Airways

Airways is a rare piece of early pinball history from the Lindstrom Tool and Toy Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut, produced between 1932 and 1934. As a pure mechanical bagatelle-style game, it predates the invention of the flipper by over a decade, relying instead on gravity, pins, and the skill of the player in launching the ball to determine its path. Its distinctive "Figure 8" playfield layout guides the ball through a looping path with turns and obstacles.

Two versions of the game are known to exist: one measuring roughly 14 by 24 inches, and a smaller two-sided square metal model about 9 1/2 by 15 1/4 inches, whose reverse side carries a different game, "Bingo 36."

As a single-player pure mechanical game, Airways reflects the simple, skill-based bagatelle format common before electromechanical and flipper technology transformed the industry. Little else is documented about its design or art, which is typical for machines from this early era, but its "Figure 8" layout and dual-game construction make it a notable curiosity for historians of pinball's pre-flipper origins.