US First Air Mail Flight: 98 Years Ago Today on Long Island
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On This Day in Aviation History: September 23rd
On September 23rd, 1911, Earle Ovington is sworn in as the nation’s first air mail pilot, and subsequently flies his Blériot XI with a sack of mail between his legs from Garden City, NY to Mineola, three miles away. The mailbag bursts on impact after a 500 foot drop, scattering 640 letters and 1,280 postcards. Ovington, a native of Newton, Mass. had been an engineering assistant to Thomas Edison before learning to fly at the Blériot school in France. Today, Earle Ovington Boulevard in Uniondale runs along the side of Mitchel Field, connecting Charles Lindbergh Boulevard and Hempstead Turnpike. [
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