Airmail postal delivery was first used in 1918. In 1938, President Franklin Roosevelt’s postmaster put together a big celebration that is worthy of notice today. The flight pioneered by the post office led to the commercial flight system we have today.
The first scheduled airplane service for mail delivery began on May 15, 1918. The route was between Washington and New York. The plane had a scheduled stop near Philadelphia to re-fuel and pick up more mail. Sometimes the pilot switched planes as early airplanes weren’t that reliable.
In celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the advent of airmail, Postmaster General James Farley established National Airmail Week for May 15-21, 1938. The intention of the celebration was to promote the fact the U.S. Postal Service moved the mail reliably and with speed. See “Commercial Air Travel Spurred by Post Office.”
Table of contents
Share to Google Classroom:
Planning the Celebration
Postmasters were directed to bring to the attention of the public “the wonderful network of airlines operating day and night throughout the country, and the speed and economy with which letters and parcels may be dispatched over immense distances…”
Each post office encouraged the local citizens to participate in the week’s celebration by sending an airmail letter. In addition, each town was invited to create its own “cachet,” a commemorative design printed or stamped on the envelopes mailed that week. (Several styles of cachet are shown in the images to the right. Today these envelopes are prized by collectors.)
Special Events
Thursday, May 19, was the primary day of celebration. An effort was made in advance to provide air delivery to as many post offices as possible. In each town, postmasters asked for the help of volunteer pilots for that day. And if communities did not have landing fields, the postmaster consulted local experts on appropriate landing fields. All communities within a state submitted maps of their proposed landing strips for approval to the state’s department of aeronautics.
Each state made their own plans. In Nebraska, the state postal administrators divided the state into four districts. They specified a hub city in each quadrant. Working with sixty volunteer pilots, airmail letters were picked up from each of the smaller towns. They were then flown to the hub city in their district. From there, they were ready to go out on a transcontinental flight on the 19th.
The community in Packanack Lake, New Jersey, wanted a dramatic illustration of progress. The town arranged for a pony-express-style horseback rider to deliver a pouch of airmail letters to an airplane waiting at Paterson Airport. They publicized the fact that the horseback rider covered his two-mile trip in 25 minutes. The pilot then flew the 15-mile leg of the trip to Newark Airport in only seven minutes (New York Times, May 16, 1938).
Tribute to First Postal Night Flight
The first night mail flight for the post office was in a small single-seat plane that flew between North Platte, Nebraska, and Chicago, Illinois, on February 21, 1921. Because pilots needed guidance from the ground, bonfires were built as beacons along the plane’s planned route.
In 1938, the plan was to use ground fires to demonstrate the process but to employ a larger plane. The one used held 21 passengers and a crew of three. Bonfires served as guide lights along the way,
The demonstration reminded Americans of the challenges faced by these pioneer pilots.
Wings Across America: Essay Contest
The Postal Service also sponsored an essay contest for high school students. The essays were to be about “Wings Across America.” More than a hundred prizes, including about 50 airplane trips to Washington, D.C., Hollywood, California, or Miami, Florida, were to be awarded to the winners.
Skyhooking
As airmail service became more popular, the postal service worked on ways to expand its usage while keeping down transportation time.
“Skyhooking” was one of the innovative plans used for smaller towns that lacked air service. The local post office erected two tall posts. They stretched a rope between the posts, and an outgoing sack of mail was hung from the rope.
When a plane flew into the community to retrieve the mail, the pilot flew low enough to use a hook (connected to the tail) to grab the bag of mail. Clear weather and excellent flying skills were both needed for skyhooking.
As for the mail delivery to that town? The incoming mail was simply dropped out of the plane.
The specialist in the skyhooking field was All-American Airways Company. They made 23,000 mail pickups using the method starting in May of 1939.After a one-year trial, they got a contract to continue their service for ten years.
A Hat Tip to the Post Office
Today we give little thought to the items sent by mail. We’re often annoyed by the post office. But there are many reasons to look back and appreciate the gains in American life that were spearheaded by the U.S. Postal Service.
Pingback: U.S. Mail Delivery via “Auto[matic]” Horse | | America Comes AliveAmerica Comes Alive
great works…….
Thank you!
My grandfather was one of the pilots in northern NY to participate. Great fun to read about other parts of the country.
Thank you for posting…Yes those jobs were so dangerous… I want people to read about how these air pioneers took risks that helped create the aviation industry.
Did he have stories for you? What fun to hear directly.
All best,
Kate