National Air Transport Inc

National Air Transport Inc was an early United States airline that operated scheduled services between 12 May 1926 and its acquisition by United Air Lines on 7 May 1930.

National Air Transport Inc
Travel Air 6000 preserved in flying condition in the 1928 markings of NAT

Formation

Clement M. Keys formed North American Aviation in early 1925, for the express purpose of providing organization, finance and inspiration for the development of a large network of airlines, manufacturers and other aviation services, each nurturing the other. Keys contacted Carl B., Fritsche, general manager of the Aircraft Development Corporation of Detroit, with the idea of creating an airline to link Chicago with Detroit and New York. ^[1]

To insure a sound base for operations, Keys proposed an initial subscribed share capital of $2 million, many times that of other early airlines. Keys raised $1 million through his New York contacts and Fritsche raised $500,000 from Detroit interests. After further fund raising, the remaining $500,000 was subscribed by the sons of several leading Chicago business men. This enabled National Air Transport Inc (NAT) to be incorporated in the state of Delaware on 21 May 1925. The total authorised issued share capital was fixed at an unprecedented $10 million.^[2]

Airmail contract bid and commencement of operations

Keys and other members of NATs board realised that the gaining of an airmail contract would be crucial to the early development of the airline. NAT therefore bid for the mail contract CAM 3 from the United States Post Office. This covered the Chicago–Dallas route and the contract was awarded to NAT on 7 November 1925. This was a key link in the US airmail network, connecting two very important cities and regions with the east-west transcontinental route through Chicago. ^[3]

A fleet of ten Carrier Pigeon biplane aircraft was constructed by Curtiss, one of Key's other business interests. These were used to open the NAT airmail service on 12 May 1926 on a route Chicago-Moline-St Joseph-Kansas City-Wichita-Ponca City-Oklahoma City-Dallas.^[4]

In 1929 N.A.T. purchased Stout Air Services, Inc. who continued to operate under the Stout name until United purchased N.A.T. Stout had purchased Ford Air Transport Service's airmail routes in 1928, and flew Ford Trimotor's.^[5]

New York-Chicago mail route

NAT wished to expand their network and they successfully bid for the key New York-Chicago airmail route CAM 17. On 2 April 1927, the airline was awarded the contract in competition with three other bidders. The carriage rate was to be $1.24 per pound of airmail carried. 14 pilots were taken on from the Post Office Department and the service over the difficult route over the Allegheny Mountains commenced on 1 September. Initially the Curtiss Carrier Pigeons were used, but were quickly supplemented by 18 Douglas M-2 mailplanes taken over from the Post Office. In turn, these were supplemented in early 1928 by eight Travel Air 6000 biplanes.^[6]

Aircraft types operated

Curtiss Carrier Pigeon

Douglas M-2

Travel Air 6000

Ford Trimotor

Preserved aircraft in NAT markings

A 1928-built Travel Air A-6000A is preserved in contemporary National Air Transport markings in the Golden Wings Air Museum at Anoka County Airport near Minneapolis and can be viewed by prior arrangement.^[7]

References

Notes

1. ^ Davies, 1998, p. 51
2. ^ Davies, 1998, p. 51-52
3. ^ Davies, 1998, p. 52
4. ^ Davies, 1998, p.52
5. ^ William Bushnell Stout. So Away I Went. 
6. ^ Davies, 1998, p. 61
7. ^ Ogden, 2007, p. 320

Bibliography

• Davies, R.E.G. (1998). Airlines of the United States since 1914. Smithsonian Institution Press. ISBN 1-888962-08-9. 
• Ogden, Bob (2007). Aviation Museums and Collections of North America. Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-385-4.