Suspended in the NASM Golden Age of Flight Hall. Built in 1927, this Mailwing was the prototype for Pitcairn mail planes that led to the creation of Eastern Air Lines. First use of the type as a mail plane was by Texas Air Transport on Contract Air Mail Route 21. The PA-5 was successful on the CAM 19 New York-Atlanta route, flying mail by night in seven hours, one-third the time it took by train. Eastern Air Lines used this aircraft till 1934. It was sold and converted to carry passengers, being repurchased and restored as a gift for Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker till donated in 1957 to NASM.

There were still few passenger airlines in America in 1928 and here mail on route CAM-1 from New York is delivered to Boston by a new PA-5 mailplane. CAM-1 was contracted to Colonial Air Transport, who apparently hired this aircraft. Pilot Ray Wonsey is known to have flown a Mailwing for Colonial around this time. NC3468 was registered to Phineas Millis, the owner of an airfield in Mendon, Massachusetts in 1928. Note logo of American Railway Express. This was a package delivery service like UPS or DHL, which did not operate aircraft itself. Photo by: Leslie Jones / Boston Public Library

Moved in 2016 to Shannon Air Museum, Fredericksburg.

Built in 1927 and operated by Colonial Western Airways of New York, Universal Aviation Corporation, American Airlines, Central Airlines and Robertson Aircraft Corporation. Purchased by Air Shannon in 1957 and restored to Eastern Air Transport colours in 1972.

Pitcairn Aviation was a predecessor of Eastern Air Lines. Photo from: Civil Aviation Historical Society, Melbourne, Australia

1927-built single seat mail plane flown by Eastern Air Transport with large fireproof mail container installed ahead of the pilot.