Promotional Queen Monoplane Owned by Earle Ovington, First United States Post Office Air Mail Pilot, 1911

Earle Ovington earned a unique place in aviation history when, on September 23, 1911, he piloted the first air mail flight operated by the United States Post Office Department. The three-mile flight over New York's Long Island was more a publicity stunt than a practical venture, but it previewed a not-too-distant future. Regular air mail services began in 1918.