Evening star., 1954-05-14


The young company, which was
called All American Aviation
when it was started, made its
first scheduled mail pickup on
May IL, 1899, at Latrobe, Pa.
Some of the people still work.
ing for Allegheny can remember
that first flight at Latrobe. A
crowd of more than $500 was at
the airport watching a mail bag
hanging from a rope stretched
between two 40-foot poles. AS
the crowd watched small low
flying airplane piloted by Nor
man Rimtoul came into view.
The plane approached the
dangling mail bag and the pilot
dropped the incoming mail to
the ground in an especially
designed shockproof container.
Then, as the plane passed over
the posts, q graphing hook
swung from the bottom Of the
airplane and snatched the rope
from between the poles. The
outgoing mail was drawn up into
the plane as it passed over at
100 miles an hour.
Sparked Many Celebrations.
In it's first year Of operation,
the company extended its air
mail pickup service to SIS COM
munities. AS each city was added
to the route. there was a cele-
bration. In Morgantown, w. Va,
the Mayor declared a holiday,
heralding his city's entry into
the air age.
During that first year, the
company expanded rapidly, and
success of the experimental line
seemed assured. A Post Office
official declared. "The expert
ment. frankly. has exceeded our
expectations. particularly in the
percentage of performance"
All American Airways was
completing 81 per cent of its
deliveries on schedule Pickups
were averaging 78 a day for a
year without a single accident
involving personnel. aircraft or
cargo.
The young company filed ap-
plication for authorization to
operate permanent routes, conf
dent that the Post Office's recon-
mendations that the pickup serv-
ice should be continued would be
followed. A few days later the
Civil Aeronautics Board denied
the request for continued opera
ton. Actually. the CAB had no
Jurisdiction because the expert
mental line had been authorized
by an act of Congress. One news
paper carried this ironic head
line on the story Of the CABS
decision, Success Kills U. S.
Airmail Pickup Service"
Back With CAB Blessing.
After the suspension of oper-
ations following the CABS ad-
verse report, the company kept
its organization intact. On June
81, 1910, Congress repealed the
Experimental Air Mail Act and
placed jurisdiction of the new
mail pickup service with the
CAB. BY August the line was
back in operation.
BY the end of the lines Sec
ond year Of operation, the coun-
try was mobilizing for war. AL
though the volume of business
had increased by 400 per cent.
All American found time to de-
velop a military application of
the pickup technique. Using the
same airplanes and simple
ground installation, fully loaded
gliders were picked UP from the
ground. With our entry into the
war and the development OF
large cargo and troop-carrying
gliders, the Air Force used the
system extensively.
Passenger Operations Begun.
The communities served by All
American grew rapidly during
the war. In the postwar period
many of them built municipal
airportS with liberal Federal aid.
AS the cities developed, so did
All American Airways.
In January, 1949. the company
moved its main Offices and
maintenance facilities to Wash
ington National Airport. On
March z of that year the line
began passenger operations. In
its first year as passenger line
operating out of Washington. All
American carried $4,000 passen-
gers.
In its slightly more than five
years of passenger service the
line has carried nearly l million
passengers more than $50 million
miles with a perfect safety rec
ord In the same period it has
hauled more than 100000 ton
miles of air mail and more than
100000 ton miles Of air express.
The line changed its name to
Allegheny Airlines on January
5, 1858. It has been expanding
ever since and soon may be re-
garded as one Of the fastest. If
not the fastest. growing local in
dustry In Washington.
A few years ago, the short
haul lines like Allegheny were
called feeders because their bus
iness was primarily feeding pas
sengers to the giant transconti-
mental airlines. However. an ex-
animation of traffic on the IA
short-haul lines in the United
States revealed that a large per-
centage of their passengers were
not travelling on other lines as
part of their trip. Allegheny
and other lines were fast be-
coming commuter rather than
feeder lines.
The youthful optimism Of the