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web-catalog        CAM Contract Air Mail First Flights CAM-27

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Page ccCAM027 (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-27: CAM-27 was awarded to Thompson Aeronautical Corporation. TAC was founded in early 1928 and became the successful bidder for the mail route from Bay City MI to Chicago IL. Postal mail covers carried on the inaugural flight between each point of landing and take-off are collectible and are known as CAM-27 covers.
TAC
        TAC began service on July 17, 1928 with a fleet of six Stinson Detroiters.
        At the beginning of 1931 the airline-operating side of TAC became a subsidiary of its parent company, Transamerican Airlines Corporation. In 1933 American Airways purchased Thompson.

Main to Detroit
27E1 280717 Chicago IL TAC GW Hill & JL Rutledge $7.50
27E1F 280717 Chicago IL TAC GW Hill & JL Rutledge $20.25
27E2 280717 LaPorte IN TAC GW Hill & JL Rutledge $7.50
27E3 280717 South Bend IN TAC GW Hill $7.50
27D4 280717 Kalamazoo MI TAC LF Bishop $7.50
27E7 280717 Battle Creek MI TAC LF Bishop $11.25
27E8 280717 Jackson MI TAC LF Bishop $18.75
27E9 280717 Ann Arbor MI TAC LF Bishop $18.75
27W10 280717 Detroit MI TAC LF Bishop $7.50
27W9 280717 Ann Arbor MI TAC LF Bishop $9.00
27W8 280717 Jackson MI TAC LF Bishop $9.00
27W7 280717 Battle Creek MI TAC LF Bishop $9.00
27W4 280717 Kalamazoo MI TAC GW Hill & JL Rutledge $7.50
27W3 280717 South Bend IN TAC GW Hill & JL Rutledge $7.50
27W2 280717 LaPorte IN TAC GW Hill & JL Rutledge $7.50
Spur to Bay City
27B4 280717 Kalamazoo MI TAC CV Pickup $15.00
27E11 280717 Lansing MI TAC CV Pickup $22.50
27E12 280717 Saginaw MI TAC CV Pickup $26.25
27W13 280717 Bay City MI TAC CV Pickup $7.50
27W12 280717 Saginaw MI TAC CV Pickup $7.50
27W11 280717 Lansing MI TAC CV Pickup $7.50
Spur to Muskegon
27M4 280717 Kalamazoo MI TAC GW Hill $18.75
27E5 280717 Grand Rapids MI TAC GW Hill $30.00
27W6 280717 Muskegon MI TAC GW Hill & JL Rutledge $7.50
27W5 280717 Grand Rapids MI TAC GW Hill $7.50

27W14 281015 Dearborn MI TAC $262.50

27E15 281127 Detroit MI-Pontiac MI TAC CW March $30.00
27E16 281127 Dearborn MI-Pontiac MI TAC CW March $240.00
R27W19 281127 to Flint MI TAC $6.00
27E20 281127 Flint MI-Bay City MI TAC FA Jones $22.50
R27E21 281127 to Flint MI TAC $7.50
27W18 281127 Flint MI TAC FA Jones $4.50
27W17 281127 Pontiac MI TAC CW March $4.50

Main to Detroit
27NW22 290402 Cleveland OH TAC Ralph R DeVore $4.50
27NW22F 290402 Cleveland OH TAC Ralph R DeVore $6.75
27W23 290402 Toledo OH TAC Ralph R DeVore $4.50
27SE24 290402 Detroit MI TAC Ralph R DeVore $4.50
27E23 290402 Toledo OH TAC EL Preston $4.50
Spur to Flint
27W25 290401 Pontiac MI TAC $18.75
27E26 290401 Flint MI TAC $18.75

27E27 290514 Detroit MI TAC Ralph R DeVore & Amelia Earhart $375.00
27W28 290515 Cleveland OH TAC CC Cadwell $37.50

R27E30 300305 to Mishawaka IN TAC $7.50
27W29 300305 Mishawaka IN TAC AH DeWitt $4.50
R27W30 300305 to Mishawaka IN TAC $7.50
27E29 300305 Mishawaka IN TAC John L Huber $15.00

27E31 300616 Grand Rapids MI TAC RA Patterson $18.00
27E32 300616 Lansing MI TAC RA Patterson $22.50
27W33 300616 Pontiac MI TAC RA Patterson $18.00
27W32 300616 Lansing MI TAC RA Patterson $30.00

27W34 301206 Fort Wayne IN TAC George W Hill $4.50
27E35 301206 South Bend IN TAC George W Hill $7.50
27E36 301206 Mishawaka IN TAC George W Hill $30.00

27N37 330210 Columbus OH TAC JV McClaflin $4.50
27N37F 330210 Columbus OH TAC JV McClaflin $22.50
27S38 330210 Toledo OH TAC JV McClaflin $15.00

27E39 330211 Detroit MI TAC BC Moore $15.00
27E39F 330211 Detroit MI TAC BC Moore $67.50
27E40 330211 London Canada TAC BC Moore $22.50
27W41 330211 Buffalo NY TAC Howard H West $4.50
27W40 330211 London Canada TAC Howard H West $22.50

CAM-27: 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-27: 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, American Airlines began flying CAM-27 air mail.
        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
Douglas DC-3
R27E43 410624 to Windsor Canada AA $7.50
27W42F 410624 Windsor Canada AA William M Keasler $11.25
R27W43 410624 to Windsor Canada AA $7.50
27E42F 410624 Windsor Canada AA Wallace H Talbot $11.25

R27W45 411109 to Niagara Falls NY AA $6.00
27E44 411109 Niagara Falls NY AA WH Records $4.50
R27E45 411109 to Niagara Falls NY AA $6.00
27W44 411109 Niagara Falls NY AA HD Bowyer $2.25

27N46 480108 Toledo OH AA Frank M Fox $7.50
27SE46 480108 Toledo OH AA Harold McClintock $6.00

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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