Air Mail Plane Landing at Hadley Field at Night, New York to Chicago Route, July 1, 1925
THF256632 / Air Mail Plane Landing at Hadley Field at Night, New York to Chicago Route, July 1, 1925
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Artifact Overview
In 1924, with the success of experimental night operations and increasing business interest in next-day mail, the U.S. Air Mail Service announced plans to establish regular overnight flights between New York and Chicago. Preparations included mounting floodlights and searchlights at airfields and constructing a series of routing beacons and emergency landing fields along the route. The first official flights departed from both terminal cities on July 1, 1925.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Photographic print
Date Made
02 July 1925
Subject Date
02 July 1925
Creators
Place of Creation
Collection Title
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Object ID
84.1.1629.208
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Paper (Fiber product)
Technique
Gelatin silver process
Color
Black-and-white (Colors)
Dimensions
Height: 8 in
Width: 10.125 in
Inscriptions
attached press release:
NEW YORK- CHICAGO AIR MAIL SERVICE / STARTING JULY 1, 1925 / Photo shows: Air mail plane landing at Hadley Field at night in the glare of the half-billion candle power flood light which illuminates the entire field and makes / a newspaper easy to read at three-quarters of a mile away.
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Related Content
SetFlying the Night Mail
- 8 Artifacts
Transcontinental air mail pilots relied on a string of powerful light beacons to navigate sections of the New York to San Francisco route at night. They flew night mail planes equipped with illuminated instrument panels, navigation lights, and landing lights. At airfields along the way, floodlights helped workers inspect the planes, refuel, and unload and load the mail.