From May 12, 1939 to June 30, 1949, a fleet of
Stinson Reliants were used for a unique form of mail pick-up and delivery:
skyhooking. Similar in notion to the
mail-on-the-fly and
mail cranes used along rail lines,
the Reliants would fly low, deposit one load of mail and pick up the next, without stopping, providing mail service to rural communities. The Smithsonian National Postal Museum has
a 39 minute documentary presentation on YouTube, but it's a guy talking over powerpoint slides, which is pretty dry. Instead,
here is a modern news report with interviews of a skyhook pilot and old newsreel footage.
posted by filthy light thief
on Oct 19, 2011 -
24 comments
