George Boyle climbed inside the Jenny with bags containing 5,500 letters destined to fly on the first airmail route in US history. On the morning of May 15, 1918, a crowd of several hundred gathered at Washington’s Polo Grounds to witness history being made. The planes were to meet in Philadelphia to exchange mailbags and refuel before returning home. One plane was to depart New York and fly south at the same time a second plane flew north from Washington, DC. The plan for the first regularly scheduled flights in US aviation history seems simple by today’s standards. US #C1-C150 – Complete set of 153 US airmail stamps with FREE mounts. Fleet received his assignment on May 6 – just days before the scheduled May 15th flight. Fleet, an Army executive officer in charge of planning instruction, was placed in charge of making the necessary arrangements. Americans would have a rapid system of mail transportation, and military pilots would receive badly needed flight training. Under the new arrangement, the Postal Department would handle their traditional tasks and the military would provide the planes and pilots. America’s most seasoned pilots were serving overseas, leaving few opportunities for training new recruits. However, Burleson brokered a deal with the War Department on March 1, 1918, that satisfied a very important military issue. Critics argued that every available resource was needed to win the war – including planes and pilots. The year was 1918 and the world was at war. So it came as a surprise to many when Postmaster General Burleson suddenly announced that service would begin between New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC. Meanwhile, the possibility of airmail delivery had been debated and dismissed for nearly a decade. Many great innovations and improvements to aircraft followed, and by 1918, the US had a fleet of Curtiss Jenny’s that could fly at a top speed of 80 miles per hour with a range of 175 miles and could maintain an altitude of 11,000 feet. US #C1-3 – The first three airmail stamps issued in 1918. But as World War I engulfed the globe, many were soon convinced that air supremacy was the key to victory. More than a decade after Orville Wright’s historic 1903 flight, aircraft mechanics, instructors, and flight schools were still virtually non-existent. On May 15, 1918, America’s airmail service began when two Curtiss Jenny’s departed New York and Washington, DC.Īs a new form of transportation, early flight was a pioneering effort that suffered from a near-complete lack of precedent. First US Airmail Flight US #C3 was the first airmail stamp, used on the first flights 100 years ago today.
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