Nostalgic air mail pilot caricatures5/16/2023 ![]() George Leroy Boyle Also just out of flight school, Boyle flew the first northbound Washington, DC to Philadelphia leg on but got lost and made a forced landing near Waldorf, Maryland just 18 minutes after takeoff. He retired in 1949 and died on Octoat age 88. He left the Air Service and in 1923 formed Consolidated Aircraft Corporation. He then was assigned the task of creating the logistics for regularly scheduled airmail service for three cities. By 1918 he was a Major and was supervising pilot training. He learned to fly at the Army Aviation school in San Diego, California. He was born on Main Montesano, Washington. Later he organized and became Superintendent of the Radio Service of the Post Office Department establishing its first aeronautical radio stations, helped to organize a civilian pilot-training program, and as a Colonel during World War II served as executive officer for air operations of the War Department. When the Post Office Department took over flying operations of the Air Mail Service in October, 1918, Edgerton stayed on and eventually became Superintendent of Flying Operations. Over the next five months as an Army Air Mail pilot Edgerton flew 52 trips over a total of 7,155 miles, spending 107 hours in the air and making only one forced landing. ![]() James Clark Edgerton (1896-1973) As a young Army 2nd Lieutenant fresh out of flight school, Edgerton flew the Philadelphia to Washington, DC, leg on the first day of scheduled Air Mail service in the United States on May 15, 1918. ![]()
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