One hundred years ago today, on September 8, 1920, airmail pilot Randolph Page set off from Long Island to fly the first of 15 legs of the first US Airmail service transcontinental relay flight. Flying by the seat of their pants, with only visual references as their guide, a series of airmail pilots transferred mail bags between their rag and tube machines at stops along the westbound route. Three days later, airmail pilot Eddie Mouton, flying a De Havilland DH-4, touched down at what was Marina Airfield in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge and transferred the mailbags to San Francisco’s postmaster, Charles W. Fay, concluding the 2,560-mile historic flight.
Relay Flight Honors First Transcontinental Airmail Flight
Key Takeaways:
- The article commemorates the 100th anniversary of the first US transcontinental airmail relay flight, which took place from September 8-11, 1920, significantly reducing cross-country mail delivery time despite rudimentary navigation.
- From September 8-11, 2020, a "AirMail100 Centennial Flights Project" is conducting a commemorative relay flight with volunteer pilots and modern aircraft, carrying special postcards to honor the original pioneering airmail pilots.
- The original airmail service, established seven years before Lindbergh's flight, involved great sacrifice and technological challenges, which the modern relay aims to acknowledge while following the original route and schedule as closely as possible.
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