Existing comment:
United States Air Mail Service:
Neither Wind, Nor Rain, Nor Threat of Snow...
The Post Office Department initiated the United States Air Mail Service from College Park Airfield after a three month trial in conjunction with the War Department.
Six aeros were ordered from the Standard Aircraft Company for these flights. Other aircraft, such as the Curtiss JN-4D "Jenny" and the DeHavilland DH-4, also were used to fly the mail. Captain Benjamin Lipsner resigned from the Army to accept an appointment as Superintendent of the Service. He oversaw all supervisory details for this venture, which like the other activities of the College Park Airfield, always seemed to attract media attention.
On August 12, 1918 Max Miller, along with Edward Gardner, Robert Shank and Maurice Newton, flew the first 218-mile flight from College Park to New York, via Philadelphia.
In 1919, a hangar was built and a compass rose was placed on the field as the successful operation continued to grow. The compass rose enabled pilots to line up their planes with the cardinal directions to calibrate their compasses for their flights, since there were no other navigational instruments to assist pilots. Both the hangar and the compass rose exist today.
As new air mail routes were opened, pilots faced many dangers including unfamiliar territory, inadequate planes, and unreliable navigational equipment. Max Miller and many other pilots lots their lives delivering the mail and opening these new routes.
In 1921, the air mail station at College Park was closed as the New York to California route was instituted for flying a greater distance. By 1926, the Post Office Department had turned over the service to private enterprise to become more effective faster and more efficient in delivering the mail. |