![]() With the leasing of route CAM-3 (Chicago-Dallas) to National Air Transport (NAT) in October 1925, a need arose for more mailplanes. A single M-4 bought by Western Air Express was designated M-4A by Douglas to differentiate it from the Post Office order. The Post Office was sufficiently impressed to arrange for 40 of the 50-plane M-3 order to be delivered in M-4 configuration. The main change in this new M-4 was an entirely new 'stretched' wing which spanned 1.47m more than the 12.09m of the earlier types, and lacked the cut-out in the trailing edge of the upper 'Dutch' Kindelberger, then redesigned the M-3 with the aim of doubling its payload. Western's machines had a red and silver paint scheme. The M-3s differed only in detail from the M-2s, sporting an overall aluminium finish with US Air Mail emblazoned in black on the fuselage sides and on the undersurfaces of the lower wing. Provision was also made for quick conversion of the freight section to permit carriage of a passenger in place of mail.Ī month before Western Air Express inaugurated its Los Angeles-Salt Lake City service in April 1926, the US Post Office ordered 50 of the M-3 version for its major routes. Designated M-2, they differed from the M-1 mainly by replacement of the original tunnel radiator with a frontal type. With the introduction of Contract Air Mail (CAM) routes, however, the newly formed Western Air Express Company (later Western Airlines) ordered six Douglas mailplanes. The M-1 was adjudged successful, but no production order was received by Douglas. During tests, extended exhaust piping was installed to keep fumes away from the pilot. The M-1 was a straightforward conversion of the O-2, with the forward cockpit covered in sheet aluminium to form a reinforced mail compartment with access through two deck hatches, the pilot being located in what was formerly the rear (observer's) cockpit in the O-2. It had twice the payload of the DH-4, but made use of the same tried and tested Liberty engine, of which large numbers were in store and readily available. The Douglas DAM-1 (Douglas Air Mail-One), quickly shortened to M-1, was test flown during the spring of 1925. A decision was thus made to order a conversion of the Douglas O-2 observation biplane, which had been ordered into quantity production for the US Army. A subsequent addition of five feet to the wingspan resulted in the final version, the M-4, which realized considerable gain in payload at a negligible loss in performance.The US Post Office Department had been responsible for US internal air mail routes from 1918 onwards, and by 1925 the various types of DH-4 biplane which had been primary equipment since inception of the service were worn out. Relatively minor changes in cockpit layout, engine accessories, and airframe construction led to the M-3 mailplane, which differed little in physical appearance from the M-2 version. Government and airline experiences with the Douglas mailplanes and the 0-2 led to modifications of the basic design. Its load-carrying capability, remarkable stability, and rugged construction contributed to a perfect safety record and profitable operation. The M-2 performed remarkably well during the early years on the CAM-4 route. For service over this route, a distance of about 660 miles, Western selected the Douglas M-2 aircraft, a mailplane version of the 0-2 observation plane produced by the Douglas Company to replace the U.S. On April 17, 1926, Western Air Service, Inc., commenced operation on Contract Air Mail Route 4 (CAM-4) between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City. This airplane can currently be seen at the Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center. National Air Transport modified all of its M-3s into the M-4 configuration and eventually had 24 Douglas mailplanes on its roster, to become the largest operator of this type in commercial service.ĭouglas M-2 airmail plane and mannequins as displayed at the National Air and Space Museum. While Western eventually added two M-4s to its fleet of six M-2s, the M-4 saw more extensive service with National Air Transport (later United Air Lines) from 1927 to 1930 on the Chicago-New York route. ![]() ![]() Passenger service took a few more years to catch on. As with other contract carriers in the 1920s and 1930s, Ford's airmail contract paid enabled the company to grow and expand. ![]() Made of a new material, duralumin, the Trimotor was one of the first all metal airplanes.ĭesigned to carry passengers as well as mail, the Trimotor could carry 12 passengers along with a cargo of mail. In 1927, his company produced the Ford Trimotor aircraft. At first, Ford used airplanes his company had been using to transport automobile parts between assembly plants. In 1925, automobile giant Henry Ford won a contract to fly mail between Chicago and Detroit and Cleveland. Ford Trimotor being loaded with mail bags.
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