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web-catalog        CAM Contract Air Mail First Flights CAM-3

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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.

CAM-3: CAM-3 was awarded to National Air Transport Inc. NAT was founded in 1925 by Clement M. Keys who selected Howard E Coffin as its chairman. CAM-3 air service was inaugurated with both north and south flights on May 12, 1926 between Chicago Illinois and Dallas Texas with an interim stops in Moline Illinois, Saint Joseph & Kansas City Missouri, Wichita Kansas, Oklahoma City Oklahoma and Fort Worth Texas. Postal mail covers carried on the inaugural flight between each point of landing and take-off are collectible and are known as CAM-3 covers.
CAM-3
        National Air Transport used Curtiss Carrier Pigeon bi-planes with Curtiss engines for this initial May 12, 1926 air service. The Carrier Pigeon bi-planes were built by the Curtiss Aeroplane Company founded by Glenn Curtiss and now controlled by Clement Keys.
        Pilots flying different legs of this May 12th CAM-3 inaugural air service included, D A Askew, R L Dobie, R H Fatt, Lawrence H Garrison, P E Johnson, H L Kindred and Edmund Matucha.

3S1 260512 Chicago IL NAT Johnson & Matucha $7.50
3S2 260512 Moline IL NAT Johnson $9.00
3S3 260512 St Joseph MO NAT Johnson $9.00
3S4 260512 Kansas City MO NAT Dobie $7.50
3S5 260512 Wichita KA NAT Dobie $11.25
3S6 260512 Oklahoma City OK NAT Dobie $11.25
3S7 260512 Fort Worth TX NAT Dobie $37.50
3N8 260512 Dallas TX NAT Askew & Kindred $7.50
3N7 260512 Fort Worth TX NAT Kindred $9.00
3N6 260512 Oklahoma City OK NAT Askew & Kindred $9.00
3N5 260512 Wichita KA NAT Askew & Kindred $9.00
3N4 260512 Kansas City MO NAT Fatt $7.50
3N3 260512 St Joseph MO NAT Garrison $9.00
3N2 260512 Moline IL NAT Fatt $11.25

R3N10 270404 to Ponca City OK NAT $7.50
3S9 270404 Ponca City OK NAT Askew $6.75
R3S10 270404 to Ponca City OK NAT $7.50
3N9 270404 Ponca City OK NAT WG Neville $22.50

3E11 280705 Ponca City OK to Tulsa OK NAT Earl Rockwood $41.25
3W11A 280705 Tulsa OK-Ponca City OK NAT Earl Rockwood $7.50

3S12 290701 Kansas City MO NAT Paul J Kanuit $26.25
3S12f 290701 Kansas City MO NAT Paul J Kanuit $150.00
3S13 290701 Tulsa OK NAT Paul J Kanuit $52.50
3N14 290701 Fort Worth TX NAT LL Lewis $42.00
3N14f 290701 Fort Worth TX NAT LL Lewis $75.00
3N13 290701 Tulsa OK NAT LL Lewis $45.00

3S15 310201 Tulsa OK-Oklahoma City OK NAT Emery J Martin $112.50
3N16 310201 Oklahoma City OK-Tulsa OK NAT Earl Rockwood $112.50

CAM-3: On February 9, 1934 the Post Office Department canceled all contracts of operators flying mail on routes within the US to become effective on February 19, 1934. The reason given by the Post Office was that there was suspicion that the mail carrying contracts had been awarded through collusion during the previous Administration.
        Cancellation of the air mail contracts held by established pioneer airline companies was accompanied by an executive order from President Franklin D Roosevelt stating that the Army Air Corps should now carry the mail. Three territorial zones were established for the Air Corps mail operations, Newark NJ, Chicago IL and Salt Lake City UT. The eastern, central and western zones each had branch routes to other feeder cities. It was a difficult assignment for the Army Air Corps as they did not have enough planes and the ones they had, did not have the latest instruments, landing, navigation, or cockpit lights. One of the aircraft they used was the Keystone B-4 bi-plane.
Army Air Corps

        New commercial air mail carrying contracts were made in May 1934 and the mail was again flown by private contractors over re-designated revised Post Office Department routes in late June 1934.

CAM-3: After the February 1934 cancellation and reinstatement of new commercial air mail carrying contracts over re-designed revised Post Office routes in late June 1934, CAM-3 was divided into two legs.

Leg West was awarded to American Airlines connecting Chicago IL to Dallas/Fort Worth TX via Kansas City MO, Wichita KA, Ponca City OK and Oklahoma City OK.

        American had developed from a conglomeration of 82 small airlines companies through a series of corporate acquisitions and reorganizations. On January 25, 1930 American Airways was incorporated as a single company. American operated its routes with all-metal Fokker Tri-motors and Ford Tri-motors. In 1934 American began flying Curtiss Condor biplanes which carried air mail and accommodated 15-18 passengers in the ultimate of airline comfort.
AA
        In 1934, American Airways Company slipped into financial straits and was acquired by corporate raider, Errett Lobban Cord, who renamed the company American Airlines.

AA
Curtiss Condor

3S17 340615 Oklahoma City OK - Dallas TX AA WB McAlister $52.50
3S18 340615 Dallas TX - Oklahoma City OK AA AJ Burke $52.50

R3N21 341210 to Burlington IA AA $4.50
3S20 341210 Burlington IA AA Arthur Mills $6.00
R3S21 341210 to Burlington IA AA $6.00
3N20 341210 Burlington IA AA Arthur Mills $4.50

R3N23 361026 to Joplin MO AA $3.75
3S22 361026 Joplin MO AA ER Stotts $3.75
R3S23 361026 to Joplin MO AA $3.75
3N22 361026 Joplin MO AA RJ Rentz $3.00

AA
Douglas DC-3

R3N25 441201 to Topeka KS AA $6.75
3S24 441201 Topeka KS AA Gordon Darnell $6.00
R3S25 441201 to Topeka KS AA $6.75
3N24 441201 Topeka KS AA OM Huff $5.25

3S26 460910 Chicago IL AA $37.50
3S26f 460910 Chicago IL AA $33.75
3N27 460910 Tulsa OK AA $37.50

3N28 470401 Chicago IL AA Walter P Steiner $15.00
3N28f 470401 Chicago IL AA Walter P Steiner $18.75
3S29 470401 Milwaukee WI AA Walter P Steiner $2.25

Leg East was awarded to Braniff Airways connecting Chicago IL to Dallas/Fort Worth via Peoria IL, Springfield IL, St Louis MO, Springfield MO, Tulsa OK and Oklahoma City OK.

        Thomas E. Braniff (financier) with his brother, Paul Revere Braniff (WW-I pilot) founded Paul R. Braniff Inc (a combination flying school, aircraft parts supplier and airline). On June 20, 1928 passenger service began on a 116-mile route between Tulsa and Oklahoma City OK. In April 1929 Braniff was sold to Universal Aviation Corporation (conglomerate cross-country air-rail network). A new independent Braniff airline operation was incorporated on November 3, 1930 under the name of Braniff Airways with Tom as president and Paul as secretary-treasurer.
BA
        Braniff initially flew two six-passenger Lockheed Vegas.
BA
Stinson Reliant

3D19 340920 Chicago Lagoon - Chicago Airfield IL BA Trow Sebree $45.00
3D19A 340920 Chicago Airfield - Chicago Lagoon IL BA Trow Sebree $49.00

BA
British Aerospace Corp BAC-111

3NE30 690708 Kansas City MO BA CH Clary $30.00
3NE30f 690708 Kansas City MO BA CH Clary $30.00
3SW31 690708 Detroit MI BA CH Rosendahl $13.50

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

INDEX: First Flights by Experimental Route #

2001

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