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web-catalog        CAM Contract Air Mail First Flights AM-105

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Page ccAM105 (Revised 11/29/2007)

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-105: AM-105 was awarded to Bonanza Air Lines. Edmund Converse, (former lieutenant commander in the US Navy) and Charlie Keene (operator of a small air-charter operation in Santa Paula CA) and June Simon (daughter of "Pop" Simon, the former secretary-director of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce) formed Bonanza Air Services in Las Vegas NV on December 31, 1945. Initially Bonanza was primarily a charter operator with a fleet of three Cessna T-50's stationed at Sky Haven Airfield (now known as the North Las Vegas Air Terminal).
BAL

        Bonanza purchased two DC-3's and on August 5, 1946 began scheduled intra-state air services between Las Vegas and Reno NV under its new name, Bonanza Air Lines while moving to a new home base at Alamo Field (now called McCarran International Airport). AM-105 was awarded to Bonanza and on December 20, 1949 it began scheduled flight services between Reno NV and Phoenix AZ.
BAL

105S1 491220 Reno NV BAL Myron W Reynolds $3.00
105S2 491220 Carson City NV BAL Myron W Reynolds $3.00
105S3 491220 Minden NV BAL Myron W Reynolds $3.75
105S4 491220 Hawthorne NV BAL Myron W Reynolds $3.00
105S5 491220 Tonopah NV BAL Myron W Reynolds $4.50
105S6 491220 Las Vegas NV BAL Walter F Tubb $3.00
105S7 491220 Kingman AZ BAL Walter F Tubb $3.00
105S8 491220 Prescott AZ BAL Walter F Tubb $3.00
105N9 491220 Phoenix AZ BAL Walter F Tubb $3.00
105N8 491220 Prescott AZ BAL Walter F Tubb $4.50
105N7 491220 Kingman AZ BAL Walter F Tubb $6.00
105N6 491220 Las Vegas NV BAL Myron W Reynolds $4.50
105N5 491220 Tonopah NV BAL Myron W Reynolds $3.00
105N4 491220 Hawthorne NV BAL Myron W Reynolds $2.25
105N3 491220 Minden NV BAL Bernard Schoenknecht $4.50
105N2 491220 Carson City NV BAL Bernard Schoenknecht $6.00

BAL
Douglas DC-3

105W10 520715 Phoenix AZ BAL Paul A Beach $2.25
105W11 520715 Ajo AZ BAL Claude H Ferguson $4.50
105W12 520715 Blythe CA BAL Paul A Beach $2.25
105W13 520715 Yuma AZ BAL Paul A Beach $2.25
105W14 520715 El Centro CA BAL Paul A Beach $3.75
105N15 520715 San Diego CA BAL Paul A Beach $3.75
105N16 520715 Santa Ana CA BAL Paul A Beach $4.50
105N17 520715 Laguna Beach CA BAL Paul A Beach $6.00
105S18 520715 Los Angeles CA BAL Herbert F Jones $4.50
105S18f 520715 Los Angeles CA BAL Herbert F Jones $4.50
105S17 520715 Laguna Beach CA BAL Herbert F Jones $10.50
105S16 520715 Santa Ana CA BAL Herbert F Jones $10.50
105E15 520715 San Diego CA BAL Richard B Hall $2.25
105E14 520715 El Centro CA BAL Richard B Hall $3.00
105E13 520715 Yuma AZ BAL Richard B Hall $2.25
105E12 520715 Blythe CA BAL Herbert F Jones $3.75
105E11 520715 Ajo AZ BAL Richard B Hall $3.00

105S19 531115 Death Valley CA BAL Richard B Hall $3.75

105E20 550425 Burbank CA BAL John Boyle $2.25
105E21 550425 Los Angeles CA BAL John Boyle $22.50
105E21f 550425 Los Angeles CA BAL John Boyle $33.75
105E22 550425 Ontario CA BAL John Boyle $2.25
105E23 550425 Riverside CA BAL John Boyle $3.00
105E24 550425 Indio CA BAL John Boyle $3.75
105W25 550425 Blythe CA BAL Claude Ferguson $30.00
105W24 550425 Indio CA BAL Claude Ferguson $3.00
105W23 550425 Riverside CA BAL Claude Ferguson $4.50
105W22 550425 Ontario CA BAL Claude Ferguson $4.50
105W21 550425 Los Angeles CA BAL Claude Ferguson $27.00
105W21f 550425 Los Angeles CA BAL Claude Ferguson $22.50

105W26 570702 Apple Valley CA BAL Andrew R Peterson $2.25
105E26 570702 Apple Valley CA BAL Andrew R Peterson $2.25

BAL
Douglas DC-3

105N27 580103 Prescott AZ BAL William Baughman $10.50
105N28 580103 Cedar City UT BAL William Baughman $13.50
105S29 580103 Salt Lake City UT BAL William Baughman $6.00
105S29f 580103 Salt Lake City UT BAL William Baughman $3.75
105S28 580103 Cedar City UT BAL Robert V Schafranka $13.50

105N30 590104 Saint George UT BAL Charles Johnson $2.25
105S30 590104 Saint George UT BAL Jack Huffman $3.75

105S31 590426 Kanab UT BAL Paul L Boyer $3.75
105S32 590426 Page AZ BAL Paul L Boyer $6.00
105N33 590426 Flafstaff AZ BAL William M Baughman $6.00
105S33 590426 Flafstaff AZ BAL Donald E May $3.75
105S32 590426 Page AZ BAL Donald E May $6.00
105S31 590426 Kanab UT BAL Paul L Boyer $3.75

BAL
Fairchild F-27

105N34 590501 Grand Canyon AZ BAL James Brooks $3.00
105S34 590501 Grand Canyon AZ BAL Donald E May $7.50

105N35 590715 Oceanside CA BAL Robert V Schafranka $6.00
105S35 590715 Oceanside CA BAL Lionel G Leonard $2.25

BAL
McDonnell Douglas DC-9

105S36 660401 Las Vegas NV BAL Joseph F Mara $2.25
105N37 660401 Grand Canyon AZ BAL Jack Huffman $2.25

105SE38 680401 Phoenix AZ BAL Donald S Gilday $22.50
105NW39 680401 Tucson AZ to Las Vegas NV BAL William M Baughman $90.00
105W39 680401 Tucson AZ to Los Angeles CA BAL Donald S Gilday $2.25
105E40 680401 San Diego CA BAL Donald S Gilday $82.50

        Effective April 17, 1968 Bonanza Air Lines, Pacific Air Lines and West Coast Airlines mearged to form Hughes AirWest.

HAW
McDonnell Douglas DC-9

105S41 680430 Tucson AZ HAW Charles R Kingen $2.25
105N42 680430 La Paz Mexico HAW Charles R Kingen $13.50
105N43 680430 Mazatlan Mexico HAW Charles R Kingen $16.50
105N44 680430 Puerto Vallarta Mexico HAW Charles R Kingen $16.50

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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