15 MAY--This Day in US Military History

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 15 May 2015 15:30:20 -0400

1918 – The U.S. Post Office and the U.S. Army began regularly scheduled airmail service between Washington and New York through Philadelphia.

Lieutenant George L. Boyle, an inexperienced young army pilot, was chosen to make the first flight from Washington. Even with a route map stitched to his breeches, Boyle lost his way and flew south rather than north. The second leg of the Washington–Philadelphia–New York flight, however, took off and arrived in New York on schedule–without the Washington mail. The distance of the route was 218 miles, and one round trip per day was made six days a week. Army Air Service pilots flew the route until August 10 1918, when the Post Office Department took over the entire operation with its own planes and pilots.

https://thisdayinusmilhist.wordpress.com/2014/05/15/may-15/

May 15

15 May Murcuralia; the Festival of Mercury, Patron of the Signal Corps: Mercury, was a Roman messenger god whose attributes were mainly borrowed from the Greek god Hermes although there are myths ...

Response by GySgt Wayne A. Ekblad made May 15 at 2015 4:45 PM

GySgt Wayne A. Ekblad — Fri, 15 May 2015 16:45:05 -0400

Great story ... thanks 1SG Private RallyPoint Member.

Response by MSgt Robert Pellam made May 15 at 2015 6:37 PM

MSgt Robert Pellam — Fri, 15 May 2015 18:37:56 -0400

Awesome as Always.

To add, it is in Feb 1921 that these daredevils do the first 24 hour mail flight. In 1923 the Federal government starts putting up lighted gas beacons for these pilots to be able to fly at night. Before they had to rely on bonfires from local farmers and then it was helpful to know what the city you were flying to looked like at night.