Past-E-Mail

Apr 06-18

Past-E-Mail: Cam Notes - 2018: April: Apr 06-18

2003: Model A Conversion ...scroll down to share comments

2004: Bump Ahead ...scroll down to share comments

4/6/1953 - 1st Copper Country Air Mail ...scroll down to share comments

Giant Concrete Arrows Guided Air Mail Pilots ...click to play video

previous 20 years of the Pasty Cam on this day, 1998-2017

^{Printed on Recycled Internet} yes

By Mary Drew at Pasty Central (Mdrew) on Friday, April 6, 2018 - 01:15 pm:

Today’s Pasty Cam theme is all about deliveries. Specifically mail delivery. Starting with a photo from Tom Murto that was taken in 1935, but appeared here in 2003, we see a Model A that Tom’s grandfather Alfred used to deliver RFD mail from the Atlantic Mine post office. He actually purchased a Bombardier conversion kit and turned his Model A into a snowmobile in the winter. The mail must get through!

Our next photo snapped by Michael & Patricia Forgrave in 2004, really isn’t about delivering mail, but it could be if this road was part of a rural delivery route. That’s a red warning flag to let people driving along this road know that there is a bump ahead. And if you don’t heed the warning, you’ll be delivered a good jolt to your car and maybe your noggin, too!

The third photo was given to me by Joe Schneller. His Grandfather was the Postmaster in Calumet/Laurium back in 1953 and he sent the first Air Mail from the Copper Country on April 6th of that year, 65 years ago today. He addressed the post card to his then 11 month old granddaughter, Paula (Joe’s sister) and the photo at the top shows Postmaster Joseph Schneller handing the first flight Air Mail bag to the Captain of Wisconsin Central Airline, to be sent on it’s way through the skies.

Our video feature is a bit different today, since it’s not based here in the U.P., but is interesting to the history of Air Mail and how in the 1920’s the airplanes navigated from New York to San Francisco without all the modern GPS and radar to guide them. Sending a letter by air wasn’t as easy then as it is now. Check out how the first Ground Based Civilian Navigation System came about.

By Duane P. (Islandman43) on Friday, April 6, 2018 - 03:23 pm:

A very interesting insight to the early Air Mail Service. I'm sure it was hard to see the arrows if you happened to get caught in the fog.

By Alex "UP-Goldwinger" (Alex) on Friday, April 6, 2018 - 03:53 pm:

We sure have come a long way, baby. We don't even need 10 cent stamps anymore, just 80 dollars a freakin' month for high-speed internet.

By jbuck (Jbuck) on Friday, April 6, 2018 - 06:00 pm:

Very cool "conversion". Other than here i've never
seen the 3 wheels on each side style. Shows
tremendous dedication and work ethic to make sure the
mail was delivered. Way to go Alfred!

By FRNash/PHX, AZ (Frnash) on Friday, April 6, 2018 - 07:45 pm:

Mary Drew at Pasty Central (Mdrew):

" …Our video feature … how in the 1920’s the airplanes navigated from New York to San Francisco without all the modern GPS and radar to guide them. …"

"Without all the modern GPS and radar to guide them."

Or the very earliest (click →) Radio Direction Finding (RDF) techniques (including the use of commercial broadcast stations!) through the 1940s/1950s,

and the later (click →) Non-Directional (radio) Beacons (NDB) technology,

and the still later (click →) VOR/DME navigation from the late 1940s — and still the primary technology in use today!

While the still developing next generation GPS technology gradually comes into place; see International Airport Review, April 4, 2018:
(click →) "America’s Federal Aviation Administration gives $117 million contract to boost ATC system".

Though a common misconception, "radar" is not used for "guidance"/navigation .

The aircraft still employ the above techniques to "guide" themselves while
(click →) FAA's Air Traffic Control radar is solely used to monitor and provide collision avoidance/traffic separation/clearances to Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) traffic and flight following (which provides traffic advisory services on a time permitting basis) for Visual Flight Rules (VFR) pilots who may request such service.

Note: While ATC may issue "clearances", the pilot in command is the final authority for the safe operation/navigation of the aircraft and may decline a clearance and, in an emergency, deviate from ATC instructions to the extent required to maintain safe operation of their aircraft.

I know, "too much (technical) information" (TMI).
But there's so much misunderstanding about aviation — particularly in the popular media! — I gots to clarify it wherever I can.

By FRNash/PHX, AZ (Frnash) on Friday, April 6, 2018 - 11:06 pm:

JOMT

Here we go again, this from Firefox (wasn't this just reently fixed?):

Quote:
www.pasty.com uses an invalid security certificate. The certificate expired on Friday, April 06, 2018, 5:58 PM. The current time is Friday, April 06, 2018, 7:56 PM. Error code: SEC_ERROR_EXPIRED_CERTIFICATE

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