Yes, you found the typical fly in the ointment Tara. Or rather, Major Fleet did. It happens all the time. Prestigious people appointed to do things that they aren't qualified to do.
Luckily, the air mail service eventually succeeded as it inevitably was going to and the disaster was cleaned up.
Thank you Tara for another piece of previously unknown history (to me).
What an interesting and informative account of the beginning of airmail! Guess we aren’t so unique regarding those in positions of decision making, power and control ignoring the sound advice of the ones who actually have knowledge and experience. Sadly choices are often based even today on who you know not what you know. Sometimes even your claimed identity...real or imagined. We just don’t seem to learn from the past.
Otto Praeger didn't know anything about airplanes but had the fortitude and guts and future thinking to advocate a new way of mail delivery. In today's government they sit on their behinds and do nothing and create committee after committee, hash and rehash and beat a subject to death and at the end come up with nothing worth mentioning. I am betting if this happened today after the first crash they would close the subject and never to be reopened. That is why this country progressed so dramatically in the past and is stale and paralyzed today. she had leaders that were not afraid of failures and willing to take risks for the better future rather than do nothing and keep an even keel.
Tara, you do a wonderful job in finding the very interesting and little emphasized story nuggets that make up our history. All of these stories are woven together to make us who we are today. I wonder who will be the “Tara” in 100 years writing the story of the first space mail to the moon colony ?
Croney-ism usually leads to poor results. Boyle should have had the hutzpah to turn down that opportunity due to his inexperience but his pride got in the way before being thoroughly bashed. But airmail was a great thing for some mail. I remember when you could buy airmail stamps and would need onionskin like paper. It had red and blue stripes around the envelope and did cost more to mail which was weighed to determine the rate. Some mail is still moved by air, but most is now sent via a tractor-trailer on the highways and it doesn’t take weeks normally as mail used to do.
Yes, you found the typical fly in the ointment Tara. Or rather, Major Fleet did. It happens all the time. Prestigious people appointed to do things that they aren't qualified to do.
Luckily, the air mail service eventually succeeded as it inevitably was going to and the disaster was cleaned up.
Thank you Tara for another piece of previously unknown history (to me).
My first thought was, was Boyle a Harvard graduate?
LOL!😂
What an interesting and informative account of the beginning of airmail! Guess we aren’t so unique regarding those in positions of decision making, power and control ignoring the sound advice of the ones who actually have knowledge and experience. Sadly choices are often based even today on who you know not what you know. Sometimes even your claimed identity...real or imagined. We just don’t seem to learn from the past.
The concrete markers erected so these early pilots could more easily fly at night still exist too!
Otto Praeger didn't know anything about airplanes but had the fortitude and guts and future thinking to advocate a new way of mail delivery. In today's government they sit on their behinds and do nothing and create committee after committee, hash and rehash and beat a subject to death and at the end come up with nothing worth mentioning. I am betting if this happened today after the first crash they would close the subject and never to be reopened. That is why this country progressed so dramatically in the past and is stale and paralyzed today. she had leaders that were not afraid of failures and willing to take risks for the better future rather than do nothing and keep an even keel.
Tara, you do a wonderful job in finding the very interesting and little emphasized story nuggets that make up our history. All of these stories are woven together to make us who we are today. I wonder who will be the “Tara” in 100 years writing the story of the first space mail to the moon colony ?
Croney-ism usually leads to poor results. Boyle should have had the hutzpah to turn down that opportunity due to his inexperience but his pride got in the way before being thoroughly bashed. But airmail was a great thing for some mail. I remember when you could buy airmail stamps and would need onionskin like paper. It had red and blue stripes around the envelope and did cost more to mail which was weighed to determine the rate. Some mail is still moved by air, but most is now sent via a tractor-trailer on the highways and it doesn’t take weeks normally as mail used to do.
Thank you, Tara.
🇺🇲🇺🇲📩📩📩💌💌🇺🇲🇺🇲
A amazing feat that made the Postal Service look good. Thanks to the US Army. Oh rah!
🇺🇸 An inauspicious beginning, that somehow managed to eventually elevate to mediocrity.
Thanks, TR 🇺🇲
Now airplanes can carry tons of cargo and fly it half way around the world nonstop. Amazing progress in just over 100 tears.
What an interesting story of failure giving rise to efficient mail delivery!
And that pilot, Boyle, knew how to “crash land” and walk away!
Thank you, Tara, for another story of failure leading to success!
What a brave story about men and perseverance something like the pony express but certainly more dangerous. Bless them all for making it happen.
Give Boyle credit for not giving up! Crash Boyle had guts!!! Great story Tara!!
The USPS pilot choices are bureaucracy at it's best. Unfortunately that's probably how it works today. Great story Tara.