All American Aviation was an

airline An airline is a company that provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for codeshare agreements, in wh ...

company founded by Lytle Schooler Adams in 1937. It evolved over the decades to become Allegheny Airlines, then

USAir US Airways (formerly USAir) was a major United States airline that operated from 1937 until its merger with American Airlines in 2015. It was originally founded in Pittsburgh as a mail delivery airline called All American Aviation, which soon b ...

and subsequently US Airways, with the latter's merger with

American Airlines American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...

in 2013 creating the largest airline in the world.

History

All American Aviation was founded in 1937 as a

patent holding company A patent holding company (PHC) exists to hold patents on behalf of one or more other companies but does not necessarily manufacture products or supply services based upon the patents held. Patent holding companies may exist for tax reasons. Pate ...

. Its sister company, Tri-State Aviation, was founded on the same date, serving as the physical operating company. Founder Lytle Schooler Adams was the first president of both companies. Adams had started experimenting with an

airmail Airmail (or air mail) is a mail transport service branded and sold on the basis of at least one leg of its journey being by air. Airmail items typically arrive more quickly than surface mail, and usually cost more to send. Airmail may be t ...

pick-up system in 1927, developing numerous patents on the system, which he rolled into All American Aviation in 1937. Initial flights of the airline pick-up service were made by a Stinson Reliant single engine high-wing monoplane. Mail containers were suspended from ropes or cables suspended from two poles. The aircraft swooped down with a suspended hook hanging below and snagged the rope or cable. This was further developed in a system that could pick up personnel. The

du Pont family The du Pont family () or Du Pont family is a prominent American family descended from Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739–1817). It has been one of the richest families in the United States since the mid-19th century, when it founded its f ...

brothers Richard C. du Pont and Alexis Felix du Pont, Jr. bought stock in the company in 1938—on the same date as a bill was passed in Congress to enable the

U.S. Post Office The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the Federal government of the Uni ...

to start large scale experimentation on the airmail pick-up system. Through some manipulations, the du Ponts were able to acquire majority stock and voted Richard du Pont as the new president. Actual service did not commence until 1939. The pioneering experimental airmail pickup service was built on routes radiating from a hub at

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

, from which the airline provided service throughout the Ohio River valley. All American received a certificate of public convenience and necessity from the

Civil Aeronautics Board The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) was an agency of the federal government of the United States, formed in 1938 and abolished in 1985, that regulated aviation services including scheduled passenger airline serviceStringer, David H."Non-Skeds: T ...

for regular passenger, mail and express service. Concurrent with the introduction of passenger service, the company changed its name in 1949 to All American Airways. Through the years, the company grew and the name was again changed, becoming Allegheny Airlines on January 1, 1953,

on October 28, 1979, and US Airways on November 12, 1996. Following its 2013 merger with

, the US Airways brand was phased out by 2016 as planes, uniforms, and other assets were steadily rebranded to American Airlines.

Fleet

Pre World War II *Stinson SM-1D-300 *Stinson SR-10C (4) Post World War II * Douglas DC-3 *

Convair 580 The Convair CV-240 is an American airliner that Convair manufactured from 1947 to 1954, initially as a possible replacement for the ubiquitous Douglas DC-3. Featuring a more modern design with cabin pressurization, the 240 series made some inroa ...

References

External links

* Th
George J. Frebert collection on Delaware Aviation
at Hagley Museum and Library includes material on All American Aviation and its air mail pick-up system. {{Navboxes , list = {{US Airways Group {{American Airlines {{Airlines of the United States, state=collapsed {{authority control Airlines established in 1937 Airlines disestablished in 1952 Companies based in Pittsburgh Defunct airlines of the United States Defunct companies based in Pennsylvania US Airways Group American companies established in 1937 Airlines based in Pennsylvania Aviation companies

History

Fleet

See also

References

External links