Description: National Air Transport's Contract Air Mail Route 3 was the main north and south trunk route and was expected to carry a large volume of mail. The route reduced the amount of time required to transport a letter from Dallas to New York City by 34 hours. At the time of the inaugural flight, National Air Transport’s fleet consisted of ten Curtiss Carrier Pigeon biplanes, equipped for night flying (beacon lights were in place between Oklahoma City and Dallas). The Post Office Department provided official cachets to all Contract Air Mail Route 3 cities when service on the route was inaugurated on May 12, 1926. This cover was carried on the inaugural Contract Air Mail Route 3 flight from Saint Joseph, Missouri to Chicago, Illinois (where it was backstamped) and is listed in the Contract Air Mail Flights (CAM) section of The American Air Mail Catalogue as 3N3.On March 31, 1930, National Air Transport was absorbed into United Aircraft and Transport Corporation. On July 1, 1931, Boeing formally consolidated its own system with Varney Air Lines, Stout, Pacific Air Transport, and National Air Transport to create United Air Lines.
Price: 6 USD
Location: Cranford, New Jersey
End Time: 2025-01-12T19:29:42.000Z
Shipping Cost: 1.35 USD
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Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 14 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Type: Transportation
Place of Origin: United States
Quality: First Flight Cover
Country: United States
Event: First Flight
Grade: Ungraded
Exact Topic: Aviation History
Exact Type: Postal History
Topic: Aviation
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
Certification: Uncertified
Modified Item: No
