The year is 1941, and the place is the brand-new Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco. The occasion for the photo was the arrival of the base’s first aircraft, this JF-2.
…a familiar location along the south shoreline of San Francisco Bay….today, this is the site of Coast Guard Air Station Station San Francisco, and the concrete ramp in front of the aircraft leads to what is today known as the Coast Guard lagoon. The ramp and lagoon were originally part of the Pan American seaplane maintenance center. Pan Am was one of the first unionized airlines, and the workers who launched and recovered the big flying boats with dollies up and down those ramps received an official name with their Teamster contract…Ramp Service Agent!
Note the backdrop of the San Bruno Mountains. I started my airline career at SFO in 1975.
….while the term “Ramp” is familiar airport jargon to describe any paved area adjacent to a terminal structure, few know of the origin of the term. I still cringe when I read or hear public media use the term “tarmac”, a term rarely used by anyone in the aviation community.
The Jive Bomber 
…a familiar location along the south shoreline of San Francisco Bay….today, this is the site of Coast Guard Air Station Station San Francisco, and the concrete ramp in front of the aircraft leads to what is today known as the Coast Guard lagoon. The ramp and lagoon were originally part of the Pan American seaplane maintenance center. Pan Am was one of the first unionized airlines, and the workers who launched and recovered the big flying boats with dollies up and down those ramps received an official name with their Teamster contract…Ramp Service Agent!
Note the backdrop of the San Bruno Mountains. I started my airline career at SFO in 1975.
LikeLike
….while the term “Ramp” is familiar airport jargon to describe any paved area adjacent to a terminal structure, few know of the origin of the term. I still cringe when I read or hear public media use the term “tarmac”, a term rarely used by anyone in the aviation community.
LikeLike
I believe it’s a J2F-3, company designation G-15.
LikeLike
My mistake it is a JF-2, note the shorter main float.
LikeLike