In less than a month in late 1911, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and the United States each made their inaugural air mail flights. All of them were short distance experiments that led to regular delivery schedules along established routes. The US Post Office began regular air mail service between New York City and Washington, DC, on May 15, 1918. The centennial of this first flight could be an opportunity for the grassroots creation of an American National Park that would connect the far reaches of the nation, just as the Air Mail network did by the late 1920s.
As the map shows, the transcontinental route, which pretty much followed Interstate 80, connects New York City and San Francisco. The Contract Air Mail Routes that emanate from it reach into the heartland and connect cities and towns large and small. Each of them could be a part of the national park of the air. Once the original air mail airports (or those closest to them because the originals have been buried by progress), perhaps pilots could fly part or all of the Air Mail Heritage Trail in search of new places to have a hamburger. Following the routes on their GPS, perhaps they’d turn a circle or two over the surviving beacons and concrete arrows that pointed the way to the next stop.
To succeed, this long-term grassroots effort must be a collaborative effort that involves more than pilots. Members of local and county historical societies would lead the effort to research the locations and people who wrote aviation history of the century past. Students could make these people the subjects of their school work and perhaps hold candy bar fundraisers for the plaques and displays that would recognize their contributions. The chambers of commerce in each waypoint on every route could unite online for the mutual promotion of the Air Mail Heritage Trail as well as the attractions specific to their city or town. And aviation groups of all interests could build on this to connect the past with examples of how aviation today serves their community, their state, and the nation. — Scott Spangler, Editor