Bettis: Where Pittsburgh Aviation Took Off

Strap in for an adventure through the aerial history of Pittsburgh in a new book by local authors Brian Butko and Sue Morris called “Bettis: Where Pittsburgh Aviation Took Off.”
Published by the Senator John Heinz History Center, the book is available in the history center’s museum’s gift shop, as well as online at shop.heinzhistorycenter.orgBettIt takes readers through barnstorming, commercial flight, passenger flight and more, and is centered around West Mifflin’s Bettis Airport, which was once a hub for air travel and hosted air shows in which pilots put their lives on the line with seemingly physics-defying stunts high in the sky.

Names that make an appearance that kids or parents may have heard of include Charles Lindbergh and Helen Richey.

The book is full of stories and anecdotes that characterize the legendary airfield and all that made it special. There are stories that end in laughs and stories that end in crashes. There are balloon races and atomic research.

Butko grew up near Bettis and graduated with a degree from the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics. He has written about Kennywood, Luna Park, Isaly’s, the Lincoln Highway and much more. Morris is an award-winning writer who focuses on regional history as a blogger, as well as a regular contributor to the History Center’s blog and Western Pennsylvania History magazine.

The Senator John Heinz History Center is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institute and is the largest history museum in Pennsylvania. Explore it as a family online or at 1212 Small Street in the Strip District.