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web-catalog        CAM Contract Air Mail First Flights AM-64

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Page ccAM064 (Revised 01/17/2008)

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-64: AM-64 was awarded to Essair. In January 1939 Essair launched the first experimental local air feeder service route from Houston to Abilene and Amarillo TX. Shortly thereafter, in June 1939 Essair's service was suspended when Braniff Airways filed an appeal against them with the Civil Aeronautics Board. Essair finally won the appeal in November 1943. After WW-II ended AM-64 was awarded to Essair. On Augusr 1, 1945 Essair inaugurated feeder flight service from Houston to Amarillo with stops at San Angelo, Abilene, and Lubbock using Lockheed L-10A Electras.
Essair

64S1 459801 Amarillo TX Essair Byron D Rickards $3.75
64S2 459801 Lubbock TX Essair Byron D Rickards $6.00
64S3 459801 Abilene TX Essair Byron D Rickards $4.50
64S4 459801 San Angelo TX Essair Byron D Rickards $6.00
64S5 459801 Austin TX Essair Byron D Rickards $6.00
64N6 459801 Houston TX Essair Ernest Van Lloyd $2.25
64N5 459801 Austin TX Essair Ernest Van Lloyd $6.00
64N4 459801 San Angelo TX Essair Ernest Van Lloyd $6.00
64N3 459801 Abilene TX Essair Ernest Van Lloyd $6.00
64N2 459801 Lubbock TX Essair Ernest Van Lloyd $3.75

         On May 15, 1946 Essair changed its name to Pioneer Air Lines and began flying the DC-3.
PAL

Houston-Dallas Leg
64N7 470219 Houston TX PAL Leon C Green $3.00
64N7f 470219 Houston TX PAL Leon C Green $13.50
64N8 470219 Bryan TX PAL RE Rogers $2.25
64N9 470219 Temple TX PAL Ray H Peters $3.00
64N10 470219 Waco TX PAL Leon C Green $3.00
64S11 470219 Dallas TX PAL John M Leggio $4.50
64S11f 470219 Dallas TX PAL John M Leggio $4.50
64S10 470219 Waco TX PAL John M Leggio $4.50
64S9 470219 Temple TX PAL RE Rogers $4.50
64S8 470219 Bryan TX PAL RE Rogers $3.00

Dallas-Midland Leg
64W11 470219 Dallas TX PAL Leon C Green $3.75
64W11f 470219 Dallas TX PAL Leon C Green $3.00
64W12 470219 Fort Worth TX PAL Leon C Green $6.00
64W12f 470219 Fort Worth TX PAL Leon C Green $3.00
64W13 470219 Mineral Wells TX PAL Ray H Peters $4.50
64W14 470219 Abilene TX PAL Ray H Peters $4.50
64W15 470219 Sweetwater TX PAL Leon C Green $3.00
64W16 470219 Big Spring TX PAL Leon C Green $6.00
64E17 470219 Midland TX PAL John M Leggio $3.00
64E18 470219 Odessa TX PAL John M Leggio $3.75
64E16 470219 Big Spring TX PAL John M Leggio $3.00
64E15 470219 Sweetwater TX PAL John M Leggio (flown west) $2.25
64E14 470219 Abilene TX PAL John M Leggio $3.00
64E13 470219 Mineral Wells TX PAL Harold B Hall $3.00
64E12 470219 Fort Worth TX PAL John M Leggio $3.75
64E12f 470219 Fort Worth TX PAL John M Leggio $6.00

San Angelo-Lubbock Leg
64N19 470219 San Angelo TX PAL JW Smith $13.50
64N17 470219 Midland TX PAL Harold B Hall $7.50
64N18 470219 Odessa TX PAL Harold B Hall $10.50
64N20 470219 Lamesa TX PAL Ernie F McCoy $6.00
64S21 470219 Lubbock TX PAL James D Jensen $11.25
64S20 470219 Lamesa TX PAL BD Rickards $3.00
64S18 470219 Odessa TX PAL James D Jensen $6.00
64S17 470219 Midland TX PAL James D Jensen $13.50

64N22 480105 Plainview TX PAL James D Jensen $3.75
64S22 480105 Plainview TX PAL Berthold Sadkin $2.25

64W23 480501 Lubbock TX PAL Mont O Roper $3.75
64W24 480501 Tucumcari NM PAL Mont O Roper $4.50
64W25 480501 Las Vegas NM PAL Mont O Roper $4.50
64W26 480501 Santa Fe NM PAL Mont O Roper $6.00
64E27 480501 Albuquerque NM PAL LA Lauratis $3.75
64E26 480501 Santa Fe NM PAL LA Lauratis $3.75
64E25 480501 Las Vegas NM PAL LA Lauratis $3.75
64E24 480501 Tucumcari NM PAL LA Lauratis $2.25

64SW28 480601 Amarillo TX PAL Berthold Sadkin $2.25
64SW29 480601 Clovis NM PAL Berthold Sadkin $2.25
64SW30 480601 Roswell NM PAL Berthold Sadkin $3.00
64NE31 480601 El Paso TX PAL Berthold Sadkin $3.00
64NE30 480601 Roswell NM PAL Berthold Sadkin $4.50
64NE29 480601 Clovis NM PAL Berthold Sadkin $7.50

64W29 480601 Clovis NM PAL JW Smith $4.50
64E29 480601 Clovis NM PAL BD Rickards $6.00

64S32 481012 Las Cruces NM PAL Robert R Rawls $2.25
64N32 481012 Las Cruces NM PAL Robert R Rawls $4.50

64NE33 510930 Austin TX PAL EE Madden $3.75
64SE34 510930 Temple TX PAL EE Madden $3.75
64SE35 510930 Bryan TX PAL EE Madden $4.50
64NW36 510930 Houston TX PAL EE Madden $3.75
64NW36f 510930 Houston TX PAL EE Madden $3.75
64NW35 510930 Bryan TX PAL EE Madden $3.75
64SW34 510930 Temple TX PAL EE Madden $4.50

PAL
Martin 202

64W37 530927 Breckenridge TX PAL JM McNulty $3.00
64W38 530927 Snyder TX PAL JM McNulty $3.00
64E38 530927 Snyder TX PAL John M Leggio $3.75
64E37 530927 Breckenridge TX PAL CC Meyer $4.50

        Pioneer Air Lines was merged into Continental Airlines on April 1, 1955.

CA
Douglas DC-6

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 #

1001 1002

INDEX: First Flights by AM Route #

49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65
66 67 68 69 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 84
86 87 88 90 91 93 94 96 97 98 99 100 101 103 105
106 107 111 119 120 121 139 140 141 143 144 148 172

INDEX: First Flights by Air Taxi Services Route #

288 289 290 291 292 293 295 296 297 298
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