CAM Contract Air Mail First Flights AM-43

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web-catalog CAM Contract Air Mail First Flights AM-43

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Page ccAM043 (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-43: AM-43 was awarded to Continental Air Lines. Continental Air Lines began service in 1934 as Varney Speed Lanes, named after one of its initial owners, Walter T Varney. VSL operated out of El Paso TX with flight service through Las Vegas NV, Albuquerque, Santa Fe NM to Pueblo CO. At the end of 1934 VSL was renamed Varney Air Transport and on July 1, 1937 changed its name to Continental Air Lines after new owner, Robert Six had taken a 40% ownership with Varney's co-founder, Louis Mueller. Six relocated Continental's headquarters to Stapleton Airport in Denver CO in October, 1937. AM-43 was awarded to CAL and on June 23, 1939 it began flight service between Pueblo CO and Wichita KS using Lockheed 12A (Electra Junior) aircraft.

43E1 390623 Pueblo CO CAL OR Haueter $3.00

43E2 390623 Garden City KS CAL OR Haueter $6.00

43W3 390623 Wichita KS CAL OR Haueter $3.00

43W2 390623 Garden City KS CAL OR Haueter $3.00

R43W5 401115 to La Junta CO CAL $3.75

43E4 401115 La Junta CO CAL OR Haueter $3.00

R43E5 401115 to La Junta CO CAL $3.00

43W4 401115 La Junta CO CAL OR Haueter $4.50

Lockheed Lodestar's were added to Continental's fleet.

R43W7 410426 to Hutchinson KS CAL $4.50

43E6 410426 Hutchinson KS CAL AP Sshelley $2.25

R43E7 410426 to Hutchinson KS CAL $4.50

43W6 410426 Hutchinson KS CAL AP Sshelley $4.50

43S8 411222 Wichita KS CAL BL Ireland $18.75

43N9 411222 Tulsa OK CAL BL Ireland $11.25

R43W11 430201 to Dodge City KS CAL $3.75

43E10 410426 Dodge City KS CAL HS Houghton $3.00

R43E11 430201 to Dodge City KS CAL $3.75

43W10 410426 Dodge City KS CAL H Taneyhill $3.00

Convair 240

43S12 490301 Bartlesville OK CAL Richard M McCoy $2.25

43N12 490301 Bartlesville OK CAL Raymond H Melburg $3.75

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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