CAM Contract Air Mail First Flights CAM-23

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web-catalog CAM Contract Air Mail First Flights CAM-23

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Page ccCAM023 (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-23: CAM-23 was awarded to St Tammany-Gulf Coast Airways. ST-GCA was incorporated in New Orleans and started operations between Atlanta GA and New Orleans LA on August 20, 1927. In 1928, Gulf Coast became Gulf Air Lines and added service to Houston. On May 1, 1928 the first plane left Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta on its inaugural flight to Alvin Callender Airfield in Belle Chasse, New Orleans LA. In 1929 Gulf was acquired as a subsidiary of Southern Air Transport/Aviation Corporation (AVCO) eventually becoming part of American Airlines.
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. Postal mail covers carried on the inaugural flight between each point of landing and take-off are collectible and are known as CAM-23 covers. St Tammany-Gulf Coast Airways mainly used Fokker Super Universal aircraft to fly the mail/passengers.

23S1	280501	Atlanta GA	ST-GCA	Vivian M Jones & HT Merrill	$7.50
23S1F	280501	Atlanta GA	ST-GCA	Vivian M Jones & HT Merrill	$22.50
23S2	280501	Birmingham AL	ST-GCA	Vivian M Jones & HT Merrill	$18.00
23S3	280501	Mobile AL	ST-GCA	Vivian M Jones & HT Merrill	$18.75
23N4	280501	New Orleans LA	ST-GCA	William N DeWald	$7.50
23N3	280501	Mobile AL	ST-GCA	William N DeWald	$9.00
23N2	280501	Birmingham AL	ST-GCA	William N DeWald	$9.00

23SW5	320215	Atlanta GA	AA	AR Perkins	$18.75
23SW5F	320215	Atlanta GA	AA	AR Perkins	$22.50
23SW6	320215	Montgomery AL	AA	AR Perkins	$18.75
23NE7	320215	Mobile AL	AA	BA Carpenter	$26.25
23NE6	320215	Montgomery AL	AA	BA Carpenter	$4.50

CAM-23: 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.
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-23: 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, North American Aviation was awarded the CAM-23 air mail routes.
In 1925 Clement Keys, former wall Street Journal financial editor, formed North American Aviation. This organization was created to provide financing and inspiration for the development of a vast interwoven network of airlines, manufacturers, insurance and other aviation services. North American obtained control of National Air Transport on May 21, 1925, founded Transcontinental Air Transport on May 16, 1928, purchased Pitcairn Aviation in early 1929 and invested in Maddux and Varney Air Lines. North American continued in its quest gaining control of TWA, Eastern Air Transport and Western Air Express.
Keys North American industrial empire was sold to General Motors in 1933. GM consolidated and dispersed various airline assets and in 1934 the airline industry was reorganized with the emergence of the "big-four airlines - Eastern, United, TWA and American. Manufacturing aircraft and operating airline relationships had been separated. President Roosevelt's actions revealed that only large companies, with substantial financial resources and years of experience in all aspects of airline operations could be given the responsibility of running the trunk airline industry of the US. Eastern Air Transport had been reorganized on April 13, 1934 becoming Eastern Air Lines. Amongst a fleet of several different types of aircraft, EAL used Lockheed Model 10B Electras to carry passengers/cargo and mail.

23S7	340528	Birmingham AL	EAL	Shelby Charles	$37.50
23N8	340528	Montgomery AL	EAL	Walter J Shaffer	$37.50

EAL

Douglas DC-3

23S9	440801	Atlanta GA	EAL	CD Worthen	$19.50
23S9f	440801	Atlanta GA	EAL	CD Worthen	$3.75
23S10	440801	Columbus GA	EAL	CD Worthen	$4.50
23N11	440801	Montgomery AL	EAL	JH Brown	$16.50
23N10	440801	Columbus GA	EAL	JH Brown	$5.25

23E12	470929	Pensacola FL	EAL	JT Robertson	$2.25
23W12	470929	Pensacola FL	EAL	James W Furlow	$6.00

23E13	480425	Dothan AL	EAL	DW Brack	$9.00
23W13	480425	Dothan AL	EAL	RL Williamson	$9.00

INDEX: First Flights by CAM Route #

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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