Johnson Airplane and Supply Co.

Edward Albert “Al” Johnson was the prime mover in promoting the growth of commercial aviation in Dayton, Ohio.  He started a small ( 70 acre) flying field on Wilmington Pike in Dayton in 1921 where Gentile Air Force Station later stood.  He had a passenger service, a flying school and sold aviation supplies and equipment.  He moved to a 320-acre field in Vandalia in 1928.  This has since grown to a 4500 acre complex now known as the Dayton International Airport.  He was instrumental in the development of the DJ-1, the Canary and the Johnson Twin 60.

Edward Albert Johnson (Al) was born in Newport, Rhode Island in 1885. In 1916, he was a civilian flight instructor for the Army at Minneola, N.Y. and at McCook Field in Dayton, Ohio.  

After WWI, Al came back to Dayton and operated a small flying field on Wilmington Pike near Patterson Rd.  This field was at the edge of the Dayton city limits at that time.  George W. Hartzell of the Hartzell Propeller Co., in Piqua, Ohio, owned the ground, and Al Johnson leased it from him. This lease started in March 1921 and ran through 1928.  Facilities here were somewhat limited.  There were no paved runways, with only one hangar with “Johnson” pained on the roof and a small building used as a warehouse.  In the middle of the field, there was a 100-foot white circle with a cross in the center.  There were marker lights at the corners of the field, fire apparatus, wind indicator and refueling capabilities for transient aircraft.  Johnson operated this field for 7 years, carrying passengers on weekends and making some charter flights.  Johnson’s safety record while operating at the Wilmington Pike field was exceptional.  In the 7-plus years he operated there, he carried over 15,000 passengers without a single injury to anyone.  

In addition to the flying service, he operated, the Johnson Airplane & Supply Co in 1919, and served as its president until 1939.  He maintained a warehouse for spare airplane parts and engines, and occasionally sold some used airplanes.  Bill Conover was hired to rebuild engines.  He was formerly Orville Wright’s chief mechanic.  Johnson also operated a flying school and would give instructions to people who were interested in obtaining their pilots license.  One of Johnson’s pupils was Russ Moore, who later managed the Vandalia airport from 1936 to 1944.