NOT THE FIRST AIR TRAFFIC OFFICER!

Jules Verne was a French author who pioneered the science-fiction genre. He is best known for novels such as Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870), A Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864), and Around the World in Eighty Days (1873). Verne wrote about space, air and underwater travel long before air travel and practical submarines were invented, and long before a means of space travel had been devised. He never lived to see most of his visionary ideas come to pass.

In the early part of the last century Rochester had its own visionary, of sorts, who had a view of the future and thought he could take advantage of his vision. In September 1910, Officer William M. Lindner had heard the stories of a few daring men attempting to fly in Rochester – names like Cpt. Jack Dallas, A.H. Nichols, Dr William Green, Eugene Ely and the infamous John Freisbie, who eventually made the history books by flying over the City of Rochester in an heavier than air craft in September 1911. Freisbie is credited with the first public exposition of such a flight in the Rochester area.

Upon hearing of Freisbie and others attempting to fly, Officer Lindner had an idea and brought that idea to his boss. Lindner, one of the first traffic patrolman with the Rochester Police Bureau and stationed at the Four Corners in Rochester, probably was not content with his “land” job, and aspired to “higher duties” when he made a formal application to his Captain for the position of aerial traffic officer. He suggested that there would be a time, once planes got started in earnest that “we’ll have more trouble regulating the traffic half a mile in the skies than we had at the Four Corners.” He figured that once regular passenger and freight service was established, “there would be speed maniacs in the air and dangerous fellows, who would insist on throwing bottles and other things overboard.” “The public needed to be protected!”, he said.

Officer William M. Linder

Lindner suggested a Zeppelin-type balloon with a wide porch or platform with places for the landing of the traffic officer and storing of captive ships as well as cells for holding of prisoners arrested for violating the traffic rules. The balloon would be stationed directly over the city with communication to headquarters via telephone. Officer Lindner also suggested the bravest of the force be given the first chance to do airship traffic duty and would consider it a great honor and a promotion if he were made the first appointment. As might be expected, his boss, Captain Stein, was speechless. He realized that the idea of aerial police duty may someday prove to be a necessity, but Officer Lindner might have to
wait some time before that suggested promotion.

Officer Bill Lindner never did receive that requested promotion to be the first aerial traffic officer. No one knows who that was, but we do know that Archie William League was hired as the first U.S. air traffic controller in 1929 at the airfield in St. Louis, Missouri (now known as Lambert-St. Louis International Airport).). Lindner’s ·idea of a Zeppelin-type balloon with a wide porch or platform may have seemed a crazy idea at the time, but all airports today do have a raised platform of some type called a control tower.

William M. Lindner did eventually receive a promotion, but not to aerial traffic officer. He retired as a Captain with a total of 29 years of service with the Rochester Police Bureau. Not knowing when the first control tower was constructed, we can wonder if he ever saw his idea come to pass. He certainly did not see one in Rochester. He died in 1933, five years before the first control tower was constructed at the Rochester Municipal Airport. That’s 28 years after he presented his idea! Rochester’s original control tower is now on display inside what is now the Greater Rochester International Airport. A sign at its base dedicates the tower to the pioneering air traffic controllers, pilots and those whose service promoted advancements in air traffic safety. There is no mention of Officer William Lindner or his vision for air traffic safety.

mail

Bill Sauers is a lifelong resident of the Town of Greece and has been an active member of the Greece Historical Society since 1998, serving as the president since 2007. He is a retired engineer technician for the City of Rochester, and a retired US Army Sergeant Major. He has a special interest in early aviation in Rochester.