Charles A. Lindbergh Flies His Old Air Mail Route in the Wake of his New York to Paris Flight

Now a celebrity, he signs an envelope carried on his Chicago-St. Louis mail route in February 1928
Before he tackled the Atlantic Ocean in 1927, Charles Lindbergh had a career as an airmail pilot. Following stints as an Army pilot, test pilot and barnstormer, Lindbergh flew the mail as a contract pilot on Airmail Route #2 between Chicago, Illinois and St. Louis, Missouri. He flew a De Haviland DH-4 over the route, with stops at Springfield and Peoria. During this period he twice had to bail out from the mail aircraft to save his life. Lindbergh was nothing if not courageous.

While flying mail from Chicago to St Louis, Lindbergh decided to compete for the $25,000 prize for the first non-stop flight from New York to Paris. Although he was not the only pilot considering the feat, Lindbergh had many things going for him—an indomitable spirit and positive attitude as well as youth, energy, and a natural desire to rise to the challenge of a nonstop transcontinental flight. He obtained funding for a plane, and for months, between work on the small monoplane that was to become the Spirit of St. Louis, he studied charts, weather, flight plans, and memorized any piece of information that could aid him in his trip. On May 20–21, 1927, Lindbergh made the first nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, a distance of 3,600 miles, flying alone for 33.5 hours. He became a hero and celebrity overnight, and everyone sought his services as a pilot and his presence at events.

In February 1928 he was asked to fly his old airmail route once again. A special envelope was prepared for him to carry on his plane, with a horseshoe shaped stamp reading “Lindbergh Again Flies the Air Mail”, and a U.S. postage stamp showing the Spirit of St. Louis with the words “Lindbergh Air Mail.” On the verso is the postmark with the date of February 20, 1928. Lindbergh has signed as Pilot. It is also signed by pioneer mail pilots Harlan Gurney (to whom the envelope was addressed), Philip R. Love, Thomas P. Nelson (who was killed when he parachuted from an aircraft during a snowstorm in 1929, and froze to death), L.H. Smith (who piloted the first airplane to receive a complete mid-air refueling), and one other.

A wonderful memento of Lindbergh’s popularity after his flight to Paris, and his interest in again flying his old mail route.