![]() Looking back, the dangerous, experimental flights of the early 1900s advanced into the global airfreight industry that is now an essential aspect of our everyday lives. It’s fascinating to reflect on the history of airmail, a service nearly as old as aviation itself. By 1927, all airmail was carried under contract, a system that benefitted the U.S. To expand their routes, cities across the United States began building infrastructure to accommodate airmail planes. airmail service to remind the nation that its first, daring mail pilots laid the foundations for commercial aviation in America. Privatized airmail services offered more routes and more efficient mail delivery than the post office could provide alone. The United States Postal Service used a first-day ceremony saluting the 100th anniversary of U.S. Thanks to the experimental flights by airmail pioneers, the aviation industry saw great improvements in both safety and efficiency.īy 1926, the Post Office Department began contracting airmail routes to private companies. This milestone flight demonstrated the attainability of night flying, paving the way for future aviators. Airmail struggled to compete with less expensive ground mail and telegrams and the service was considered an exclusive luxury rather than a practical way to deliver mail to the public.įinally, in 1920, the first transcontinental airmail route was established between New York City and San Francisco. Special postage stamps were issued for use with this service. While a few airmail routes were successfully established at this time, there were still no cross-country routes and many states didn’t have the resources required to receive and refuel planes between flights. Air Mail was established as a new class of mail service by the United States Post Office Department (POD) on May 15, 1918, with the inauguration of the WashingtonPhiladelphiaNew York route. Pilots attempted to reach their destinations using dead reckoning, often getting lost or damaging planes along the way. These early mail aircraft had no instruments or navigational aids. and New York City with a refueling stop in Philadelphia. government hired skilled military pilots as aerial postmen to make deliveries between Washington, D.C. Postal Service is issuing a second Forever stamp this year to commemorate the 100th anniversary of U.S. Aviators around the world were commissioned to complete experimental deliveries. When the airplane was introduced in the early 1900s, it garnered immediate attention from the Postal Department. to another country, the address may be a little different, but it's still easy and affordable: it only costs 1.45 to send a 1 oz letter (or postcard) using a USPS Global Forever stamp. Yet airmail service was developed even before the invention of the airplane, with mail delivered through the air by homing pigeons and later, balloon-based efforts. These days, we can send and receive letters and parcels around the world in just a few days. US Stamps Airmails (C) Airmail stamps pay the postage for the airmail service and were first issued in 1918. Postmaster General Arthur Summerfield gave a speech in Lafayette, and a balloon re-enactment flight and helicopter demonstrations added to the occasion.It’s hard to imagine a world without the convenience of fast shipping. In 1959, the Post Office commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Jupiter flight with a 7¢ stamp. The envelope and enclosed letter displayed here are the only known surviving letter from the flight. Upon landing, he transferred the mailbag to a railroad postal agent, who put it aboard a train to New York. A lack of wind shortened the trip, however, and he landed in Crawfordsville, Indiana, about 30 miles away. Wise had hoped to reach New York City, to which the mail was addressed, or Philadelphia. A failed valve forced him to reschedule the flight for the next day, August 17.īalloon Jupiter demonstration ascent, August 16, 1859, Lafayette, Indiana.ħ¢ 1959 Balloon Jupiter anniversary stamp ![]() Wise originally planned to depart from Lafayette, Indiana, on August 16 a demonstration ascent that day is shown in the reproduced period photograph. In 1859, the well-known American balloonist (or “aeronaut”) John Wise made history when he transported the first official U.S. ![]()
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