Pan American Field - MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (MIA) - Wilcox Field Historical Photo Gallery - click on image to enter Photo Gallery by Don Boyd at pbase.com

Pan American Field - MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (MIA) - Wilcox Field Historical Photo Gallery - click on image to enter

Pan American World Airways built Pan American Field in 19__ and it was a small fraction in size of the current Miami International Airport. MIA was formed after World War II by combining Pan American Field with property to the west and the former Army Air Corps MIAD airfield on the south side of the Seaboard Air Line railroad tracks that ran east-west to the south of existing runway 8R-26L. The photo at http://www.pbase.com/image/97866432 is the best visual depiction of how Miami International Airport evolved that I have seen anywhere.

1929 - Fokker Tri-Motor at the dedication of the new passenger terminal at Pan American Field	1929 - Fokker Tri-Motor at the dedication of the new passenger terminal at Pan American Field	1938 - aerial view of south Hialeah, Miami Springs and Pan American Field (center) in Dade County, Florida	1938 - Pan American Field in Dade County, Florida	1942 - Pan American Field - 36th Street Airport, forerunner to Miami International Airport
1942 - the first air traffic control tower (#3) at the 36th Street Airport (Pan American Field)	1942 - the terminal for Pan American and Eastern Air Lines at the 36th Street Airport on Pan American Field	1942 - the 36th Street Terminal at Pan American Field	Early 1940s - a new hangar at Pan American Field	1945 - How Miami International was formed from different airports
1945 - closeup of diagram of proposal to combine Pan American Field with the military airfields to the south	1946 - air traffic control tower at Miami Army Air Field, Miami	1946 - the terminal at the 36th Street Airport, Pan American Field	1947 - aerial view of what became Miami International Airport looking north-north east	1947 - closeup aerial view of what became Miami International Airport looking north-north east
1948 - air traffic control tower at Miami International Airport, Miami	1952 - temporary air traffic control tower (tower #6) at Miami International Airport, Miami	Early 1950's - the main entrance sign to the 36th Street Terminal at Miami International Airport	1952 - air traffic control tower #7 at Miami International Airport, Miami	1953 - looking north along LeJeune Road from about NW 20th Street north to Okeechobee Road
1954 - Jimmy Stewart and his wife Gloria arrive in Miami for world premiere of "The Glenn Miller Story" at 3 Miami theatres	1955 - NW 36 Street east of Miami International Airport with old Delta C&S billboard on the right side	1950's - Delta and National DC-6 propliners at the 36th Street Terminal, Miami Intenational Airport	1950's - proposed new Miami International Airport terminal at 20th Street	1957 - the Northwest corner of Miami International Airport
1957 - the west side of Miami International with Dressel's Dairy in the background	1959 - Eastern Air Lines Lockheed L-1049G Constellation N6240G crash landing at Miami International Airport after airborne fire	1959 - the 36th Street Terminal at Miami International Airport	1959 - the new 20th Street Terminal at Miami International Airport before it opened in February	1959 - the interior of the new passenger terminal at Miami International Airport
1959 - the new 20th Street Terminal at Miami International Airport before the Airport Hotel was added	1959 - the new 20th Street Terminal at Miami International Airport before the Airport Hotel was added	1959 - TWA Constellation on Concourse 3 at the new Miami International Airport terminal before the hotel was added to the roof	1959 - the new 20th Street Terminal at Miami International Airport (hotel not built yet)	1959- the ground level parking lot and the new terminal at Miami International Airport after hotel added
1959 - the front of the new terminal at Miami International Airport	1959 - an Eastern L-188 Electra taxiing away from Concourse 5 with a Pan American DC-7 sits at Concourse 4	1959 - two Eastern Lockheed Constellations on the south side of Concourse 5 at MIA	1959 - Runway 9-right instrument approach plate for Miami International Airport	1960 - the year old 20th Street Terminal at Miami International Airport
1960 - looking north on LeJeune Road east of the new terminal at Miami International Airport	1960 or 1961 - the new 20th Street Terminal at Miami International Airport	Early 1960's - Miami International Airport's new 20th Street Terminal	Early 1960's - the new 20th Street Terminal at Miami International Airport	1961 - Concourse 3 and Miami International Airport terminal
1961 - Concourse 2 and Miami International Airport terminal	1961 - Miami International Airport from TWA B707-131 N739TW parked at the end of Concourse 2	1962 - advertisement for Delta Air Lines' new Jetways at Miami International Airport	1962 - on approach to MIA's old short narrow runway 9-R in American Airtaxi Piper PA-28 N2194P	1962 - about to land on MIA's old short narrow runway 9-R in American Airtaxi Piper PA-28 N2194P
1962 - taxiing to the gate past a Northeast Airlines Convair 880 on Concourse 3 at MIA in American Airtaxi Piper PA-28 N2194P	1962 - Cuban Antonov An-2M crop duster hijacked to Miami International Airport	1962 - Cuban Antonov An-2M crop duster hijacked to Miami International Airport	1963 - one of the Dade County Port Authority firefighting crews at MIA	1963 - President John F. Kennedy speaking at Miami International Airport 4 days before his assassination
1963 - President John F. Kennedy greeting State Senator W.C."Cliff" Herrell with U. S. Senator George Smathers looking on at MIA	1964 - the north side of MIA looking east at the Pan Am Maintenance Base and Eastern in the background	1964 - Braniff International Airways B707-227 at Concourse 5 at Miami International Airport	1960's - parking lot, terminal and airport hotel at Miami International Airport	1960's - the southwest corner of Miami International Airport
1965 - a view of Miami International Airport from the north side of Concourse 4	1960's - a dubious postcard featuring Miami International Airport	1965 - Delta stewardesses modeling their uniforms on the ramp east of Concourse 1 (now H) at Miami International Airport	1967 - Miami International Airport's tower #8 and terminal from Concourse 4's observation deck	Late 1960's - Concourse 4 and the 20th Street Terminal at Miami International Airport
Late 1960's - Concourse 4 and the 20th Street Terminal at Miami International Airport	Early 1970s - the terminal at Miami International Airport	1970 - Northeast Airlines annual charity flight benefitting Variety Children's Hospital (B727-295 N1650)	1972 - Miami International Airport terminal and parking garages	1972 - TWA B747-131 N93104 visits MIA on a charter by Fedders
1973 - Eastern's Corporate Headquaters in Building 16 (left)	1974 - an Air Haiti Curtiss C-46 Commando landing on MIA's 9-left	1976 - short final approach to runway 9-left at Miami International Airport	1976 - short final approach to runway 9-left at Miami International Airport	1976 - short final approach to runway 9-left at Miami International Airport
1976 - short final approach to runway 9-left at Miami International Airport	1977 - cargo Lockheed L-749A Constellation N6021C on the military ramp at MIA	1977 - Braniff Airways DC8-62 N1805 in the Alexander Calder design	1977 - Delta Air Lines (ex-Northeast Airlines) B727-95 N1635 west of gate H-9 at MIA	1978 - one of the first Gate Control plotting boards used by the airport to assign gates
1978 - a Constellation, Aerocondor's A300 HK-2057, Air New Zealand and National DC-10's and a DC-6 at the E-Satellite	1980 - the trains begin operation between the E-Satellite Terminal and main terminal at MIA	1981 - Air Florida poster announcing new service to London (Gatwick) starting April 3, 1981	1983 - view from the new FAA tower under construction on the west side of MIA	1983 - British Airways B747, Eastern Airlines A-300, Air Jamaica B727, Air Florida DC-10 and B737 and Pan Am B727 at MIA
1983 - the General Aviation Center back ramp and NW 62nd Avenue at Miami International Airport	1983 - the General Aviation Center front and back ramps at Miami International Airport	1983 - National Commuter, Pan Am DC-10, Air Canada B727 and TWA B707 at Miami International Airport	1984 - County Manager's letter authorizing MIA's Gate Controllers to a one pay step increase in pay	1984 - British Airways Concorde First Flight to Miami from London postal cachet
1984 - United Air Lines DC-10-10 N1829U taking off on runway 12 at Miami International Airport	1984 - Air Florida B737-222 N61AF on approach to runway 30 at Miami International Airport	1984 - 11 aircraft used by Air Florida parked at Miami International after they ceased operations	1984 - 9 aircraft used by Air Florida parked at Miami International after they ceased operations	1986 - construction of the tunnel under new runway 12/30 at Miami International Airport
1986 - a nice variety of airlines (see below) at MIA during construction of the tunnel under new runway 12/30	1986 - one of the Metro-Dade Aviation Department fire department crews with Foam 5 at MIA	1988 - Miami International Airport and downtown Miami in the background	1988 - Concourse E and the E-Satellite at Miami International Airport	1988 - Miami International Airport viewed from the west
Late 1980's - British Airways Concourse G-BOAB taking off	Early 1990s - Miami International Airport	2006 - Concourses C and D at Miami International Airport (#0594)	2006 - Concourses A at Miami International Airport (#0595)	2006 - Concourse A, the Central Chiller Plant and the new South Terminal and Concourse J under construction in the background
2009 - a view of the gate plotting software on a monitor with a print of the old manual gate board in the upper right corner	2009 - center terminal lobby (right) compared to original terminal lobby (left)	2009 - south end of terminal lobby from H to G (right) compared to original lobby from 1 to 2 (left)	2010 - the first An-225 Mriya (UR-82060) landing at Miami International Airport	2010 - the first An-225 Mriya (UR-82060) landing at Miami International Airport
2010 - the first An-225 Mriya (UR-82060) landing at Miami International Airport	2010 - the first An-225 Mriya (UR-82060) landing at Miami International Airport	2010 - the inaugural Transaero B777-222/ER EI-UNX flight to MIA from Moscow (DME) on approach over Miami Lakes	2010 - the inaugural Transaero B777-222/ER EI-UNX flight to MIA from Moscow (DME) on approach over Miami Lakes	2011 - American Airlines B777-223ER N777AN and the repainted former National Airlines hangar at MIA
June 10, 2011 - inaugural flight of the first Airbus A380 into MIA Photo Gallery - click on image to view	2011 - Former Dade County Aviation Director Richard H. Judy passes away - Photo Gallery - click on image to enter	2012 - American Airlines B777-223/ER N755AN in front of American's hangar (built by National Airlines)

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Don Boyd		08-Oct-2011 20:54
SARKIS SOGHANALIAN, 1929-2011 Sarkis Soghanalian, �Merchant of Death,� dies at 82 Turkish-born Sarkis Soghanalian sold weapons in Iraq, Nicaragua, Lebanon, but always said he was America�s ally. BY ELINOR J. BRECHER Sarkis Soghanalian, the Turkish-born Armenian arms dealer who sold weapons to foreign governments and rebels on behalf of the United States � including Saddam Hussein, before he became America�s arch enemy � was known as the Merchant of Death. �I asked him about it and it really didn�t bother him,�� said his son, Garo Soghanalian of Miami. �He said, �I don�t care what people think of me, as long as they spell my name right.�� Which it often wasn�t. Born Sarkis Garabet Soghanalian on Feb. 6, 1929, in Iskanderun, Turkey, he died Wednesday of heart failure at Hialeah Hospital, his son said. He was 82, �an overweight 5-foot-8,�� his son said, with a profound appreciation for Chivas Regal Scotch, a penchant for late-night revels and big-ticket international cloak-and-dagger operations for the CIA during the Cold War. Fluent in five languages, with a fleet of cargo planes at the ready, he�s said to have been the world�s most prolific weapons dealer at one time, with unlimited access to tanks, missiles, helicopters and firearms of every description. Though in failing health, Soghanalian �never retired,�� his son said. Born into the Armenian Orthodox Church, �he was no altar boy,�� Garo said. He carried a Lebanese passport but believed strongly in America�s causes and wanted to help, his son said. Soghanalian never became a U.S. citizen because �it gave the government...deniability,�� his son said. His work took him to some of the most dangerous places on the planet, including war-torn Lebanon, Iraq and Nicaragua � and federal prison. He operated out of Switzerland, France, and for awhile, the world�s arms-trade capital: Miami. Arrested several times, he once did two years but was generally released after judges learned he was on official government business. One judge let him go to Jordan in the late 1990s after a 10-month stretch for wire fraud, to assist in the investigation of Vladimiro Montesinos, then Peru�s national security chief, suspected of double dealing with drug-war money and U.S.-provided munitions. His exploits made Soghanalian a rich man, the subject of documentaries, and the inspiration for Nicholas Cage�s main character in the 2005 film �Lord of War.�� In 1982, he offered the new Miami Metrozoo a baby lowland gorilla, which zoo officials balked at accepting because Soghanalian wouldn�t say where he got it. At the time, he had just pleaded guilty to a federal charge of ripping off another arms dealer. The deal, according to a 1986 Miami Herald story, involved a 1977 agreement to send 197 Browning machine guns to the African country of Mauritania. �But he reneged...allegedly bilking a rival merchant out of $1.1 million,�� the Herald reported. �A grand jury indicted Soghanalian for fraud, punishable by 15 years...After Soghanalian pleaded guilty, U.S. District Judge Joe Eaton put him on probation for five years. The government agreed not to deport him.�� In the mid-1980s, Soghanalian reportedly made $10 million to $12 million a year, and, according to The Herald story, �sometimes demands proof of the effectiveness of his weapons. From Lebanon, he boasts, young right-wing Christian soldiers sent him jars of human ears, packed in formaldehyde.�� He once said: �If the guy is dead, what difference would it make if you cut his ear or his nose? He�s dead, he�s dead.� According to son Garo, his father�s widowed mother took her children to Beirut because life was too difficult for Armenians in Turkey. In 2001, he told a producer for PBS� Frontline, that he �went to work with the French army. I skipped school in 1944 and worked with a tank division,�� beginning a lifelong fascination with arms. �As a young man you like nothing more than weapons,�� he said. �Women were secondary, as at that age we didn�t know anything about that.�� Garo said that in the 1950s, after World War II, �my dad began to become a little bit successful in war surplus. He traveled around the Middle East and became enamored by the United States. He developed a kinship with American students,�� one of whom was Shirley Adamsof Prairie du Chien, Wisc. They married in Beirut then settled in Binghamton, N.Y, where, said Garo, his father repaired Volkswagens for about a decade. Then he returned to Lebanon with his family. His father, said Garo, �aligned himself with American interests and was knee deep in counteracting�� anti-American activities. �We stayed until 1975,�� when civil war broke out, �but he stayed on another year-and-a-half.�� Whether he was selling weapons to Argentina to fight the British in the Falkland Islands, or to Iraq during its war with Iran, �the Americans knew what I was doing, every minute, every hour,�� Soghanalian told PBS. Sometimes, his father got caught up in agency turf battles, said his son, who was indicted for conspiracy when he was 23, with his father, charges later dismissed. �If you measured it by the inch, you could be suspicious, but by the yard, it was for the benefit of the United States,�� Garo said. Case in point, he said: arming Saddam Hussein while �the madman,�� Iran�s Ayatollah Khomeini, held 52 U.S. hostages. �But it didn�t mean we would keep helping Saddam if he did something against our interest or Western interests,�� Soghanalian told PBS. �That�s what happened. Too bad for him.�� Convicted in 1991 of conspiracy to smuggle helicopters into Iraq, he did two years in prison in Miami on a 6 1/2 year sentence. His deal to get out early: directing U.S. officials to a Lebanese print shop turning out near-perfect $100 bills. �When [the government] needed me...they immediately came and got me out,�� he told PBS, concluding the interview with: �I helped a lot of countries keep their independence. ... I never lost a war. I helped Lebanon. They at least kept their republic. I squeezed Khomeini and helped my country�s cause. There are other countries whose names I don�t want to mention. I helped my country Armenia when they needed me. That�s all I can say. ...�� University of California/Berkeley professor Lowell Bergman, a former journalist who�d known Soghanalian for 30 years, told The New York Times that he �worked with the CIA off and on for years; after a falling out with that agency, he cooperated with the FBI, drawing on information about the dark corners of the global arms trade.�� Said son Garo: �I�ll let that statement stand out of respect for them.�� In addition to his wife and son, Soghanalian is survived by daughter Melo Hansen of Salt Lake City, and sister Anahis Hartz. Memorial services will be held at 7 p.m. Friday at the L.D.S. Chapel, 9900 W. Flagler St., Miami. His wife and children are Mormons. Funeral services have not yet been set. Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/10/07/v-fullstory/2443364/arms-dealer-sarkis-soghanalian.html#ixzz1aE2JyGh4

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