stephenwinkler
8th May 2009, 17:20
Four airways, Boeing Air Transport, Pacific Air Transport, National Air Transport, and Varney Airways were UNITED to receive the coast-to-coast northern mail route. Advocates for a southern mail route saw the union of Univeral Airline, Colonial Air Transport, and Southern Airways into AMERICAN AIRWAYS. Transcontinental Air Transport merged with Western Air Transport to form TWA and they were awarded a central route. Many years passed and single-engine biplanes evolved into high-wing Trimotors, which in turn became low-wing twin engines. Then one day, NORTHWEST AIRWAYS was awared a fourth transcontinental route. Incidentally, by this time, the mail routes became passenger-carrying routes and the twin engines matured into giant four-engined monsters. Be that as it may, I was always curious as to the exactness of these routes. For example, which was the eastern terminus? Was it Boston, Philadelphia, New York, or Washington? Which cities were the re-fueling checkpoints? Was it Chicago, St. Louis, Dallas, or New Orleans? How about the western terminus? Was it Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, or Seattle? Nobody seems to know. Anyone out there with this information?