Re-Enactment of Western Canada's First Air Mail Flight

Eighty-eight years ago, a young American pilot en route to Edmonton to perform at the annual fair brought a bag of mail with her. She was Katherine Stinson. This was the first air mail delivery in western Canada.

Because of the war, Edmonton could not acquire the gunpowder necessary for fireworks so she was hired to perform her amazing aerobatics show here. On this occasion, she was persuaded to carry mail from Calgary to Edmonton - the first ever air mail in western Canada.

Just out of Calgary, her Curtiss Special engine failed and she landed in a farmer's field, close to where Calgary's International Airport is now situated. When the repairs were made, she flew back to Calgary then up to Edmonton. On July 9th, 2006, her flight was re-enacted. The carrying of the mail was the idea of the Canadian Aerophilatelic Society. Gordon Mallett, a BNAPS member, was one of those instrumental in organizing this.

This was stimulated by a project of the Alberta Aviation Museum, which entailed the building of an exact replica of Stinson's aircraft, the Curtiss Special. A team of volunteers spent 20,000 hrs on this project. Given that the original aircraft had no construction plans, this was an amazing feat.

The flight carried commemorative covers in a sack that was actually used in the first air mail flight between Canada and the USA.

  • photos and text by Bob Lane, BNAPS Webmaster

    The ceremony is depicted in the following photos:

    Edmonton pilot Audrey Kahovec arrived in a more modern aircraft

    Audrey leaving the aircraft

    Audrey with the mail bag

    Audrey in her replica costume

    Climbing into the replica aircraft

    In the cockpit

    Approaching the ceremony

    Delivering the mail to Canada Post representatives

    Katherine was a strong supporter of the U.S. Red Cross; the Canadian Red Cross was a sponsor of this event

    The crew that built the replica aircraft