Trophy Presented to Earle Lewis Ovington, 1911
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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."
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
Trophy (Object)
Date Made
1911
Subject Date
29 April 1911
On Exhibit
at Henry Ford Museum in Heroes of the Sky
Object ID
36.33.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of P.G. Morriss
Material
Zinc alloy
Brass (Alloy)
Dimensions
Height: 48.5 in
Width: 23 in
Length: 16.5 in
Inscriptions
Marked in zinc below feet: LE TRIOMPHE. Also marked in zinc: LOUIS MOREAU/SALON BEAUX-ARTS. Left section marked: PRESIDENTED BY / HONORABLE TIMOTHY L. WOODRUFF / TO / EARLE L. OVINGTON / TO COMMORATE HIS FLIGHT FROM / BELMONT PARK TO GARDEN CITY ESTATES, / HE BEING THE FIRST AMERICAN AVIATOR / TO FILL A DINNER ENGAGEMENT / IN A AEROPLANE. OCCASION; OPENING OF THE NEW AERO CLUB / APRIL 29, 1911.
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