Learn more about...

...AIR MAIL

Here are a couple of places to learn more about the history of Air Mail.

The British Postal Museum has a slideshow about the very early days of Air Mail.

In the USA, the Smithsonian National Postal Museum has an online exhibit about Airmail in America, including a section on early Air Mail women, official and unofficial, Amelia Earhart, Ruth Law, and Katherine Stinson.

The great dangers faced by early mail pilots are described in Risking Life and Limb, part of the online version of the museum’s In the Line of Duty: Dangers, Disasters and Good Deeds exhibition.



AIRCRAFT

Starting to build your own aircraft is easy, with these plans from the New England Air Museum. They have simple instructions for making paper propellers and helicopters, little foam gliders, and hot air balloons.

WOMEN OF THE AIR

Women and Aviation is part of the online version of Making the Modern World, an impressive exhibition at the Science Museum, London. The online version is packed with information and pictures, and focuses on Amy Johnson, Jean Batten and Amelia Earhart.

The Science Museum also has a longer article about Amy Johnson here. The museum has her Gypsy Moth biplane Jason on display in the Flight gallery.

There’s a lot more about women pilots, past and present, on the website of the Ninety-nines, International Organization of Women Pilots.

THE POST HORN

The post horn symbol on the tail of Sadie’s plane is a variation of a symbol that has been used by many postal services. There’s a history of the post horn on the Finnish Post Museum site, in English as well as Finnish and Swedish.

AND A COUPLE OF BOOKS

The best ever children’s educational book about flying is Richard Scarry’s Great Big Air Book. In it he explains how to pilot a plane, how a jet engine works, shows how airports and airliners operate, and lots more.

The book has been reissued in the UK in paperback, unfortunately without either Richard Scarry’s wonderful original cover or the characteristic original Clarendon type, but it’s still a great read.

And in the tradition of Richard Scarry comes Ted Dewan with The Weatherbirds, out of print, but available secondhand and highly recommended.

Ted’s book was the inspiration for Gusty and Fogg, the two feathered forecasters at Knuckle Peak Weather Station, where Sadie delivers the mail.