# C7//CE2 - 1926-2001 130 Airmail Stamps w/free alb.
Get an Instant U.S. Airmail Collection with FREE Album
Give your collection a boost with this giant set of 130 airmail stamps issued from 1926-2001 – including the Airmail Special Delivery Stamps. You’ll find the “Spirit of St. Louis,” Orville and Wilbur Wright, Amelia Earhart, the Future Mail Transportation se-tenant and lots more. A great opportunity to start or add to your airmail collection.
First Official U.S. Airmail Flight
Born on December 20, 1879, in Chicago, Illinois, Ovington loved to experiment with electricity from a young age. At 16, he went to work for the Edison Electric Illuminating Company. But he soon realized that he’d need a formal education if he wanted to succeed. So he went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. There, Ovington’s frequent electrical experiments earned him the nickname “Volts.” After graduating, he formed the Ovington Motor Company to bring European motorcycles to the US.
Hitchcock contacted a few different pilots before Ovington was given the honor. Some turned it down for lack of pay. One accepted but had mechanical issues the day of the flight. So they found Ovington and asked him. He responded with his own question – if this was to be the first airmail flight in the US. And when he was told that it was, he agreed.
For several hours, the post office officials collected the letters, applied postmarks, and neatly stacked and tied them in bundles. Ovington’s wife dramatically recalled what happened next:
“About three in the afternoon a hush fell over the field. The time for the flight had come. Noiselessly the big crowd watched Ovie’s three French mechanics wheel out his Bleriot monoplane, “The Dragonfly.” A murmur went through the crowd. A small boy broke away from his mother, ran up to Ovie, and asked him for his autograph. Ovie gave it to him. The mechanics made a few last-minute adjustments. Governor Woodruff said something to Ovie.
Ovington was then handed a mailbag containing 640 letters and 1,280 postcards. With nowhere else to set the bag, he balanced it on his knees during the short flight. Unable to land the plane while holding the mail, he dropped the bag from the plane. The bag burst open when it hit the ground, sending the mail all over the field. The letters were then retrieved and taken to the Mineola post office. Ovington returned to the tournament within 10 minutes of his initial takeoff. He went on to do this mail delivery for the rest of the event, delivering a total of 43,247 letters.
A stamp collector himself, Ovington created cachets and signed thousands of covers honoring his historic flight. He continued to fly until his death in 1936.
Get an Instant U.S. Airmail Collection with FREE Album
Give your collection a boost with this giant set of 130 airmail stamps issued from 1926-2001 – including the Airmail Special Delivery Stamps. You’ll find the “Spirit of St. Louis,” Orville and Wilbur Wright, Amelia Earhart, the Future Mail Transportation se-tenant and lots more. A great opportunity to start or add to your airmail collection.
First Official U.S. Airmail Flight
Born on December 20, 1879, in Chicago, Illinois, Ovington loved to experiment with electricity from a young age. At 16, he went to work for the Edison Electric Illuminating Company. But he soon realized that he’d need a formal education if he wanted to succeed. So he went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. There, Ovington’s frequent electrical experiments earned him the nickname “Volts.” After graduating, he formed the Ovington Motor Company to bring European motorcycles to the US.
Hitchcock contacted a few different pilots before Ovington was given the honor. Some turned it down for lack of pay. One accepted but had mechanical issues the day of the flight. So they found Ovington and asked him. He responded with his own question – if this was to be the first airmail flight in the US. And when he was told that it was, he agreed.
For several hours, the post office officials collected the letters, applied postmarks, and neatly stacked and tied them in bundles. Ovington’s wife dramatically recalled what happened next:
“About three in the afternoon a hush fell over the field. The time for the flight had come. Noiselessly the big crowd watched Ovie’s three French mechanics wheel out his Bleriot monoplane, “The Dragonfly.” A murmur went through the crowd. A small boy broke away from his mother, ran up to Ovie, and asked him for his autograph. Ovie gave it to him. The mechanics made a few last-minute adjustments. Governor Woodruff said something to Ovie.
Ovington was then handed a mailbag containing 640 letters and 1,280 postcards. With nowhere else to set the bag, he balanced it on his knees during the short flight. Unable to land the plane while holding the mail, he dropped the bag from the plane. The bag burst open when it hit the ground, sending the mail all over the field. The letters were then retrieved and taken to the Mineola post office. Ovington returned to the tournament within 10 minutes of his initial takeoff. He went on to do this mail delivery for the rest of the event, delivering a total of 43,247 letters.
A stamp collector himself, Ovington created cachets and signed thousands of covers honoring his historic flight. He continued to fly until his death in 1936.