1972 Capitol International Airways - Air Guide
DESCRIPTION
This scarce Capitol International Airways System Map was published circa 1972 by Capitol International Airways, Inc., a supplemental carrier headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, with major operations in Chicago, Burbank, Wilmington, and New York. Printed in color relief by Rand McNally & Company, the fold-out map illustrates Capitol’s growing international reach during the early 1970s, when the airline specialized in charter and contract flights connecting the United States with Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
A Global Network in Relief
The front of the map presents a detailed physical map of the world with raised-style shaded relief, emphasizing mountain ranges, ocean depths, and continental contours. Red and magenta lines trace Capitol’s passenger and cargo routes across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Mediterranean, linking major hubs including New York, Chicago, London, Frankfurt, Berlin, and Stockholm. Insets highlight North America and Europe in greater detail, showing dense clusters of connecting routes to reflect the airline’s transatlantic focus. The map’s scale and level of geographic accuracy convey the technical precision and modernity associated with international aviation during the early jet era.
Artistic and Design Features
The cover and side panels feature colorful illustrations of major global landmarks—such as London’s Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower, and the Taj Mahal—framing the map with a sense of cosmopolitan adventure. This combination of fine cartography and painterly vignettes evokes the excitement of global travel at a time when overseas flying was still considered glamorous and aspirational. The design bears Rand McNally’s characteristic late-1960s style, with soft gradient shading, clean typography, and clear flight lines that emphasize intercontinental connectivity.
History of Capitol International Airways
Founded in 1946 by Francis Lee “Cap” Thompson, Capitol International Airways began as a postwar charter carrier transporting military personnel before evolving into one of the leading U.S. supplemental airlines of the Jet Age. Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, the company expanded through the 1960s and 1970s with a fleet of Douglas DC-8s and Lockheed L-1011s, operating worldwide passenger and cargo charters for tour groups and U.S. military contracts.
Renamed Capitol Air after airline deregulation in 1978, it launched low-fare scheduled service from New York’s JFK Airport to the Caribbean and Europe but struggled against mounting fuel costs and fierce competition. Financial pressures and regulatory challenges led the airline to cease operations in 1984, marking the end of nearly four decades of ambitious global service.
CONDITION
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