CAM Contract Air Mail First Flights AM-2001

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web-catalog CAM Contract Air Mail First Flights AM-2001

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Page ccAM2001 (Revised 12/03/2007)

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-2001: AM-2001 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."
On November 28, 1938 the PO Department advertised for bids for an experimental service to test the feasibility of shuttling air mail between post office roof-tops and airports by means of autogiros. A contract was awarded to Eastern Air Lines and on July 6, 1939 Eastern began this experimental autogiro service from the roof of the Philadelphia PA Post Office and Camden NJ airfield.

Kellett KD-1 Autogiro

A1E1 390706 Philadelphia PA (PO Roof) EAL John M Miller $3.00

A1W2f 390706 Camden NJ (Airfield) EAL John M Miller $3.75

A1E3 400620 Philadelphia PA (PO Roof)
to Philadelphia PA (Airfield) EAL John M Miller $15.00

A1W4f 400620 Philadelphia PA (Airfield)
to Philadelphia PA (PO Roof) EAL John M Miller $45.00

At the end of June 1940 one of the Kellett Autogiros fell into the street below causing this service to be discontinued. This ended the only scheduled autogiro service ever to be used by the Post Office.

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 #

INDEX: First Flights by Experimental Route #

INDEX: First Flights by AM Route #

INDEX: First Flights by Air Taxi Services Route #

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