The History Behind the Magic : Air Mail
Part Two of behind the scenes tidbits for The Improvisers
The Improvisers is a travel book. Velma is on the road, or in this case the sky, tracking down enchanted objects. To plot her travels between Chicago, Philadelphia, California and other places, I used the air mail routes as a point of reference. They were a very handy visual for someone who has not flown a plane across the US.
I was also very interested in the Air Mail Service, which I first learned about in a meaningful way during a visit to the Air and Space Museum in DC. I’d always seen air mail stamped on vintage envelopes, but never really gave a thought beyond he obvious about what air mail was and how mail traveled by air in the first place.
The Air Mail service officially started in 1918 with the first routes flying between New York, DC, and Philadelphia - though there were flights done as early as 1911. Remember, Kitty Hawk and the Wright Brothers’ flight was not that long ago in 1903. They had only just figured out planes in WW1, so I thought this was an astonishing early adoption to trust the nation’s mail with.
But perhaps not so surprising I found as I dug into history. Since Ben Franklin became postmaster, people were always trying to find ways to get mail delivered quicker. The Post office was quick to try anything that could help. Which was how we got mail by train in 1832 and in 1860 the extremely short-lived Pony Express (it only lasted 18 months, but lives on forever in our collective memories!).
The air mail service was the first commercial aviation industry, and featured pilots that were fresh from the war eager for new challenges and thrills. It attracted many others as well including, Charles Lindbergh. The air mail service wasn’t without controversy, it faced strikes when the postmaster tried to force pilots to fly in zero visibility, not to mention cases of lost mail and mishaps.
The US government funded and supported air mail until 1926 before letting private contractors, like Boeing, take over. This ushered in commercial air mail service. Air Mail as a unique service ended in 1975 as mail of all sorts began to be flown, but it left a mark on the landscape, literally.
Courtesy of Atlas Obscura, I learned about giant concrete arrows that marked the way for air mail pilots. These arrows were painted bright yellow and had beacons next to them to illuminate the arrows at the night. Pointing the way forward, they were a fail-proof way for pilots to stay the course once they left densely populate areas. Not just for air mail pilots used them, people who flew in private planes utilized the arrows as well.
Most of these arrows have sadly been torn up, as the arrival of WW2 ushered in fears that the arrows would give enemy advantage. Luckily a few still remain and continue to be used by pilots today. And if you don’t believe these arrows exist, take a road trip to see them up close!
Part One: Inspiring Pilots
