Airmails of The United States - US Army Air Mail Pilots (1918)

US Army Air Mail Pilots (1918)

• 2nd Lt. James Clark Edgerton (1896-1973) As a young Army 2nd Lieutenant fresh out of flight school, Edgerton flew the Philadelphia to Washington, DC, leg on the first day of scheduled Air Mail service in the United States on May 15, 1918. Over the next five months as an Army Air Mail pilot Edgerton flew 52 trips over a total of 7,155 miles, spending 107 hours in the air and making only one forced landing. When the Post Office Department took over flying operations of the Air Mail Service in October, 1918, Edgerton stayed on and eventually became Superintendent of Flying Operations. Later he organized and became Superintendent of the Radio Service of the Post Office Department establishing its first aeronautical radio stations, helped to organize a civilian pilot-training program, and as a Colonel during World War II served as executive officer for air operations of the War Department.
• Maj. Reuben Hollis Fleet (1887-1975). He was born on March 6, 1887 in Montesano, Washington. He learned to fly at the Army Aviation school in San Diego, California. By 1918 he was a Major and was supervising pilot training. He then was assigned the task of creating the logistics for regularly scheduled airmail service for three cities. Service began on May 15, 1918. He left the Air Service and in 1923 formed Consolidated Aircraft Corporation. He retired in 1949 and died on October 29, 1975 at age 88.
• 2nd Lt. George Leroy Boyle Also just out of flight school, Boyle flew the first northbound Washington, DC to Philadelphia leg on May 15, 1918 but got lost and made a forced landing near Waldorf, Maryland just 18 minutes after takeoff. After a second failed attempt on May 16 to again fly the mail from Washington to Philadelphia which ended in a crash landing on a Philadelphia golf course, Lt. Boyle was summarily dismissed from the Air Mail service by Maj. Fleet.