|
Centre Daily Times May 11 2005
Airmail pioneers to be honored at festival
By Mason Neely; For the CDT
"In conjunction with Sunday's Big Spring Festival, the American Philatelic Society will dedicate a monument honoring the country's early airmail pioneers and the role Bellefonte played in airmail history.
Dedication events will include a performance by the Little German Band, a stamp cancellation station and an open house featuring tours of the American Philatelic Center, philatelic exhibits and a display by the Nittany Valley Model Railroad Club.
The monument itself is across from the front entrance to the center, 100 Match Factory Place in Bellefonte. Dedication of the 2,800-pound monument will begin at 3 p.m.
The inscribed tribute, which includes a replica of the Curtiss Jenny biplane, recalls the early years of transcontinental air mail, from 1918 to 1927, when pilots had to fly by dead reckoning -- timing the distance flown by watch and estimated speed, using compass bearings and estimating wind drift.
According to APS Executive Director Bob Lamb, other factors, such as Centre County's unpredictable weather, fog and high winds, made flying across the Allegheny Mountains treacherous -- leading airmail pilots of the 1920s to call the region "Hell's Stretch."
"They didn't have the advantages modern day pilots enjoy -- sophisticated technology like computers and navigation systems that can make a normal flight into a treacherous one," said Lamb, adding that Bellefonte's link in the airmail chain was due to its proximity to major delivery spots such as New York and Chicago.
Considering that more fatal accidents occurred in this area than along any other part of the transcontinental route, Lamb said the monument pays a fitting tribute to the 34 valiant pilots who lost their lives along the dangerous leg of the journey.
"These guys were really brave flyers and the early days of airmail were an important step in aviation and in the postal service," he said. "Not only that, but they became well known to the people in Bellefonte, that's why we wanted to have this dedication here."
|
|
