Air Mail Route Mappers, 1919
THF256638 / Air Mail Route Mappers, 1919
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Artifact Overview
The United States Post Office began regularly scheduled air mail service in 1918, with initial flights between New York City and Washington, D.C. Expanding the service meant surveying and mapping routes to additional cities. Pilots first navigated by visible landmarks, flying only in daylight. Lighted beacons, installed along established flight paths, later enabled night flights.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Photographic print
Subject Date
1919
Collection Title
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Object ID
84.1.1629.211
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Paper (Fiber product)
Technique
Gelatin silver process
Color
Black-and-white (Colors)
Dimensions
Height: 4 in
Width: 5 in
Inscriptions
on back:
Air Mail Mappers 1919 / Maj. Connelly, Capt. Francis, Sen. Pittman
Keywords |
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Related Artifacts
ArtifactStatus of Work on Aerial Navigation Strip Maps Being Published by the Army Air Service as of February 25, 1925
Navigating in an early airplane -- without the benefit of sophisticated cockpit instruments or radio communication -- wasn't easy. The U.S. Army, in cooperation with the U.S. Post Office, established a network of flyways across the country. These routes were marked with lighted beacons, creating reliable paths that pilots could follow day and night.