Mike Newcomer Aviation Art and the Airmail Research Project

It was practically a toss-up. The towns of Lock Haven and Bellefonte were under consideration by the Postal Service as refueling stops on the New York to Chicago mail run. The year was 1918. less than one year since the first mail flight from Washington D.C. to New York and less than 15 years since the first ever powered airplane flight by the Wright Brothers. Veteran pilot Max Miller was selected to make a surveillance flight to determine which town would be better suited for a landing site. On September 20, 1918, Miller, flying a white Standard JR-1B mail plane, landed at Bellefonte and declared it to be the better choice. Soon after hangars, shops and offices were constructed and a few pilots made living quarters there. The new field put Bellefonte on the map. The pilots were treated like royalty by the townsfolk and showed their appreciation by giving air shows and other forms of lively entertainment. In 1919 the wooden hangars burned down and were replaced by more modern structures. In July 1925 the entire field was moved to Spring Township between Zion and Pleasant Gap as it was more suited to the new night flying schedule.

Photo courtesy Air Mail Pioneers
The old wooden hangars at Bellefonte looked pretty rickety
especially for being only a year old when they burned down.

It is hard to tell from this old grainy photo, but
this was Max Miller's Standard JR-1B mail plane.
It was painted white and had a mailbag
emblazoned on the side.

This is a hand colored photo used as a
postcard of the pre fire hangars.

The new more modern hangars built
after the 1919 fire.

A night time shot of the new hangars.

Ground Crew and their State of the Art Equipment.

All Images in this column courtesy of
Bellefonte Through the Years

For Pennsylvanians:
As most people from this area know, the morning commute to work can be very disconcerting when you can’t see across your driveway due to the thick heavy fog. Imagine yourself driving down Route 80 with zero visibility, your accelerator to the floor, no compass to show your direction and no other working instruments for that matter, needing to be at a certain place at a certain time. This was the life of an airmail pilot in the early years and it is to those brave men that this site is dedicated.

The Pennsylvania Historic marker at the Bellefonte High School marks the spot of the first Bellefonte field. (Click to view bigger.)

Air Mail Monument Moves Ahead

(click to enlarge)

The granite memorial project, started a few years back by Paul Mulvehill of Ebensburg, Pa, is gradually coming to completion. The monument is to be installed in the garden area of the new American Philatelic Society’s Bellefonte, PA location. This project is a joint effort being carried out by Paul J. Mulvehill, Mike Newcomer Aviation Art and the American Philatelic Society to honor the brave airmail pilots who lost their lives in the line of duty.

EARLY AIRCRAFT & BIPLANES ● WORLD WAR II ● KOREA & VIETNAM ● JETS & MODERN AIRCRAFT
CIVILIAN & COMMERCIAL ● THE AIRMAIL SERIES ● OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS ● COMMISSION WORK
ABOUT THE ARTIST ● LINKS & THANK YOUS ● THE AIRMAIL PROJECT ● AIRMAIL HISTORY ● AIRMAIL PLANES
THE HELL STRETCH ● EVOLUTION OF A PAINTING ● PAINTINGS & STORIES ● CONTACT THE ARTIST

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