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web-catalog        CAM Contract Air Mail First Flights CAM-17

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Page ccCAM017 (Revised 10/30/2007)

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.

CAM-17: CAM-17 was awarded to National Air Transport. NAT was founded in 1925 by Clement M. Keys who selected Howard E Coffin as its chairman. In addition to CAM-3 air service, CAM-17 was inaugurated with both east and west flights on September 1, 1927 between Chicago IL and New York NY with an interim stop in Cleveland OH. Postal mail covers carried on the inaugural flight between each point of landing and take-off are collectible and are known as CAM-17 covers.
CAM-3
        National Air Transport used Curtiss Carrier Pigeon bi-planes with Curtiss engines for this initial September 1, 1927 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 September 1st CAM-17 inaugural air service included, Frank H Burnside, Harry Chandler, William C Hopson, Leo J McGinn, SJ Short and Warren D Williams.

DAY
17W1D 270901 New York NY NAT Hopson $7.50
17W1DF 270901 New York NY NAT Hopson $22.50
17W2D 270901 Cleveland OH NAT Burnside & Short $7.50
17W2DF 270901 Cleveland OH NAT Burnside & Short $11.25
17E3D 270901 Chicago IL NAT Williams $7.50
17E3DF 270901 Chicago IL NAT Williams $18.00
17E2D 270901 Cleveland OH NAT Short $22.50
17E2DF 270901 Cleveland OH NAT Short $22.50
NIGHT
17W1N 270901 New York NY NAT Chandler $7.50
17W1NF 270901 New York NY NAT Chandler $22.50
17W2N 270901 Cleveland OH NAT Williams $7.50
17W2NF 270901 Cleveland OH NAT Williams $18.75
17E3N 270901 Chicago IL NAT Burnside & McGinn $7.50
17E3NF 270901 Chicago IL NAT Burnside & McGinn $22.50
17E2N-X 270831 Cleveland OH NAT Hopson $7.50
17E2NF-X 270831 Cleveland OH NAT Hopson $11.25
17E2N-Z 270901 Cleveland OH NAT Hopson $7.50
17E2NF-Z 270901 Cleveland OH NAT Hopson $30.00

DAY
R17E5D 280603 to Toledo OH NAT $9.00
17W4D 280603 Toledo OH NAT Leo J McGinn $7.50
R17W5D 280604 to Toledo OH NAT $15.00
17E4D 280604 Toledo OH NAT Warren D Williams $9.00
NIGHT
R17E5N 280604 to Toledo OH NAT $9.00
17W4N 280604 Toledo OH NAT Frank H Burnside $18.00
R17W5N 280604 to Toledo OH NAT $15.00
17E4N 280604 Toledo OH NAT by train $18.00

17N4 280604 Toledo OH-Detroit MI NAT Daniel E Lindsey $15.00
17S6 280604 Detroit MI-Toledo OH NAT Daniel E Lindsey $7.50

17W7F 300908 New York (Newark Airport) NAT Warren D Williams $18.75

CAM-17: 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-17: 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, United Air Lines began flying CAM-17 air mail from New York NY to Chicago IL.
        United Aircraft and Transport Corporation had been formed on February 1, 1929 with the partnership merger of Boeing Air Transport and Pratt & Whitney. UAL began on July 1, 1931 as the holding company of four air carriers, Boeing Air Transport (CAM-18), Varney Air Lines (CAM-5), Pacific Air Transport (CAM-8) and National Air Transport (CAM-17). Each of these contributing airlines flew different types of aircraft when taken over by United. One such aircraft was the Stearman M-2 Speedmail.
UAL
        UAL was organized as the "World's Largest Air Transport System."

UAL
Boeing 40-B
UAL
Boeing 247
R17E9 350914 to Allentown PA UAL $5.25
17W8 350914 Allentown PA UAL WE Larned $6.00
R17W9 350914 to Allentown PA UAL $5.25
17E8 350914 Allentown PA UAL Edward A Stewart $4.50

R17E11 351001 to Bethlehem PA UAL $3.75
17W10 351001 Bethlehem PA UAL James L Brandon $3.00
R17W11 351001 to Bethlehem PA UAL $4.50
17E10 351001 Bethlehem PA UAL Arthur E Derby $3.75

17W12 380301 New York via Akron OH UAL Edward A Stewart $12.00
17W12f 380301 New York via Akron OH UAL Edward A Stewart $15.00
17W13 380301 Akron OH UAL Edward A Stewart $3.00
17E14 380301 Toledo OH via Akron OH UAL Leo C Allen $30.00
17E13 380301 Akron OH UAL Leo C Allen $2.25

17E15 380702 Cleveland OH via Akron OH UAL Edward A Stewart $18.75
17E15f 380702 Cleveland OH via Akron OH UAL Edward A Stewart $22.50

17W16 381101 Allentown PA UAL IE Sommermeyer $22.50
17W17 381101 Bethlehem PA UAL IE Sommermeyer $22.50

17E18 390815 Akron OH UAL Douglas Wilson $26.25

17E19f 391202 Newark Airport - North Beach (LaGuardia) Airport UAL Russell M VanTuyl $37.50
17W20f 391202 North Beach (LaGuardia) Airport UAL LC Brown $3.00

R17W22 401221 to Philadelphia PA UAL $225.00
17W21f 401221 Philadelphia PA UAL Captain Templeton $225.00

R17E24 410701 to Youngstown OH UAL $12.00
17W23 410701 Youngstown OH UAL IE Sommermeyer $13.50
R17W24 410701 to Youngstown OH UAL $12.00
17E23 410701 Youngstown OH UAL CE Rechnagle $4.50

R17E26 411201 to South Bend IN UAL $12.00
17W25 411201 South Bend IN UAL RB Andrews $15.00
R17W26 411201 to South Bend IN UAL $12.00
17E25 411201 South Bend IN UAL JM Roberts $12.00

UAL
Douglas DC-3
17SE27 460105 Detroit MI - Akron OH UAL Peter E Brohme $3.75
17SE27f 460105 Detroit MI - Akron OH UAL Peter E Brohme $7.50
17E27 460105 Detroit MI - Philadelphia PA UAL $30.00
17E27f 460105 Detroit MI - Philadelphia PA UAL $30.00
17W28f 460105 Philadelphia PA - Detroit MI UAL $52.50
17W27 460105 Detroit MI - Chicago IL UAL Norman F Timper $22.50
17W27f 460105 Detroit MI - Chicago IL UAL Norman F Timper $26.25
17E29 460105 Chicago IL - Detroit MI UAL Peter E Brohme $22.50
17E29f 460105 Chicago IL - Detroit MI UAL Peter E Brohme $33.75

17E30 470427 Milwaukee WI UAL Douglas Campbell $10.50

17E31 471101 Fort Wayne IN UAL FA Stetson $3.00
17W31 471101 Fort Wayne IN UAL WN Swain $6.00

17W32 480601 Baltimore MD UAL WN Swain $4.50
17E32 480601 Baltimore MD UAL SJ Devine $6.00

17W33 480701 Providence RI UAL Wallace M Webb $3.75
17E33 480701 Providence RI UAL Wayne Jolan $6.00

17W34 480908 Brandford PA UAL CC Gates $3.75
17E34 480908 Brandford PA UAL CF Henderson $2.25

UAL
Convair 340
17W35 590111 Washington DC UAL FA Stetson $3.75
17W35f 590111 Washington DC UAL FA Stetson $3.75
17W36 590111 Columbus OH UAL FA Stetson $7.50
17W36f 590111 Columbus OH UAL FA Stetson $4.50
17W37 590111 Dayton OH UAL FA Stetson $7.50
17E38 590111 Chicago IL UAL Donald E Flanagan $3.75
17E38f 590111 Chicago IL UAL Donald E Flanagan $3.75
17E37 590111 Dayton OH UAL Donald E Flanagen $3.75
17E36 590111 Columbus OH UAL Donald E Flanagen $7.50
17E36f 590111 Columbus OH UAL Donald E Flanagen $4.50

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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