This late 1940s black and white travel film highlights 25 years of coast-to-coast flights and events by the year. It is narrated by radio announcer Del Sharbutt and produced by B.K. Blake. 1918, President Wilson joins a crowd to celebrate the first day of airmail. Mail lis oaded into a JN-4H (:50-1:50). 1920, suffragettes march. President Harding rides in a carriage (1:52-2:05). Mail is flown coast-to-coast. Indians dance around the plane (2:07-2:40). 1924, a bi-plane marked U.S. Mail is loaded and takes off. Red Grange plays football. Roosevelt addresses the Democratic Convention at Madison Square Gardens. Young women in one-piece bathing suits participate in the Atlantic City beauty pageant (2:42-4:03). 1925, arc lights light runways at night. A bi-plane taxis in the spotlight (4:05-4:32). 1926, privately-own planes carried mail, including National Air Transport, Boeing Air Transport, Barney Airlines, Pacific Air Transport. These later merge to become United Air Lines (United Airlines). Gertrude Ederle swims the English Channel (4:34-5:36). 1927, Bill Boeing’s wife christens the Boeing 40 mail plane that could also carry two passengers. A Varney Air Lines airplane carried four passengers (5:38-6:19). 1928, C.C. Pyle runs in the Bunion Derby. A large dance marathon is held on a beach (6:20-6:47). 1929, air mail flights were lighted from coast to coast. The Ford Tri-motor carried 14 passengers. Boeing added stewardesses. A meteorologist checks wind speeds and information is provided to pilots (6:49-7:39). 1930, golfer Bobby Jones wins the Grand Slam (7:41-8:00). 1931, women model hats (8:02-8:13). 1933, the Boeing 247 carried ten passengers and cargo. A stewardess waits on passengers. Jack Knight shakes hands with another pilot. The plane is loaded. Two-way radio is used (8:15-9:06). 1934, a parade celebrates the National Recovery Act (9:08). 1936, Hitler stands with a group of military men (9:10-9:25). The interior cabin of a Douglass Mainliner is shown. Passengers play cards at a table. Others sleep in beds (9:27-9:50). 1938, a Boeing 40 is given to Henry Ford for his Museum of Americana. A bombed ship burns (9:52-10:31). 1939, the German Luftwaffe drops bombs on Poland. The explosions are viewed from the plane. New York and San Francisco host World’s Fairs. Stewardesses watch the Army parade. Passengers board a United Air Lines plane. A DC-4 takes off. Wendell Willkie and former President Hoover arrive (10:33-13:09). 1940, Stimson draws the first Selective Service number. Postal workers sort air mail. An Air Express cart and forklift brings mail to a plane. Mail is unloaded down a chute (13:11-14:15). 1941, South American officials disembark from a United Mainliner. A model plane contest is held in Chicago. Pearl Harbor is bombed. The Douglas DC-4 is transformed into the C-54. Pilots train in simulators. Soldiers and equipment are carried on transport planes (14:17-16:05). 1945, VE day is celebrated in the streets. Well-dressed passengers board and enjoy a flight on a United Air Lines Mainliner plane with four motors (16:07-17:05). A U.S. map shows the United Air Lines flight routes (17:17).

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com