Mail
Flight
During the late 1910's the general public of America looked at airplanes as nothing more than toys. People went to airshows where they could watch "barnstormers" fly their bi-winged airplanes in loops and other dare-devil maneuvers. All this changed in 1917 when the federal Government appropriated $100,000 to start the first air-mail service between New York and Washington State. Aviation found one of its first useful job.
 
The airmail plane on the left was a modified version of the JN-4H pictured above. |
On May 15, 1918, Lieutenant George L. Boyle flew the first leg
from Belmont Park, Long Island to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in a
Army JN-4H "Jenny." This airplane was a modified JN-4G with two
larger gas tanks and oil tanks.
During the first month alone the US Air Mail service flew 10,800
pounds of mail 1,000 miles. This showed that the air plane was much
more than a toy, but is a feasible form of transportation.
Many air mail pilots lost their lives during the first few years of
service. Many air mail pilots got lost due to poorly made maps, and
because of schedules that were imposed on the pilots many died
while trying to fly through foul weather without proper flight
instruments .
Today air mail is flown on a regular basis in large commercial
airplanes, such as the Boeing 737 and 757.
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