CAM Contract Air Mail First Flights CAM-25

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web-catalog CAM Contract Air Mail First Flights CAM-25

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Page ccCAM025 (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-19: In 1926 aviation pioneer, Harold Pitcairn bought a large section of farmland west of Doylestown Pike PA turning it into a flying field. On September 15, 1927 Pitcairn formed a small Philadelphia-based airline known as Pitcairn Aviation.
        The next year on May 1, 1928, Pitcairn Aviation won the US Postal Service contract to carry the overnight air mail between New York and Atlanta (CAM-19). This was followed by an award on December 1, 1928 for the Miami, St Petersburg, Atlanta air mail (CAM-25).         Pitcairn had developed, tested, built and flew many different aircraft, most notable being his Mailwing bi-plane and Autogyro.
        Clement Keys who was a former financial editor of the Wall Street Journal and an untiring promoter of multimillion-dollar aviation corporations purchased Pitcairn in 1929 and sold it to North American Aviation, a holding company for a number of airline and aircraft companies. On January 17, 1930, Pitcairn Aviation's name was changed to Eastern Air Transport. Supplementing its fleet of Mailwing's, EAT acquired three Ford Trimotors.
        On January 1, 1931 EAT inaugurated its first combined passenger and air mail flight service between St Petersburg FL and Newark NJ. EAT became Eastern Air Lines on March 29, 1938.

25S1	281201	Atlanta GA	PA	FA Stone	$4.50
25S1F	281201	Atlanta GA	PA	FA Stone	$18.75
25S2	281201	Jacksonville FL	PA	Donald B Johnston	$4.50
25N3	281201	Miami FL	PA	FJ Schwaemmle	$4.50
25N2	281201	Jacksonville FL	PA	FA Stone	$4.50

		Main Route
R25N5	290301	to Macon GA by southbound plane	PA		$22.50
25S4	290301	Macon GA	PA	TW Gurley & AP Kerr	$7.50
R25N7	290301	to Daytona Beach FL by southbound plane	PA		$9.00
25S6	290301	Daytona Beach FL	PA	FB Cann	$18.75
	290301	Miami FL	PA
R25S7	290301	to Daytona Beach FL by northbound plane	PA		$22.50
25N6	290301	Daytona Beach FL	PA	FJ Schwaemmle & AP Kerr	$7.50
R25S5	290301	to Macon GA by northbound plane	PA		$22.50
25N4	290301	Macon GA	PA	TW Gurley & AP Kerr	$7.50
		Spur Route
25W6	290301	Daytona Beach FL	PA	CJ Faulkner & James Ray	$30.00
25W8	290301	Orlando FL	PA	James Ray	$18.75
25E9	290301	Tampa FL	PA	AP Kerr	$7.50
25E8	290301	Orlando FL	PA	AP Kerr	$7.50

25W10	291214	Tampa FL	PA	LE McLaughlin	$22.50
25E11	291214	St Petersburg FL	PA	Elmer S Cross	$4.50

EAT

Pitcairn PA-8

R25N13	310209	to West Palm Beach FL by southbound train	EAT		$3.00
25S12	310209	West Palm Beach FL	EAT	AP Kerr	$7.50
R25S13	310209	to West Palm Beach FL by northbound plane	EAT		$4.50
25N12	310209	West Palm Beach FL	EAT	GR Cushing & D Davis	$3.00

R25N14

310210

to West Palm Beach by southbound plane

EAT

FH Jerdone

$225.00

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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