Via Air Mail: America Takes Flight October 17, 2012

The concept of airmail was nothing new--homing pigeons had been used for centuries all over the world, balloons transported French mail during the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871), and in the 1910s the Germans were using Zeppelin airships to carry passengers and mail between German cities. Although the United States and Europe were at the forefront of airplane development, the first officially flown mail in a heavier-than-air machine occurred in the United Provinces of India. On February 18, 1911, French pilot Henri Pequet flew more than 6,000 pieces of mail for five miles from Allahabad to Naini as part of a commercial and cultural exposition. The United Kingdom was next in experimenting with official airmail, and flew more than 100,000 pieces of mail from London to Windsor between September 9 and September 26, 1911. This exhibit is located in the Great Gallery, surrounding the Boeing Model 40-B. Model 40-Bs were used extensively for airmail, as were the Ryan M-1 and the Swallow Commercial aircraft.