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
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Related Content
SetEarle Ovington: “Air Mail Pilot No. 1”
- 13 Artifacts
In 1910, while attending the first international aviation meet held in the United States, Earle Ovington (1879-1936) decided to become a pilot. During his short but successful career as an exhibition flyer, Ovington achieved an impressive string of aviation firsts – most notably, piloting the first U.S. Air Mail flight operated by the Post Office Department.