Existing comment:
Air mail was nothing without the pioneers who flew the mail, as well as the people who kept the planes running. At its height in 1925, the Post Office Air Mail service employed over 700 people, 600 of whom are ground crew including mechanics and other personal [sic]. At College Park pilots like Max Miller and Eddie Gardner flew the mail to its destination despite the mechanical and weather challenges they encountered. Eddie Radel, Victor Maene and other members of the ground crew kept the planes running and the mail moving. There were more than just the ground crew and pilots involved though. The general public both here at College Park and elsewhere matched and supported the Air Mail Service. From monitoring the weather in the Appalachians to lighting bonfires for pilots flying at night over the Great Plains, support for air mail was a truly national phenomenon. |