Altimeter Used by Earle Ovington, United States Postal Service'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
Altimeter
Date Made
1911
Location
at Henry Ford Museum in Heroes of the Sky
Object ID
36.33.5
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of P.G. Morriss
Material
Metal
Glass (Material)
Leather
Color
Light brown
Dimensions
Height: 6.75 in
Width: 6.25 in
Depth: 2 in
Inscriptions
Inside flap of case: Earle L. Ovington / Newton Highland(Highline?) / Mar. 6, 1911(?) Massachusetts
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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.