History

Maj. Charles S. Bayer, Jr.

aviation promoter

President of the Starlighters Corporation of Philadelphia, which in June 1928 announced it would open and operate the Hebron Airport in Wicomico County, Maryland with a fleet of twelve aeroplanes, and from there run a scheduled service linking Philadelphia, New York, Baltimore, Washington, Norfolk, Ocean City and Atlantic City. It is the earliest proposal for airline service to Ocean City in this registry. Nothing in the 1928 corpus says the service ever flew.

In the record (1)

  1. 1928 · 1928-06-10

    A Philadelphia company opening an airport at Hebron, Md., says it will fly a scheduled service to Ocean City — the earliest proposal for airline service to the town this campaign has found.

    Evening Star, 10 June 1928: the new field "is to be known as the Hebron Airport, and will be maintained and operated by the Starlighters Corporation of Philadelphia, of which Maj. Charles S. Bayer, jr., is president. The corporation now has a fleet of 12 airplanes, Maj. Bayer added, and the airport, which will be under Government supervision, is expected to be a regular port for air mail planes. Construction of a hangar and installation of mechanical equipment will be started at once and on their completion, it was explained, the concern expects to initiate regular air service between Philadelphia, New York, Baltimore, Washington, Norfolk, Va.; Ocean City, Md., and Atlantic City, N. J." IT HAPPENED, OR WAS MEANT TO: the mayor and council announced passenger service from Ocean City to Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Wilmington beginning 1 July 1930, pilot John M. Bounds, two planes — and the advertisement dates the "Ocean City Airport" to 1928, the same year as the proposal.

    Ocean City had seen aeroplanes before — fifteen paying flights off the beach in October 1915 at $15 a head, and a Curtiss machine down at Snow Hill in 1919. This is different in kind: a scheduled route, on a timetable, with the town as a named stop between Norfolk and Atlantic City. It is a plan and nothing in the 510 pages says it ever flew.

    Unverified — sourced but not confirmed against a primary record.

    Starlighters Corporation

    Source · checked 2026-08-06