The inauguration of air mail service in
the United States in 1918 would prove to be a very significant
development in the evolution of the aviation industry. Spearheaded
by Assistant Postmaster General Otto Praeger, Congress approved
funding for a limited service between New York, Philadelphia, and
Washington. The inaugural flights took place in May of 1918
utilizing US Army pilots and Curtiss JN-4H aircraft. Although
initial public demand for air mail service was negligible, the Post
Office demanded a damn-the-weather attitude from its pilots. This
resulted in the Army withdrawing from this arrangement out of the
fear of losing pilots and equipment. Not to be deterred, the Post
Office ordered six new Standard bi-planes, and recruited its own
pilots. Max Miller signed on as the Air Mail Service's first
civilian pilot, and flew his Standard from College Park Maryland on
August 12, 1918, which was the first air mail flight utilizing
civilian aircraft and pilots. The Standard which was designed as an
Army trainer had developed a bad reputation for its Hall-Scott
engine catching fire, and had been grounded by the Army. Re-fitted
with the 150-HP Hispano Suiza engine, the Standard was faster than
the Curtiss Jennies and had a much greater range. As the air mail
service expanded westwards, the Allegheny Mountains presented a
formidable obstacle for these fragile aircraft and their pilots,
which had to navigate by following railroad tracks or other
landmarks, often in terrible weather. Referred to as the "Hell
Stretch" the mountains claimed many lives in what came to be termed
the "Suicide Club." E. Hamilton Lee was one of the early heroes of
the Air Mail Service, pioneering routes between Chicago and
Minneapolis and Chicago and St. Louis. Lee logged more than 4
million miles prior to his retirement in 1949. In the mid-1920s the
Post Office had inaugurated night flying utilizing a unique series
of beacons along its routes. The de Havilland D.H. 4 (depicted in
Stan Stokes’ painting) became one of the mainstays of the Post
Office's fleet, and constant modifications were made to these
aircraft including experiments with air-to-ground radios, and
ingenious navigational aids and flight instruments. In the 1920s the
Post Office opened up many of its routes to private carriers, which
assisted many early commercial airlines in getting started in
business. In the late 1920s many new aircraft debuted as mail
carriers including the Stearman C-3MB, the Pitcairn PA-5, and the
Boeing 40B. The Northrup Alpha, a unique all-metal, cantilever-wing
design was used to pioneer coast-to-coast routes in the early 1930s.
One lasting byproduct of this era are the numerous air-mail stamps
and first day covers which flew the world, and are now prized by
both aviation buffs and stamp collectors alike.
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Collector Sized Lithograph:
$40
16" x 11 1/2"
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Giclee on Canvas:
$445
18'' x 27''
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