On January 25, 1928, celebrated Florida aviator George Haldeman breezed into Miami in his Fairchild monoplane. The winter season was in full swing and the city was bustling with activity. There was a national convention of Shriners in town, all seeking to amuse themselves. After bringing his plane down on the Southern Transport Aviation Company’s landing strip on Hibiscus Island, Miami Beach, Haldeman had the Fairchild pushed across the causeway, where it was housed overnight at the Rogers Airlines Ninth Street docks.

The morning of January 26, 1928 was showtime: As dozens of press and newsreel cameras clicked away, Haldeman taxied out onto Biscayne Boulevard and took off, nearly clipping the traffic signal at the 6th Street intersection as he lifted off. He then performed several acrobatic maneuvers including a tight spiral that thrilled onlookers. After circling the town he landed back on the Boulevard, which had been roped off by police for the stunt.

His pals, Captain Harry Rogers and Major M. K. Lee were waiting for him. Only three weeks earlier, Rogers had made aviation history after completing the first nonstop flight between New York and Miami with co-pilot Ruth Nichols.

After posing for a few photos, the trio climbed on board and took off from the Boulevard again, heading for Lakeland, where they were to attend a Rotary Club meeting. They returned late in the afternoon, landing at the Coral Gables airfield.

The stunt was the first time a plane had ever taken off from a major metropolitan street. If nothing else, it garnered national publicity and helped to burnish Miami’s reputation as a place where winter visitors could always expect plenty of fun along with their daily dose of sunshine.