Display by Members of the American Air Mail Society

Thursday 9 May, 2002

ALLEN DONALD JONES

Don retired in 1996 after more than 30 years with the United States Government and is a Past President of the American Air Mail Society. He is currently a Board Member of the American Mail Society. Having exhibited extensively internationally, winning a number of gold medals, he is an accredited FIP judge and is responsible for arranging today's display. He writes for a number of US and overseas philatelic magazines and has initiated a series of monographs for the American Air Mail Society.

UNITED STATES AIR MAIL 12 NOVEMBER 1910 to 30 JUNE 1924

Prior to 23 September 1911 there were a few fixed wing aircraft flights carrying, unofficially, letters and cards. Other than placing in peoples' minds the idea of carrying mail by air, little was achieved in setting up an official air mail service. Sanctioned or official airmails had their beginnings at aviation meets, fairs and carnivals with pilots being sworn in by postal officials and flying mail over short distances 'without expense to the Department!' 1911 to 1916 were truly 'Pioneering Days.' From 1918 onwards airmail development was not without its problems, including those of profitability and suspension of services. Since trains could travel great distances at night, which aircraft were unable to do, speed over distance was found to be the key to success of flying mail by air. From 18 July 1918 the Air Mail Service came into its own, forming an alliance with the railroads and creating the Transcontinental Air Mail Route between New York and San Francisco. All mail was carried at the surface rates - Coast to Coast. An all air service in 1924 finally negated the need for the use of trains. This exhibit shows the significant cancellations, routes, rates and markings that demonstrate the development of the early US air mails.

PHILIP McCARTY

Philip is a Past President of the American Air Mail Society. He writes extensively in the philatelic press on crash and interrupted air mails and he is also one of the editors of the American Air Mail Catalogue. Besides his interests in world wide crash mail he has a wide spectrum of collecting interests including the general issues of the USA, Guam, Christmas Island, hunting stamps and he is a thematic collector with an interest in ice hockey. He has exhibited internationally, winning major awards at CAPEX '96 and ITALIA '98.

INTERRUPTED AIR MAIL FLIGHTS IN THE UNITED STATES 1918-1937

On 15 May 1918 history was made, as mail by air became a reality, when the first official air mail route was opened between New York and Washington, D.C., with a stop in Philadelphia. The route was some 218 miles and one flight was made each way 6 times a week. From the very first flight, the air mail service was plagued with mishaps and schedule interruptions. The exhibit shows some of the interrupted flights that occurred in the United States during the first 20 years of the air mail service. Crash covers are a grim reminder of the price that was paid so that it was possible to fly mail swiftly, safely and on schedule. Included in the exhibit are three previously unrecorded covers from Lindbergh's pioneering days, and a cover that survived the 'Hindenburg' fatality.

ROBERT SPOONER

Bob is a retired physicist and a Past Director of the American Air Mail Society. He is a prolific writer on Charles Lindbergh and the American aviation industry and air mails of the period. He has had a lifelong interest in Lindbergh, ever since being taken to see his childhood hero. His other great love is England, having served here as a Captain in the US Army during World War II. He attended RAF Cranwell, specialised in Radar development and was actively involved in the Normandy landings in 1944.

THE LINDBERGH PHENOMENON

This exhibit focuses on the flying phenomenon, Charles Lindbergh, who initiated a surge of interest in aviation and airmails throughout the United States of America following his amazing transatlantic flight to Paris in 1927. It traces the US air mail routes pioneered by him. Ceremonies and celebrations followed his transatlantic achievement, culminating in his US Goodwill tour, which was followed by the Caribbean Goodwill tour. These tours gave Lindbergh the opportunity to promote air mail by demonstrating his ability to set and meet schedules for flights, as well as flying the mail. He later, as Technical Director of Pan Am, flew some of the new Caribbean routes that gave increased services and competitiveness to the company. Then towards the end of this most active period (1926 - 1934) he used his new Lockheed Sirius plane to undertake a number of world-wide test flights.

STEPHEN REINHARD

Steve is a Fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society London, President of the Collectors Club (New York) and a Past President of the American Air Mail Society. He is currently the Treasurer of the American Air Mail Society. He is the United States representative to the FIP Aerophilatelic Commission. A winner of four large gold medals at International Philatelic Exhibitions he showed his US Pioneer Air Mails in the Championship Class at CAPEX 96. He has also been awarded a FISA gold medal and inducted into Aerophilatlic Hall of Fame. He is a prolific philatelic writer and Managing Editor of the American Air Mail Catalogue.

THE LINDBERGH BOOKLET PANES

The 10c Lindbergh Air Mail sheet stamps were issued on 18 June 1927, shortly after Charles Lindbergh's triumphant flight across the Atlantic. On 26 May 1928 this same design was issued as a booklet, the first United States Air Mail booklet. Four plates were used, producing 60 panes of 3 stamps per sheet. Two panes were stapled into a booklet and sold for 61c, the extra 1c was charged to help to pay for the production of the booklet. At the time of the booklet's issue the domestic air mail rate was 10c per half ounce. Two months and 6 days later, on 1 August 1928, the domestic air mail rate was reduced to 5c for the first ounce and 10c for each additional ounce. The exhibit shows the stamps, including every identifiable plate position, plate numbers which were supposed to have been trimmed off in the production process, several varieties and usage - including the largest known multiple used on a commercial cover.

CHERYL GANZ

Cheryl is a Past President of the American Air Mail Society. Her collecting interests include Zeppelin posts and memorabilia, balloon posts and aerophilatelic literature; she has received many international philatelic honours including - the Gus Lancaster and the George W. Angers awards for outstanding service to aerophilately. In 2000 she was inducted into the Aerophilatelic Hall of Fame. She has written a number of books and articles on 'lighter than air' philately and is currently pioneering display class exhibiting (social philately) in the United States.

ZRS4 AKRON

United States Navy airship flights were instrumental in establishing air post routes over long distances. The ZRS4 AKRON, built by Goodyear-Zeppelin in Akron, Ohio, was 785 feet long, the world's largest airship when constructed. It was the first American designed rigid airship and the second rigid airship to be built in the United States. It flew from September 1931 until its crash in April 1933. Commemorative mail from over 100 special events and mail flown on two official postal fights exist from its short but exciting history. The exhibit shows the test flights of the AKRON, flights from Lakehurst Naval Air Station, the two official postal flights (the westbound Transcontinental & a training flight) and the tragic final flight. In addition, postal souvenirs, ephemera and artefacts demonstrate the short career of this airship, which held so much promise and hope for the USA during the Great Depression.

GREG SCHMIDT

Greg is a Past President of the American Air Mail Society, and is currently their Publications Officer. He writes on air mail subjects for a variety of philatelic magazines both in the United States and New Zealand. He has exhibited internationally, being awarded major prizes at AEROPEX (Australia) and PACIFIC '97. For his services to aerophilately the American Air Mail Society awarded him their Walter J. Conrath medal.

US NAVAL PACIFIC FORERUNNER FLIGHTS 1925-1935 AND PAN AM PACIFIC FLIGHTS 1935-1941

With the threat of war and foreign air lines monopolising strategic areas of the Far East, it became critical for the USA to establish air routes to the Orient and South Pacific. Naval forerunner flights were instrumental in laying the groundwork for future commercial air mail routes. Pan Am and the Navy became partners in the development of these routes. Pan Am's development of these routes required survey flights followed by inaugural flights before regular services could be constituted. The exhibit demonstrates the development of the routes from the naval forerunners to the regular flights to Asia and New Zealand. It shows the many routes and rate changes that took place, particularly as the outbreak of war loomed, culminating in the attack on Pearl Harbor and the suspension of air routes over the Pacific on 7 December 1941.