The story of the birth of commercial flight

I’ve posted before the long photo version of Leon Cuddleback’s memories of making the first flight from Pasco to Elko via Seattle, but this site has put together the story along with a lot of newspaper clippings and additional information. Click on the clippings and photos to see a larger version. It’s an excellent reminder of why it’s so important to remember our heritage and preserve it for the future.

http://1926flight-greenhat6.blogspot.com/

By the way, don’t miss the opportunity to support our charity by purchasing the items you can find in our store at https://www.etsy.com/shop/IdAviationHeritage.

Officially a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit

We are now officially recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization and eligible to receive tax deductible funds, including bequests, devises, transfers, or gifts. Please support us in our efforts to preserve aviation heritage in Idaho and the West and spread the word to anyone who might help!

We currently have active projects in Montana, Idaho, and Utah and are organizing events to commemorate key dates in commercial aviation. Email info@idaviationheritage.org for a copy of the form pictured or with questions or donate directly via Paypal using the address paypal@idaviationheritage.org.

IAH-WAH Application 2020

Wyoming’s Cowboys of the Sky

There are many artifacts from the original air mail routes remaining in Wyoming. Watch Main Street Wyoming’s Cowboys of the Sky, produced in 2013.

It covers the brave aviation pioneers who connected the coasts by flying U.S. Airmail across the country. Pilots like Slim Lewis, James Murray, Hal Colleson, and Jack Knight were among the most notable, braving the rugged skies in Wyoming and across the Rocky Mountain Region.

https://video.wyomingpbs.org/video/main-street-wyoming-cowboys-sky/

In addition, 13 arrows and 10 beacons are listed on the DreamSmith Photos site: http://www.dreamsmithphotos.com/arrow/States/wy/wyoming.html

Map of Idaho Airports from 1934

Look what we recently found in the Idaho State Historical Society Archives: https://idahohistory.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16281coll21/id/187/rec/1

It is a beautiful map of airports, including the Contract Air Mail Routes, in 1934. You can use it to see where the beacons used to be and you will find that some of them are still in place (and a few moved to new locations). You will also find some arrows remaining. We are working hard to restore this aviation heritage and teach people about the importance of Idaho in the history of commercial aviation.

Come see us at the Idaho Aviation Expo in Idaho Falls on May 17-18, 2019. Youwill also be able to find us at Celebrate Blackfoot on June 28-29, 2019.

CAM 5 plane still flies at Oshkosh

This is the type of airplane used on the original CAM 5 that went from Pasco to Elko via Boise and Burley.

The Experimental Aircraft Association’s 1927 Swallow open-cockpit biplane is believed to be the oldest aircraft still available to the public for passenger rides. It is among the most advanced of the Swallow series of aircraft that led aviation’s golden age. Swallows had bold design improvements over existing World War I aircraft and fostered a new market for post-war aviation.

Walter Varney bought six Swallows for the route from Elko to Pasco via Burley and Boise and quickly discovered that more powerful engines were needed to cross the rugged terrain. Forced landings and crashes were common.

Read more at https://www.eaa.org/en/eaa-museum/museum-collection/aircraft-collection-folder/1927-swallow-n4028

Aircraft that made the first airmail flight through Idaho

A Swallow aircraft restored to look like the one that made the first airmail flight through Idaho in 1926.In 1925, the Post Office began to make contracts with private operators to carry air mail. One route, from Pasco, Washington, to Elko, Nevada, called CAM 5 (Contract Air Mail route number 5), was awarded to Walter T. Varney. Varney acquired six new Swallows for the dangerous route over the mountains and desert. On April 6, 1926, 2,500 residents of Pasco came to see pilot Leon Cuddeback and the first mail-laden Swallow take off for Elko via Boise, Idaho. This plane was restored to look like the Swallow aircraft that made that flight. It is at the Museum of Flight in Seattle.

http://www.museumofflight.org/aircraft/swallow-commercial