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web-catalog        CAM Contract Air Mail First Flights CAM-21

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Page ccCAM021 (Revised 11/04/2007)

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-21: CAM-21 was awarded to Texas Air Transport. TAT was founded on November 12, 1927 by Temple Bowen, a bus operator from Fort Worth TX. AP Barrett purchased TAT in 1928. The next year Barrett launched Southern Air Transport (SAT), which absorbed Texas Air Transport. In late 1929 SAT became part of the Aviation Corporation (AVCO). In January 1930, AVCO's directors created American Airways Company. In April 1934, AAC became American Airlines.
CAT
        TAT used a fleet of seven Pitcairn Mailwings for its mail runs and Fokker Super Universals on passenger/mail routes.

21S1 280206 Dallas TX TAT Hugh Brewster & Charles F Pedley $9.00
21S2 280206 Fort Worth TX TAT Charles F Pedley $9.00
21S3 280206 Houston TX TAT Charles F Pedley $30.00
21N3 280206 Houston TX TAT Charles F Pedley $7.50
21N4 280206 Galveston TX TAT Charles F Pedley $7.50

R21N6 280305 to Waco TX by southbound plane TAT $15.00
21S5 280305 Waco TX TAT Charles F Pedley $15.00
R21S6 280305 to Waco TX by northbound plane TAT $15.00
21N5 280305 Waco TX TAT Charles F Pedley $11.25

CAM-21: 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-21: 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, Long & Harman Airlines began flying CAM-21 air mail.
        William F Long, president of the Dallas Aviation School together with Frederick Clugh Harman, owner of the San Marcos Flying Service founded Long and Harmon Airlines. L&H with their slogan "Fly with the Mail" had a short life and was acquired on January 1, 1935 by Braniff Airlines (BA).
L&H
        L&H employed Ford Trimotors on their routes.

21S7 351020 Dallas TX BA Richard W Pears $18.00
21N8 351020 Houston TX BA Richard W Pears $27.00

BA
        BA employed Douglas DC-2's on their routes.
21S9 470501 Galveston TX BA ? $112.50
21N10 470501 Corpus Christi TX BA ? $112.50

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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