Interviewer(s): J. Sell. Houma, LA

Affiliation: University of Arizona

Nearly everyone I talked to at the airport said I need to see Charlie, including Earl Hicks, the Houma-Terrebonne Airport manager. Charlie Hammonds has been in aviation in Houma all his life. Born in Jennings, LA, where his father died in an oil field accident when he was three, Charlie grew up in the oil fields. He began washing airplanes at the Houma airport when he was 12 and was a licensed pilot and flight instructor by the time he was 18. In 1960, he started his own business, Hammonds Air Service, while also earning more pilot certificates (instruments, multi-engine land and sea rating, airline transport, and aviation management degree). Another aviator noted that Charlie probably has more flying time in float planes than any other pilot in the United States. He also gave me a copy of his paper on the history of the airport.

Charles Hammonds has been operating his own business at the Houma airport since 1960. He specialized in fixed wing aircraft, especially float planes, and before 1983 operated a commuter airline along the Gulf Coast. His primary service area was to the inshore oil fields, which were well suited to float plane service, especially before helicopters were strong enough to carry heavy loads. The float plane/commuter business peaked in the 70's, and was hit very hard in the bust of the mid-80's. His current business is a fraction of what it was then, mostly pilot training and recreational charters. The offshore rigs today are serviced by helicopters, not float planes. We talked about this boom/bust sequence and the history of the Houma Airport.