.Since the 1930s several regional airports have operated on the South Shore and Cape Cod: Hanover, Middleboro, Plymouth, New Bedford, Falmouth and Hyannis. These airports offer links between larger towns and Boston for commuter flights. Plymouth’s airport opened in 1934 when the first plane landed at Craig Farm on South Meadow Road. Plymouth one of several linking airfields on the coast, including Hyannis, Plymouth, Hanover and Boston. Small planes could land at any in case of severe weather or emergency. In 1936 Mayflower Airlines started commuter service to Boston and Cape. It was not feasible and ended in a few months. The airports were also used for communication. In the late 1930s mail was transported by air from Plymouth. During World War II, the Plymouth airport was purchased by military and run as a
satellite of Squantum Naval base in Quincy for primary training of fighter pilots. The
airport had about a dozen biplanes and two buildings. The 1950s saw improvements to the
airfield. After the war, the Town of Plymouth purchased airfield from government for $1 in
1952. The airstrips were first paved in the 1950s. By the 1970s activity had increased, as
commuter planes began using the airfield. |
Updated 14 July, 1998