Lögberg-Heimskringla - 15.03.2019, Side 1

Stefan Jonasson
Today, we take flying to Iceland for
granted. Whether one is going for
business or pleasure, one need only
board a plane in North America or Europe
and then a few short hours later, step out
onto the ground in Keflavík. A century
ago, the only way to get there was by boat
– a journey that took days.
Commerical aviation in Iceland
turns a century old this month, although
it was several years before it really got
off the ground – both figuratively and
literally. Flugfélag Íslands, the first of
three companies to bear that name, was
established on March 22, 1919. It was
several months before the first plane in
Iceland took off around five o’clock in
the afternoon on September 3, 1919, at
Vatnsmýri in Reykjavík. It was an Avro
aircraft piloted by Captain Cecil Faber.
Morgunblaðið described the aircraft’s
takeoff as “like a swan that flies up out
of water” and reported that people were
amazed to witness “the latest magical
works of modern times soaring in the air,”
noting that “the sound from the motor was
heard in the town.”
The plane flew again later in the
evening, when members of parliament
and city councillors were on hand, along
with members of the public who paid 50
aurar (half a krónur) to see the action up
close. Garðar Gíslason, the chairman
of Flugfélag Íslands, delivered what
was described as a powerful address
about the future of transportation and
flying “over mountains as valleys, over
lava and glaciers” while extoling “the
perseverance of the pioneers of flight.”
He predicted that air transport would
be an important part of the country’s
future transportation and that Icelanders
themselves would develop the skills
needed to operate their own airline
industry. Cheers and applause followed
the plane’s takeoff. People observed the
“unmistakable effect” the plane had on
conditions near the ground and it was said
that the horses “stared at this strange thing
and were stunned,” as was a nearby dog.
The plane ascended to 500 metres and the
pilot indulged himself in some aerobatics
to demonstrate the aircraft’s abilities. The
newspaper praised the airline company for
delivering even more than it promised.
However, the first Flugfélag Íslands
wasn’t long-lived since the company
was dissolved the following year. It was
nearly a decade before Icelandic aviation
developed to the point where scheduled
domestic flights were feasible. The
country’s first scheduled passenger and
mail flight occurred on June 4, 1928, when
a six-seat Junkers F13 made its way along
a route from Reykjavík to Ísafjörður and
then on to Siglufjörður before arriving
at its final destination in Akureyri. The
journey took nearly as long as a flight
from Toronto to Keflavík takes today.
From these humble beginnings,
Iceland has grown one of the most robust
airline industries in the world, relative
to the country’s size. A second airline
operated under the name Flugfélag
Íslands from 1928 until 1931 but the
strong, stable industry we know today
really began with Flugfélag Akureyrar
in 1937, which expanded its horizons
and changed its name to Flugfélag
Íslands three years later, although it
continued to operate as a domestic
carrier. Loftleiðir was founded in 1944,
operating domestically before becoming
Iceland’s first international carrier in
1947 with a flight to Copenhagen on
the country’s new independence day,
June 17. The following year, Loftleiðir
began flying to New York City. Flugfélag
Íslands and Loftleiðir (also known as
Icelandic Airlines) merged in 1973
to form Flugleiðir, now called Stoðir,
which owns the Icelandair Group. While
Icelandair is the name by which the
world knows the country’s major airline,
the historic Flugfélag Íslands name, now
a century old, is still maintained by the
Icelandair Group’s regional carrier, Air
Iceland Connect. And, of course, there
are now several other airlines operating
to and from Iceland, such as WOW Air,
as well as domestic carriers.
LÖGBERG
HEIMSKRINGLA
The Icelandic Community Newspaper • 15 March 2019 • Number 06 / Númer 06 • 15. mars 2019
Publication Mail Agreement No. 40012014 ISSN: 0047-4967
VISIT OUR WEBSITE LH-INC.CA
“The greatest master of the
lyrical form” / page 5
Guðmundur
skólaskáld
2019 TRAVEL ISSUE
INSIDE
Walking in the footsteps of
Leif Eiríksson / pages 7-10
L' Anse aux
Meadows
PHOTO COURTESY OF KENT LÁRUS BJÖRNSSON
The songs of Lisa
Sigurgeirson Maxx / pages
14-15
Still Hold True
ICELANDIC AVIATION TURNS 100
PHOTO: ERIC SALARD / CC BY-SA 2.0
Icelandair Boeing 757-200 – Hekla Aurora
Singer Sol James didn’t hold back at the
Icelandic Canadian Frón Winter Social
where she had everybody singing
along and dancing. This was a perfect way to
beat those winter blues and let loose.
Instead of celebrating the traditional
Þorrablót, the Icelandic Canadian Frón of
Winnipeg held a social at the Scandinavian
Cultural Centre to break up those cold days
in mid-February. It was sold out.
A versatile vocal artist, Sol James is
of Icelandic descent and will entertain the
participants attending the Icelandic National
League of North America’s 100th anniversary
convention in May. Preceding Sol were two
young singers, Shea and Randy Johnson,
who were received with loud applause.
... continued on page 2
BEATING THE
WINTER BLUES
Karen Botting
Winnipeg, MB
Leif Norman added to the
brightness of the evening
PHOTO: KAREN BOTTING