CAM Contract Air Mail First Flights CAM-5

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web-catalog CAM Contract Air Mail First Flights CAM-5

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Page ccCAM005 (Revised 01/19/2009)

Background: The Air Mail Act of 1925 (Kelly Act) authorized the postmaster general to contract for domestic airmail service with commercial air carriers. It also set airmail rates and the level of cash subsidies to be paid to companies that carried the mail. By transferring airmail operations to private companies, the government effectively would help create the commercial aviation industry. Various routes were designated and contracts for carrying the mail over these routes were then awarded to many different private air service companies. The Contract Air Mail routes became known as CAM's.
CAM-5: CAM-5 was awarded to Varney Air Lines. Varney was founded in 1926 by Walter T. Varney. CAM-5 air service was inaugurated with both north and south flights on April 6, 1926 between Elko Nevada and Pasco Washington with an interim stop in Boise Idaho. In order to provide a safer route during the winter, Salt Lake City was substituted for Elko beginning on October 1, 1926. Postal mail covers carried on the inaugural flight between each point of landing and take-off are collectible and are known as CAM-5 covers. Varney Air Lines used New Swallow bi-planes with Curtiss engines for this initial April 6, 1926 air service. The New Swallow bi-planes were built by the Swallow Company which survived the dissolution of the E M Laird Aviation Company (partnership of Laird, Burke and Moellendick).
Pilots flying different legs of this April 6th CAM-5 inaugural air service included, Leon D. Cuddeback, Franklin Rose and Arthur L. Waters. Pilot, Paul P. Scott joined Varney for the October 1st inaugural flight.

5W1	260406	Elko NV	VAL	Franklin Rose	$30.00
5W1f	260406	Elko NV	VAL	Franklin Rose	$45.00
5W2	260406	Boise ID	VAL	Arthur L Waters	$22.50
5E2	260406	Boise ID	VAL	Leon D Cuddeback	$21.00
5E3	260406	Pasco WA	VAL	Leon D Cuddeback	$7.50

5W4	261001	Salt LAke City UT-Rt 5	VAL	Leon D Cuddeback	$135.00
5W4f	261001	Salt LAke City UT-Rt 5	VAL	Leon D Cuddeback	$187.50
5E5	261001	Boise ID-Salt Lake City UT	VAL	Paul P Scott	$150.00

CAM-5: On February 9, 1934 the Post Office Department canceled all contracts of operators flying mail on routes within the US to become effective on February 19, 1934. The reason given by the Post Office was that there was suspicion that the mail carrying contracts had been awarded through collusion during the previous Administration.
Cancellation of the air mail contracts held by established pioneer airline companies was accompanied by an executive order from President Franklin D Roosevelt stating that the Army Air Corps should now carry the mail. Three territorial zones were established for the Air Corps mail operations, Newark NJ, Chicago IL and Salt Lake City UT. The eastern, central and western zones each had branch routes to other feeder cities. It was a difficult assignment for the Army Air Corps as they did not have enough planes and the ones they had, did not have the latest instruments, landing, navigation, or cockpit lights. One of the aircraft they used was the Keystone B-4 bi-plane.
New commercial air mail carrying contracts were made in May 1934 and the mail was again flown by private contractors over re-designated revised Post Office Department routes in late June 1934.

CAM-5: After the February 1934 cancellation and reinstatement of new commercial air mail carrying contracts over re-designed revised Post Office routes in late June 1934, United Air Lines began flying CAM-5 air mail.
UAL began on July 1, 1931 as the holding company of four air carriers, Boeing Air Transport (CAM-18), Varney Air Lines (CAM-5), Pacific Air Transport (CAM-8) and National Air Transport (CAM-17). Each of these contributing airlines flew different types of aircraft when taken over by United. After consolidation, UAL introduced the twin engine Boeing 247 to initially fly some of its mail routes. The Boeing 247 was the first low-winged, all-metal, twin-engined air transport flown on the scheduled airlines. Its speed, comfort and safety created excitement and was quickly accepted by the public, making all other transports suddenly obsolete.

UAL

Boeing 247

R5NW7	340602	to Pendleton OR from Seattle WA	UAL		$6.00
R5NE7	340602	to Pendleton OR from Spokane WA	UAL		$6.00
5SE6	340602	Pendleton OR	UAL	RF Gleason	$4.50
5NW6	340602	Pendleton OR-Seattle WA	UAL	Howard Fey	$3.00
R5SE7	340602	to Pendleton OR from Salt Lake City UT	UAL		$7.50
5NE6	340602	Pendleton OR-Spokane WA	UAL	Ben Redfield	$9.00

R5NE9	371204	to Walla Walla WA from Spokane WA	UAL		$4.50
5NE8	371204	Walla Walla WA	UAL	Ralph J Gibbons	$3.00
R5SW9	371204	to Walla Walla WA	UAL		$4.50
5SW8	371204	Walla Walla WA	UAL	Ralph J Gibbons	$15.00

UAL

Douglas DC-3

5S10	460801	Seattle WA	UAL		$75.00
5S10f	460801	Seattle WA	UAL		$75.00
5N11f	460801	Salt Lake City UT	UAL		$75.00

5N12	461001	The Dalles OR	UAL	ML Boling	$2.25
5S12	461001	The Dalles OR	UAL	EF Heft	$3.00

5N13

470427

Boise ID - Seattle WA

UAL

$30.00

5N14	470427	Twin Falls ID	UAL	Bob Powers	$3.00
5S14	470427	Twin Falls ID	UAL	EJ Smith	$3.00

5S15	470801	Boise ID	UAL	McMurray	$3.00
5N16	470801	Boise ID	UAL	McMurray	$3.00

5N17

480701

Ogden UT

UAL

$19.50

INDEX: First Flights by CAM Route #

INDEX: First Flights by AM Route #

INDEX: First Flights by Experimental Route #

INDEX: First Flights by AM Route #

INDEX: First Flights by Air Taxi Services Route #

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