Roold Crash Helmet Worn by Earle Ovington, United States Post Office Department's First Air Mail Pilot, 1911

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Artifact Overview

Earle Ovington piloted the first U.S. Air Mail flight operated by the United States Post Office Department. On September 23, 1911, Ovington flew over Long Island in a Bleriot XI airplane with a sack of mail tucked into the cockpit. He carried the letters just three miles, but it was enough to earn Ovington the designation "Air Mail Pilot No. 1."

Artifact Details

Artifact

Crash helmet

Date Made

1911

Place of Creation

Location

at Henry Ford Museum in Heroes of the Sky

Object ID

36.33.2

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of P.G. Morriss

Material

Leather

Dimensions

Height: 7.5 in
Width: 8.75 in
Depth: 10.5 in

Inscriptions

Stamped in gold inside rim of helmet: Casque Protecteur / Roold / Brevete S.G.O.G. - Label inside Paris 1911 / Roold / 50, Avenue DeLa Gde. Armee / Paris. Sticker inside 58
Roold Crash Helmet Worn by Earle Ovington, United States Post Office Department's First Air Mail Pilot, 1911