CAM Contract Air Mail First Flights AM-42

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web-catalog CAM Contract Air Mail First Flights AM-42

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Page ccAM042 (Revised 11/08/2007)

Background: The Air Mail Act of 1925 (Kelly Act) authorized the postmaster general to contract for domestic airmail service with commercial air carriers. It also set airmail rates and the level of cash subsidies to be paid to companies that carried the mail. By transferring airmail operations to private companies, the government effectively would help create the commercial aviation industry. Various routes were designated and contracts for carrying the mail over these routes were then awarded to many different private air service companies. The Contract Air Mail routes became known as CAM's.

AM-42: AM-42 was awarded to Eastern Air Lines. On January 17, 1930 Pitcairn Aviation was re-named Eastern Air Transport. Supplementing its fleet of Mailwing’s, EAT acquired three Ford Trimotors. On January 1, 1931 EAT flying its Ford Trimotor, inaugurated its first combined passenger and air mail flight service between St Petersburg FL and Newark NJ. EAT later became Eastern Air Lines (EAL) on March 29, 1938. Former WW-I hero, Captain Eddie Rickenbacker took over at the "new" Eastern Air Lines. All Eastern's equipment bore the legend "The Great Silver Fleet." AM-42 was awarded to EAL and on October 10, 1938 it began flight service between Houston and San Antonio TX.

42N1 381020 Houston TX EAL Lee Willwy $3.00

42S2 381020 Houston TX EAL AL Laney $3.75

DC-3's were delivered to "The Great Silver Fleet" in May of 1937.

42S3 390406 Houston TX EAL ER Brown $4.50

42S4 390406 Corpus Christi TX EAL ER Brown $2.25

42N5 390406 Brownsville TX EAL ER Brown $3.75

42N5f 390406 Brownsville TX EAL ER Brown $7.50

42N4 390406 Corpus Christi TX EAL ER Brown $6.00

INDEX: First Flights by CAM Route #

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34

INDEX: First Flights by AM Route #

33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48

INDEX: First Flights by Experimental Route #

INDEX: First Flights by AM Route #

INDEX: First Flights by Air Taxi Services Route #

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