
January 1, 1946.
February
1942.. Build by the City of Miami on
what would become "Masters Field", then being
constructed on a vast area bounded by the
Seaboard Coastline Railway, NW 27th Avenue, NW
103rd Street and NW 119the Street.
The new airport was to have five runways, some
as long as six thousand feet, with the passenger
terminal on the east side of the airport
connecting directly with the Pan American
Seaplane Base at Dinner Key via 27th Avenue.
This structure was the first actually designed
as a control tower, but, unfortunately, had a
partial glass roof with no ventilation or air
conditioning. The CAA staff occupied this
facility in February 1942, and maintained it
until it was turned over to the U.S. Navy as
part of the Opa Locka Naval Complex in August
1942.
August 1942.. In late 1941,
through early 1942, Pan American World Airways,
with funding by the Air Corps Airport
Development Program, expanded the Pan American
36th Street Airport and constructed a control
tower atop the passenger terminal. The Pan Am
tower was commissioned June 1942, and staffed by
the CAA on august 3, 1942.
The old airport was renamed Masters Field and
turned over to the Navy. All commercial
activities were moved to Pan Am’s 36th Street
Airport and general aviation operations were
sent to the Sunny South Airport.
The tower structure was later moved from atop
the terminal and relocated to the Dinner Key
Seaplane Base where it served the U.S. Coast
Guard until the activity was relocated to the
Opa Locka Airport.
October 1943.. This building was constructed by
the U.S. Army Air Corps to serve the Miami Army
AirField, located immediately south of the 36th
Street Airport. Because of wartime shortages,
the entire structure was build of wood.
This
facility was occupied by the CAA staff on
October 3, 1943, and utilized multiple
telephone/radio frequencies. Between 1943 and
1948, the tower was damaged several times by
hurricanes. This photo, taken in the spring of
1946, shows a completely refurbished tower after
sever damage caused by the hurricane of
September 1945
October 1948.. The Dade County
Port Authority broke ground for this facility in
June 1947; however, construction progressed very
slowly and the tower was not turned over to the
Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) until
late 1948. The most unique feature of this tower
is that it later became number 7, after it had
to be moved due to construction to lengthen
Runway 9L/27R. It was relocated to an area
adjacent to the 20th Street Terminal, a building
used largely by non-scheduled air carriers.
Today that area is immediately off the end of
Concourse "F".
September 1952.. A unique facility that
was constructed as a temporary facility to be
used during the move of Tower Number 5 (in
background) to new location. It was opened in
September 1952. The photo shows a historic
moment when Tower Number 6 cleared Tower Number
5 to cross an active runway. The temporary tower
was in operation until December 1952, when
operations were transferred back to "Old Number
Five", now Tower Number 7.
December 1952.. "Old Tower
Number Five" has now become Tower Number Seven.
Old towers never die and when this facility was
replaced by Tower Number Eight it was dismantled
and stored along the southwest area of Perimeter
Road.
At the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis it was
reassembled at the "old" Tamiami Airport and
used until the "new" Tamiami Airport became
operational.
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