The Post Office Begins Flying the Mail

The U.S. Post Office began using airplanes to move the mail in order to help establish an air transportation system.

The new field of air transportation was risky business. Early airlines proved unprofitable-they flew and then folded. The airline industry could not get off the ground.

So as it had with stagecoaches, steamships, and railroads, the federal government stepped in to foster a new transportation system. It authorized the U.S. Post Office to begin flying the mail. In 1918 the vision of Postmaster General Albert Burleson and Second Assistant Postmaster General Otto Praeger became a reality with the creation of the U.S. Air Mail Service.

National Air and Space Museum Archives	The First Carrying of Air Mail To demonstrate the potential of transporting mail by air, the Post Office approved a special air mail flight as part of the festivities at an international air meet on September 23, 1911, on Long Island, New York. With a full mail bag squeezed between his legs, pilot Earle Ovington took off and flew to Mineola, a few miles away. He banked his airplane and pushed the bag overboard. It fell to the ground and was retrieved by the local postmaster.
	National Air and Space Museum Archives	National Air and Space Museum Archives Earle Ovington was sworn in as America's "first aeroplane mail carrier."
National Air and Space Museum Archives	Queen Earle Ovington flew a Queen airplane on his brief air mail flight in 1911. The Queen was based on the popular Blériot monoplane design.
Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum	Air Mail Pilot's Coat and Helmet Lt. James Edgerton flew the mail from Philadelphia to Washington during the first scheduled air mail flight on May 15, 1918. He wore this helmet and coat during that flight. Edgerton left the Army in 1919 and became the Chief of Flying for the U.S. Air Mail Service. Gift of James C. Edgerton
Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum	Compass Used on the First Scheduled Air Mail Flight On May 15, 1918, Lt. Howard P. Culver navigated between Philadelphia and Belmont Park, near New York City, using this liquid-filled compass installed in his Curtiss Jenny. Gift of Mrs. A. Paul Culver Letter and envelope carried on the first scheduled air mail flight.		Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum
Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum	James Edgerton's Logbook This is Lt. James Edgerton's logbook, with entries for May 14 and 15, 1918. Pilots write down their experiences so other pilots can learn from them. What problems did Edgerton have? How long did it take him to fly from Bustleton Field to Washington?