General Aviation News - 21 June 2018

22 General Aviation News — 800.426.8538 June 21, 2018

Three historic Stearman Speedmail
biplanes carried 2,700 letters for 1,200
miles from San Diego to Seattle from
Sunday, May 13, to Friday, May 18, to
commemorate the 100th anniversary of
airmail service in the United States.
The Mail Centennial Celebration in-
cluded a stop in Olympia, Washington,
where the public got the chance to view
these rare planes.
The Olympia stop on Friday, May 18,
was hosted by the Washington State De-
partment of Transportation’s Aviation
Division and took place at the division’s
offices at the Olympia Regional Airport in
Tumwater.
Attendees spoke with pilots and got up-
close views of the three Stearman Speed-
mail biplanes used as mail planes in the
early 1930s.
Powered by 450-hp engines, the wood
and fabric open-cockpit aircraft were
noted for their dependability and ability
to carry heavy loads. Of the 41 built, only
seven still fly.
The three flying in the commemoration
flight retraced the pioneering West Coast
airmail route, known as Contract Air Mail
8 (CAM 8).
The U.S. Postal Service was also set up
at the event, stamping mail and handing
out commemorative envelopes that were
officially postmarked at each of the 12
stops.
The nonprofit Western Antique Air-
plane and Automobile Museum of Hood
River, Oregon, sponsored the 2018 flight,
which was endorsed by the U.S. Postal
Service.
Six pilots were involved in the event.
Three of the pilots, Addison Pemberton
and Jeff Hamilton, both from Spokane;
and Ben Scott of Reno, Nevada; were
sworn-in as official airmail pilots to assist
local post office authorities.
Pemberton said he enjoyed meeting
people and telling them the Cam 8 airmail
story.
After departing San Diego, on Sunday,
May 13, stops included Los Angeles,
Bakers field, Fresno, San Francisco, Con-
cord and Redding in California; Medford
and Eugene in Oregon; Vancouver, Olym-
pia, and Seattle in Washington.
You can see more photos of the event at
the CAM 8 website, as well as a Facebook
page and Instagram account.
CAM8in2018.com

Stearmans celebrate airmail anniversary

The three Stearmans fly near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

Photo by Jim Dunn

During each stop, local people got a chance to see the planes up close and talk to the pilots.

Loading the mail into the plane. Fueling a Stearman during the epic flight.

A vintage mail delivery truck.