Knight Was an Early United Airlines Pilotīy September 1920, a transcontental airmail servicewas inaugurated. After he arrived in Paris, he told reporters, ” I am an airmail pilot and expect to fly the mail again.” Lindbergh had no idea that his flight would bring him such fame that his life would never be the same. That pilot survived both episodes to fly again with the new moniker, “Lucky Lindy.” That pilot, Charles Lindberghtook a leave of absence from his mail route to make his historic solo flight across the Atlantic in May 1927. One pilot twice had to bail out of a mechanically failing plane as he attempted the St. Thirty-two of the initial 50 pilots died in crashes while attempting to deliver the mail faster. Knight made his delivery but not all were so lucky. One small Nebraska town lit bonfires to help pilot Jack Knightfind his way to deliver the mail to their community. They had no navigational aids and so made their way by following landmarks such as railroads, highways and riverbeds to make it to their destinations. Lucky Lindy Lept From Several Disabled AircraftĪ few months later, military pilots were replaced by civilians who were crafty fliers. Lipsner summoned a car to pick up three sacks of mail and one shameful pilot. Seems Boyle’s compass had “gotten a little mixed up” and Boyle crashed the plane in a Maryland cornfield. Captain Benjamin Lipsner was surprised to hear Boyle’s voice on the other end of the phone. About an hour later, the coordinator of the new airmail service of the US Post Office got a phone call. What made this a bit perplexing is that Boyle had a road map strapped to his leg to help him navigate his route. After it was gassed up, Boyle took to the sky but instead of flying North toward Philadelphia, he circled the field and went South. After several embarrassing attempts, it was discovered the plane was out of gas. With the throng watching in anticipation, Boyle sat in the cockpit of the Curtiss JN-4H “Jenny” biplane and shouted, “Contact!” Nothing happened. Among the spectators who gathered to witness the takeoff on was President Woodrow Wilson. George Boyle was chosen to pilot the first leg of the first airmail flightfrom Washington, DC to New York.
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