Nevada Aerospace Hall of Fame

Declaration of Enshrinement

November 10, 2016

Glover E. Ruckstell

Glover E. Ruckstell has been inducted for his role in the development of tourist flights over scenic southwest landmarks including Boulder (Hoover) Dam, the Grand Canyon, and Death Valley.

On June 24, 1931 Ruckstell purchased three Ford Tri-Motor aircraft and set up operations for Grand Canyon Airlines (GCA) at Bullock Field in Boulder City to provide scenic flights over Boulder Dam, Grand Canyon, and Death Valley. In 1933, Ruckstell and his business partners built the Boulder Dam Hotel, thus becoming the only high-end hotel in southern Nevada at the time.

On June 6, 1936, Ruckstell formed Grand Canyon–Boulder Dam Tours to provide “air passenger, freight and mail service, bus, truck and boat lines and operate all support facilities such as airports, marinas, hotels, restaurants, gas stations and other recreational facilities.” The first GCA commercial flight was on June 15, 1936. Ruckstell entered into an agreement with Howard Hughes’ Transcontinental and Western Airways (TWA) to bring passenger service to Boulder City, and the inauguration of service on April 3, 1938 saw three TWA DC-3s parked around the original GCA ticket office.

 

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Daniel K. Bubb, Director

Nevada Aerospace Hall of Fame