dirigibles

FreightWaves Classics/Pioneers: Wellman sought to cross the Atlantic in a dirigible

The airship America. (Photo: airships.net)

FreightWaves Classics is sponsored by Sutton Transport, an LTL leader in the Midwest for more than 40 years. Sutton Transport proudly services Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin. Request a quote here.

The voyage of the America

On October 18, 1910 – 112 years ago – Walter Wellman sought to pilot the first transatlantic flight in a dirigible. However, just under three days after “setting sail” Wellman was forced to end the trip about 450 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

The...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-classicspioneers-wellman-sought-to-cross-the-atlantic-in-a-dirigible

FreightWaves Classics: Airmail helped build nation’s airlines

President and Mrs. Wilson were present at the polo fields near the Potomac River the morning of the first airmail flights. (Photo: Smithsonian Institution/Postal Museum)

By the 1920s, much of the nation’s commerce was handled by mail via the U.S. Post Office. By the 2020s, much of the nation’s commerce is handled via the internet. As different as “snail mail” and the internet are, there are some similarities as well…

The U.S. postal system was established by the Second Continental Congress, and Benjamin Franklin was the first postmaster general. He established the foundation for many aspects of the nation’s mail system.

These were the nation's first civilian airmail pilots. The These were the nation’s first civilian...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-classicsairmail-helped-build-nations-airlines