SAN FRANCISCO, March 25.--Postmaster J. E. Power announced that the new airmail service between Seattle and Los Angeles has demonstrated its effectiveness by setting a new record for the Seattle-San Francisco hop.
    The space between the two cities was negotiated in six hours and 40 minutes.as compared with a scheduled time of 9 hours and 20 minutes, he said.
    Remainder of the test flight will be made tomorrow, and Postmaster Power said that the San Francisco-Los Angeles jump probably would be made in less than the scheduled five hours.
    Actual airmail operation along the coast will begin in two weeks. Planes will leave Seattle in the morning, touch here seven or eight hours later and then depart for Los Angeles the next morning. The postal rate between Los Angeles and Seattle will be 20 cents for an ounce or less. From Seattle to San Francisco will cost 15 cents for a similar weight, while the San Francisco-Los Angeles delivery will cost 10 cents.
    The Pacific Air Transport company of Medford, Ore. is in charge of the transportation.
Bakersfield Californian, March 25, 1926, page 1




    VANCOUVER, Wn., May 15.--Lee Schoenhair, pilot of the Pacific Air Transport, contractors for the coast air mail service which is to start next month, hopped off from Pearson Field here at 7 o'clock this morning, in an attempt to make a nonstop flight to Los Angeles.
    Schoenhair, in a Ryan M-l plane, equipped with the Wright Whirlwind motor, carried an extra supply of 90 gallons of gasoline in addition to the regular 50-gallon supply.
    In order that the trip would be under mail-carrying conditions, the plane carried 900 pounds extra weight, exclusive of the pilot.
Santa Ana Register, Santa Ana, California, May 15, 1926, page 1


    LOS ANGELES, March 15.--Lee Schoenhair, pilot of the Pacific Air Transport, arrived here at 4:20 p.m. today on a non-stop flight from Portland, Ore.
    Schoenhair was nine hours and 20 minutes in the air, completing successfully the first non-stop flight along the Pacific Coast.
    He flew a Ryan M-l plane, equipped with a Wright Whirlwind motor.
    Schoenhair is one of the several pilots of the Pacific Air Transport who will make regular mail carrying flights along the new coast air line starting next month.
    He carried 900 pounds extra weight, equivalent to a load of mail, in the test flight today.
Oakland Tribune, May 15, 1926, page 23








    Preparing Bakersfield for what will soon be a common sight, a pilot of the Pacific Air Transport company, which will carry the airmail through Bakersfield, flew a Ryan M-1 mail monoplane over the business district in a demonstration of speed and maneuverability shortly after noon today.
    The pilot is in Bakersfield in connection with the equipping of the flying field for night landings of the mail ships.
    Though the present tentative schedule of the Pacific Coast airmail calls for the landing of the planes here between midnight and 3 a.m., President Gorst of the air transport company is believed to be working to revise the schedule so that landings will be made here during the daylight hours.
Bakersfield Californian, August 21, 1926, page 9




    LOS ANGELES, Aug. 29.--(By the Associated Press.)--A monoplane of the Pacific Air Transport company hopped off from here at 12:03 a.m. today in a trial night flight to San Francisco, with stops scheduled at Bakersfield and Fresno, Calif.
    SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 29.--(By the Associated Press.)--Completing the first night test flight over the airways of the Pacific Coast air mail route, a monoplane of the Pacific Air Transport company arrived here from Los Angeles at 5:30 a.m. today.
    The plane left Los Angeles at 12:03 and made stops at Bakersfield and Fresno, where lighted landing fields were used. The test flight was entirely successful, Vern Gorst of the company announced. The company will be able to inform the postmaster general that it is ready to begin mail service over the route in a few days, Gorst said.
    Another night test flight is scheduled soon for the route between Seattle and Portland, which is also lighted. The mail schedule calls for day travel between Portland and San Francisco.
    George W. Allen of Los Angeles piloted the test plane and James Mushett, superintendent of the division, was a passenger. They were able to see the light beacon at Turlock, seventy-five miles away, as soon as they took off at Fresno, they said.
    The planes have a capacity of 600 pounds of mail and two passengers.
Salt Lake Tribune, Salt Lake City, Utah, August 30, 1926, page 2


    WASHINGTON, Aug. 31.--(AP)--Service on the Pacific Coast contract air mail route between Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles will be inaugurated September 15, Postmaster General New announced today.
    LOS ANGELES, Aug. 31.--(AP)--The schedule of air mail service between Los Angeles and Seattle, which according to Washington dispatches will be inaugurated September 15, calls for planes to leave the two terminals at 12:05 a.m. every day except Mondays, it was announced today by C. N. Comstock, president of the Pacific Air Transport.
    The flight will require about 12 hours and stops will be made at Bakersfield, Fresno, San Francisco, Medford, Ore., and Portland.
Oakland Tribune, August 31, 1926, page 27






    SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 15.--Seattle and Los Angeles became 13 hours apart today when airplanes whirred north from the south, and south from the north, to inaugurate the Pacific Coast Air Mail.
    Flying in better than schedule time, the northbound plane, off from Los Angeles at 12:03 o'clock this morning, terminated its hop to San Francisco at 5 a.m., exactly 30 minutes earlier than contemplated.
    The southbound plane hopped off from Seattle at 3:45 a.m., and at Portland was seven minutes behind schedule, according to advices from the north. It took off for Medford at 5:52 a.m., whereas its schedule called for departure at 5:45 o'clock.
    The southbound plane was still behind schedule when it arrived at San Francisco at 12:27 o'clock this afternoon. It took off for Fresno and Los Angeles at 12:40.
    The northbound plane was expected to beat its schedule all the way to Seattle. It was due to arrive in the Puget Sound City at 2 o'clock this afternoon. The southbound ship was believed likely to regain lost time and arrive at Los Angeles according to schedule, at 5 p.m.
    Notwithstanding the slight slipup in the southbound schedule, Vern C. Gorst, president of the "Pat" line, contraction of the name Pacific Air Transport under which the contracting company operates, announced.
    "The first flights indicate that we may be able to reduce the 13-hour schedule between Los Angeles and Seattle. We easily cut a half hour off the flying schedule from Los Angeles to San Francisco with poor weather conditions to contend with, and I am sure that after a trial of a week we will be able to improve the schedule."
    The northbound plane came to rest at Concord field, Contra Costa County, the San Francisco landing field for northbound planes--with 14 sacks of mail.
    Four were transferred to a special plane for conveyance to Crissy Field, San Francisco Presidio. The others, with four sacks from San Francisco, were dispatched north to Medford and Portland.
    Municipal recognition of the airmail inauguration was scheduled on an elaborate scale today in the cities directly located on the airmail route--Los Angeles, Fresno and San Francisco, California, and Portland and Seattle.
    San Francisco bestowed its official recognition at noon, when Postmaster James E. Power, Mayor James Rolph, Jr., and officials of other bay cities gathered at Crissy Field, landing place for southbound planes, to welcome the machine from the north.
    Postmaster Power announced that the post office department is designing a special 15-cent stamp for use between Los Angeles and Seattle.
    San Francisco, virtually the halfway point on the 1009-mile air mail route, is now, for mail purposes, eight hours from Seattle and five hours from Los Angeles.
    The present flying schedule of the "Pat" line calls for one flight south and one flight north daily. Nine planes are in operation, with others in reserve.
    CONCORD, Sept. 15.--Just before the sunrise this morning the first airplane on the new Los Angeles-Seattle airmail run landed at the government mail field here. It was piloted from Fresno by Vance Breese. Another waiting plane was rushed northward, leaving at 5:37 in the hands of Paul Starbuck, who will carry the mails from here to Medford, Oregon.
    The plane used to transport the mail from here on the northern leg of the trip was brought to Concord yesterday by its builder, L. Gilmore, from Grass Valley. The flight from Grass Valley was made in a little over an hour.
    MEDFORD, Ore., Sept. 15.--In the initial night of two planes in the Pacific air mail service the ship from the north arrived here at 8:38 a.m., 23 minutes behind schedule time, and departed at 8:45 a.m. The San Francisco ship arrived here at 8:40 a.m., 15 min. ahead of schedule, and went on at 9:30 a.m.
    One hundred and fifteen pounds and three ounces of mail came from Portland for Medford.
    The two planes took on here 10,040 pieces of mail, weighing155 pounds.
    The plane from Portland encountered fog the entire distance until it reached the Rogue River Valley. The plane from the south traveled in fog until it reached Mount Shasta and from there both foggy and clear conditions were encountered until the Rogue River Valley was reached, where clear atmosphere prevailed.
    An enormous crowd witnessed the landing and leave-taking of the planes, and the pilots were greeted and congratulated by city officials and local post officials.
    TRACY, Sept. 15.--The monster beacon light located at Tracy is in readiness for the inauguration of the Pacific Air Transport Corporation coast air mail service. This is one of the large lights of 7,500,000 candlepower and revolves at the rate of six times a minute. It is placed on a 50-foot steel frame. There are ten of the large beacons and 14 of 400,000 candlepower at intervals on the route. By the aid of these searchlights a direct night-flying route will be possible.
Oakland Tribune, September 15, 1926, page 1




Medford Mail Tribune, October 11, 1926, page 5








    Airships that pass in the night, speeding U.S. mail and enterprising passengers to their destinations, no longer grope their way uncertainly through the midnight clouds.
    Powerful beacon lights erected on steel towers guide the mail planes of the Pacific Air Transport from Seattle to Los Angeles just as the lighthouses along the coast keep ships at sea on their bearings.
    C. N. Comstock, vice president of the Pacific Air Transport, says 26 of these automatic rotating beacons have been established, at a cost of more than $25,000, to complete the first and longest electric lighted airway in the West.
    There are 17 of these huge beacon towers between Los Angeles and San Francisco, and nine between Seattle and the Golden Gate.
    In order to provide adequate light to guide the airmail pilots into their various airports over this 1100-mile route and keep them on the safest course, the beacons are divided into two sizes. Nine of them have 7,500,000-candlepower globes erected on 50-foot towers at strategic points. The 17 smaller lights are 400,000 candlepower each and rotate on 40-foot towers, set at necessary intervals between the larger beacon towers.
    The Hollywood beacon is one of the smaller lights and is located on the top of one of the highest knolls in the Hollywood Hills directly north of the Los Angeles P.A.T. airport.
    These beacons are connected with electric power lines along the coast and are operated automatically by a clock attachment which turns them on and sets them rotating at nightfall and extinguishes and stops them at daybreak.
    J. L. Mushett, division superintendent for Southern California, who has his headquarters at the Los Angeles terminal of the Pacific Air Transport at Exposition Boulevard and Angeles Mesa Drive, sends a man out once a week to inspect the string of beacon lights in his division and see that they are in good working order.
    "We certainly appreciate those lights," said Vance Breese, veteran pilot, who is one of the regulars in the airmail service for the company. "Although it is almost always possible to pick out roads and railroads from the air, even on the darkest nights, these beacons tell us just which way to head, and about how high to fly, for most of them are on the highest point in each beacon section.
    "The flying time from Los Angeles to San Francisco is five hours and to Seattle, 14 hours for both mail and passengers. Only 1000 miles a day."
Oxnard Daily Courier, Oxnard, California, December 9, 1926, page 3






    Faith in the future of regular and comfortable passenger travel by air up and down the Pacific Coast has been shown by the Pacific Air Transport Company, coastwise air mail and passenger firm, with the placing of an order for a cabin monoplane to be used on its route.
    The purchase was made by Vern C. Gorst, P.A.T. president, from the Travel Air company of Wichita, Kans., and it was indicated that the new enclosed ship would reach the coast late this week.
    The plane is the first of its make to be placed in service anywhere in the country and the second cabin ship to be used on the Pacific Coast, the only other being in operation between Los Angeles and San Diego.
    Of the most modern design, the Travel airplane has cabin space of about 118 cubic feet, with accommodations either for six passengers without mail cargo, or four passengers with postal pouches. The ship is powered by a Wright J-4 Whirlwind radial motor of 200 horsepower, has a glass-enclosed pilothouse and cockpit and heating apparatus for use in winter flying.
    In a recent 1200-mile test flight through the Middle West, the Travel Air cabin monoplane showed an average of 110 miles an hour cruising speed and high speed of 125 miles an hour. Further indicating its airworthiness, it was flown for 100 miles without the pilot touching the controls.
    The cabin plane purchased is the most advanced step yet taken toward the perfection of air passenger travel along the coast. Mr. Gorst indicated that other similar ships would be ordered in the near future to accommodate the fast-growing passenger business.
    According to plans, the Travel Air cabin plane first will be taken over the entire P.A.T. route, which extends from Seattle, through Portland, to Los Angeles, it will be pleased for a time in regular service between San Francisco and Los Angeles, with the schedule calling for departure from Los Angeles at 7 a.m. daily except on Mondays, and arrival at San Francisco at noon. The return journeys will be made from San Francisco with the regular southbound mail in addition to passengers at 1:15 p.m., with the plane due at Los Angeles at 6:15 p.m.
    Noel B. Evans, P.A.T. traffic manager, announced that another open ship is planned for the Los Angeles-San Francisco route to furnish late mail service south, the plane to leave San Francisco at midnight and arrive at Los Angeles at 5:30 a.m.
Medford Mail Tribune, April 1, 1927, page B6


    The first cabin monoplane to be seen in Medford is scheduled to arrive at the local air field Wednesday forenoon en route from San Francisco to Portland with Vern C. Gorst, president of the Pacific Air Transport Company, aboard. The transport company, holders of the Pacific Coast air mail contract, plans to put the new six-passenger Fokker plane into regular service between Portland and Seattle, after being generally exhibited throughout the Northwest.
    The ship is similar to the type used by Commander Byrd in conquering the North Pole last year and is said to be the last word in comfortable air transportation. The passengers are protected from the rigors of flying in the enclosed cabin, which is heated and also noiseless. The original plan of the company had been only to operate one ship, which is now being used between San Francisco and Los Angeles, but the company was accorded the opportunity to procuring two at the same time.
Medford Mail Tribune, April 18, 1927, page 5


    The furniture for the office of the local branch of the United States Aerological Service, which is maintained here for the benefit of the air mail service, with D. M. Little in charge, has at last arrived and been installed this week in that office on the fourth floor of the Liberty Building. Of course, the field headquarters of the local branch are at the airplane landing field.
    The aerological service here greatly aids the pilots of the Pacific Air Transport Company in making good time between here and San Francisco and Vancouver, Wash., and vice versa. A good illustration of this was yesterday's doings at the air mail field.
    The daily balloon sent up by Mr. Little at 6:40 a.m. yesterday revealed that a 40-mile south wind was prevailing at an elevation of 8,500 feet above Medford. Hence when pilot Miller, flying south, arrived here at 9 a.m., and was about to start on the return trip north with the northbound mail, which had just been brought in by the air mail plane from San Francisco, Mr. Little told him to fly at the 8,500-foot elevation, so as to take advantage of the wind, which would increase the average flying time of 100 miles an hour speed to about 140 miles an hour gait
Medford Mail Tribune, April 27, 1927, page 3


    With ideal weather governing the entire run from San Francisco to Medford, Art Starbuck, Pacific Air Transport pilot, made the trip this morning in the short time of three hours and five minutes. Mr. Starbuck, who has been a pilot for some time, in speaking of the missing French transatlantic aviators, is of the opinion that the French plane is in the ocean.
    He advances the theory that the ship might have encountered an ice storm--rain freezing to the ship as quickly as it hits--and that the weight became too great for the one-motored plane.
    Arriving this morning from San Francisco in a Fokker cabin plane, Vern C. Gorst, president of the Pacific Air Transport Company, left this forenoon for Portland, accompanied by H. H. Blee of Washington, D.C., senior business specialist of the United States Chamber of Commerce, who spoke here yesterday at a Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Hotel Medford. This city was one of the eight stops Mr. Blee is making while on the Pacific Coast while on a lecture tour to create more public interest in aviation.
Medford Mail Tribune, May 14, 1927, page 6


    PORTLAND, Ore., May 20.--(AP)--The Pacific Air Transport today established regular passenger cabin airplane service between Portland and Seattle and announced excursion rates effective for 30 days.
    The big Fokker planes, which are capable of carrying four passengers and air mail, will leave Pierson field at Vancouver barracks at noon, and arrive at Seattle at 1:30. Returning, the plane will leave the air mail field, Seattle, at 2 p.m., and arrive at Pierson field at 3:30.
    N. B. Evans, traffic manager of the Pacific Air Transport, in announcing the service today said that the company will offer for thirty days a special fare of $12 one way, and round trip $20, effective for 30 days. He said that the amount of patronage would determine whether the low fares would be continued.
    "We want to give the public an opportunity to try air transportation in cabin planes, so that the people can learn the comforts and advantages of this air travel. These fares are the lowest ever established in the world."
Medford Mail Tribune, May 20, 1927, page 5


    Many people were surprised that young Lindbergh reached Paris, but not the pilots of the Pacific Air Transport, which carries the mail up and down the coast from Medford. These young men were a unit in believing the "Flying Fool" would make the grade. For they knew what his machine would do, as it is practically the same machine that is being used by the P.A.T. It has the Wright whirlwind plane and the Ryan body, the only difference being the mail planes allow the pilot to view fore and aft while Lindbergh's cockpit was enclosed and he had to use a periscope to see the path ahead. At all the P.A.T. stations there was great rejoicing when the Associated Press announced Lindbergh's landing, for every employee felt that they shared in this great victory of the Ryan-Wright machine.
Medford Mail Tribune, May 22, 1927, page 3


    While practically isolated from the world, a narrow mountain trail of a very steep grade affording the only egress, P. E. Neff, fire lookout on the summit of Wagner Butte on the southern edge of the valley, this morning enjoyed accounts of the Sharkey-Dempsey fight published by this morning's San Francisco newspapers, which are dropped by Ralph Virden, Pacific Air Transport flier, as he was flying to Medford from San Francisco on his daily mail trip. The copies landed very close to the station and were easily found.
    Virden made an attempt to drop copies there a short time before, but was unsuccessful, the papers falling in  a spot where they were never found. With the last attempt successful, he will probably fly over the station numerous times this summer, giving Neff, who is very grateful for this unusual service, the latest news of the day.
    Pilot R. Cunningham, who has the Portland to Medford run for the Pacific Air Transport Company, has also dropped papers to a station in the Umpqua mountains, according to the local landing field.
Medford Mail Tribune, July 22, 1927, page 5


    The air mail service pilots on the San Francisco-Medford-Portland run continue every now and then to gladden the lookouts at some of the more isolated forest lookout stations along or nearby their regular flying route.
    The latest instance of this kind to be recorded was when Ralph Virden, pilot of the northbound daily plane, arrived at the local landing field this morning and stated that when he flew over China Mountain, of the high mountain range near Mt. Shasta, at an elevation of over 1000 feet, he dropped a San Francisco paper of this morning to the lookout there.
    This station is one of the most isolated on the Pacific Coast, and after Virden had dropped the paper he could see the lookout turning handsprings of delight to express his gratitude. It is said that sometimes when the pilots cannot get hold of a late newspaper to drop at some isolated lookout station, they drop an old magazine instead.
Medford Mail Tribune, July 27, 1927, page 4


    Medford has the distinction of probably being the only airport in the United States with cows pastured on the landing field, which have been bothering the arriving and departing aviators.
    It seems that the aviators of the Pacific Air Transport have been so pestered at times to such an extent with some of the half dozen or more cows pastured on the landing field by the caretaker of the county fairgrounds, on which the airport is located, and others, that they have complained and asked to have the nuisance abolished.
    In heed to this complaint, orders have just been issued to have these cows more securely tied on the fairgrounds that they cannot get loose and browse along the runways.
Medford Mail Tribune, August 21, 1927, page 8


    Preparations for the celebration of the first anniversary of the establishment of the Pacific Air Transport from Los Angeles to Seattle on September 15 are now underway, according to officials of the company, and there are to be special features on that day. The main feature will be the escorting of the mail plane from Portland to San Francisco by Charles Lindbergh.
    Special air mail stamps are being printed, which will be used on the anniversary of the first flight. These stamps will be on sale locally soon. It is expected that there will be a large quantity of mail on that day, as persons all over the United States will be seeking the special stamps. Stamps which were used on the first flight are now selling for $1 each among collectors of stamps.
    It will be recalled that when the first air mail bag left Medford, there was an extra large quantity of mail waiting to be sent. Medford sent more pounds on the initial flight than Portland. At that time the Medford field was the only landing in Oregon.
Medford Mail Tribune, September 1, 1927, page 5


    SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 2.--(Special to Mail Tribune.)--Air mail weights between Pacific Coast cities during August increased nearly five percent, according to the carrier's traffic report made public today by A. K. Humphries, vice president of Pacific Air Transport, coastwise air mail, passenger and express line.
    These figures are the highest reached by PAT in nearly a year of operation up and down the coast six days a week. A total of 6,477 pounds of mail was carried last month as compared to 6,177 pounds in July. Advertising agencies and news photo services are listed among the heaviest users of coastwise air mail.
    Express service between coast airports starts today at the low rate of $1.44 per pound between San Francisco and Seattle and 75 cents per pound between San Francisco and Los Angeles, with correspondingly lower rates between intermediate airports.
    The average of air mail out of Medford for June, July and August was 382 pounds. In June there was 362 pounds, July 406, August 377.
Medford Mail Tribune, September 2, 1927, page B4


    Vice president A. K. Humphries of the Pacific Air Transport, located at the San Francisco office, was in Medford today transacting business at the airport with Seely Hall, manager of the port.
    Mr. Humphreys says the company is well pleased with the support and patronage the Medford people are giving them and that the port here will be enlarged as the demand increases. He also says the amount of air mail is increasing all along the line.
    Wednesday, Sept. 15th is the first anniversary of P.A.T., and it will be celebrated all along the route from Seattle to Los Angeles. Everyone should send at least one letter or more to friends by air mail on that day.
Medford Mail Tribune, September 10, 1927, page 6


    Because of a change made in the schedule of the northbound air mail plane of the Pacific Air Transport, due to Tacoma, Wash., having been added to the air mail service route since September 7, the Medford public is warned that air mail for the north must be deposited in the post office by 8:30 a.m. instead of 9 a.m., as heretofore, because the plane for the north departs a half hour earlier. No change has been made in the time of arrival of the southbound plane, 9:30 a.m. daily.
    Postmaster Warner also calls attention to the fact that the air mail deposited in the street boxes, in the business district only, will be "pulled" at 6:15 a.m. daily, and that all air mail going out either north or south, and deposited after 6:15 a.m., must be deposited at the post office to connect with the air mail planes departing from the city that day.
    All air mail for the East goes by the southbound plane, which connects daily at San Francisco with the transcontinental air mail planes.
Medford Mail Tribune, September 27, 1927, page 3


    PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 8.--(AP)--Announcement was made here today that the West Coast Aerial Transport Company would start service between Portland and Seattle, December 1, with two giant monoplanes, making round trips with passengers and express. On April 1 ten similar planes will be put in service between Seattle, Portland, Medford, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Each will carry two pilots, eight passengers and 1000 pounds of baggage, it was said.
Medford Mail Tribune, October 8, 1927, page 2