All American Aviation

All American Aviation Inc (Pittsburgh) was an airline company founded by Dr. Lytle Schooler Adams in 1937. All American Aviation was originally a Patent Holding Company and its sister company was Tri-State Aviation founded on the same date. Tri- State was the operating Company. Dr. Adams was the first President of both companies The du Pont family brothers Richard C. du Pont and Alexis Felix du Pont, Jr. bought stock in the company in 1938 on the same date as the bill was passed in Congress to enable the post office to have experiment with the pick-up system. Through some manipulations were able to acquire majority stock and voted Richard du Pont as new President. The pioneering experimental airmail pickup service with routes radiating from a hub at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Actual service, however, did not commence until 1939. It is the forerunner of the former US Airways(now American Airlines,) the fifth-largest airline in the United States. The Pick-up was invented by Dr. Lytle S. Adams in 1927 and had been experimented with and developed for 12 years before the du Ponts became involved.

From its hub in Pittsburgh, the airline served the Ohio River valley.

All American received a certificate of public convenience and necessity from the Civil Aeronautics Board 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.

The company was again renamed Allegheny Airlines in 1952, USAir in 1979, and US Airways in 1996.

Initial flights of the airline pickup 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.

Fleet

Pre World War II

• Stinson SM-1D-300
• Stinson SR-10C (4)^[1]

Post World War II

• Douglas DC-3
• Convair 580

See also

• Fulton surface-to-air recovery system

References

External links

• The 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.