I am a follower of the Facebook fan page for Cutter Aviation.  I’m also a student of aviation history and a lover of photographs.  So I was delighted when I saw that the page’s curator, Ryan Keough, started posting historical pictures from the Cutter Aviation archives.

Keough, the FBO’s manager of marketing and communications (and my social media partner-in-crime), spoke of his company’s long history in business/general aviation.  “Right now, we are the oldest family-owned-and-operated FBO chain in the country,” he said.  “These old photo albums are like a treasure trove.”

So far, Keough has found 60 photos, but says he knows there are more.  “I have archival pictures of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.  “Bill Cutter, when he built our new facility back in 1980s, took the airport’s old ATC tower, cut 50 feet off it and transplanted it,” he said.  “There are some great pictures of Olive Ann and Walter Beech, who were very close to the Cutter family.”

The plan is to post the photos at least once a week, said Keough.  “I also have old news articles from the 1930s, 1940s and the 1950s and I plan to include them.  We have enough material for the next year and a half,” he said.  “When you have a company with our history, we really need to get this material out as more new technology is pushed out.”

It’s important to look at our past, said Keough.  “1928 is when the Great Depression started hitting, right at the beginning of our history, and Cutter survived that and World War II, when general aviation was dead.  We want to show how we survived.”