Prepare for Takeoff: Bettis Airport Book Launch
Now boarding … a thrilling new book on Pittsburgh’s aviation history!
Join authors Brian Butko and Sue Morris to celebrate the launch of “Bettis: Where Pittsburgh Aviation Took Off” on Saturday, Dec. 14, at the History Center.
Fasten your seatbelts and make sure your tray tables are in the upright position as Butko and Morris share stories about the 1920s airport and reveal how the book’s historic images were researched and selected.
Following the program, the authors will sign copies of their book, which is currently available for pre-sale on the History Center Museum online store.
Admission
Admission is FREE for History Center members and $10 for non-members with advance registration.
The program will take place in the Multipurpose Room, located on the third floor of the History Center.
Program admission includes full access to History Center exhibitions on Saturday, December 14. Don’t miss an opportunity to visit the #1 History Museum in America for half price!
Not a member? Join today to receive free admission to this program and to the History Center year-round.
For additional questions, please contact [email protected].
About the Book
The Heinz History Center’s newest book, “Bettis: Where Pittsburgh Aviation Took Off,” takes a fun, fascinating look at the Golden Age of aviation.
From barnstorming to commercial and passenger flight, West Mifflin’s Bettis Airport was once a hub of thrilling aerial adventures.
A cast of daring, larger-than-life characters, both men and women, made Bettis the place to be. Come along as we join thousands to greet Charles Lindbergh, witness a pilot crash into a steel mill while trying to cure a passenger’s deafness, watch the National Balloon Races turn to tragedy, and see a nuclear lab take over Bettis—only to have pilots keep landing on its roadways.
About the Authors
Brian Butko grew up near Bettis and graduated from Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics. The author of books on Kennywood, Luna Park, Isaly’s, the Lincoln Highway, and more, Butko is the director of publications at the History Center.
Sue Morris is an award-winning author who writes about regional history as the Historical Dilettante and is a regular contributor to the History Center blog and Western Pennsylvania History magazine.