Aviation as a Business: Clement M. Keys and the Formation of the American Aviation Industry

Keys was actively involved in organizing what would become three of the largest airlines in America: National Air Transport, precursor of United Airlines; Transcontinental Air Transport, the first transcontinental passenger airline and precursor of TWA; and Eastern Air Transport, which became Eastern Airlines. He also pushed for foundational aviation laws such as the 1926 Air Commerce Act. Despite Keys’s influential career, his achievements have received little attention or study. Young’s definitive biography of Clement M. Keys adds valuable layers to our understanding of the development of the American aviation industry, allowing him to take his place alongside more well-known innovators.