Was it really so long ago when flying was still a novelty. What am I saying, there are people walking around this earth that don't have a clue about cooking on a stove, so how could they ever conceive of a time without flight. So humans wanted to fly, and even though they were born without wings, that was just a minor detail that they would eventually overcome. Eventually the airplane became a reality, and not only that, but time and technology made it possible for other people to ride the plane besides the pilot. But humans are restless, and began thinking of other ways to use the air plane.

One of the ideas for using a plane, was to allow them to carry freight. History was made in November of 1910, when a department store shipped a bolt of silk by air from Dayton to Columbus, Ohio. This was considered the first demonstration of air freight. In 1919, American Railway Express used a converted bomber to ship 1100 pounds of freight from Washington, D.C. to Chicago; unfortunately, the radiator froze and the plane had to land in Ohio, but that didn't stop the company from continuing to use planes as a way to move their freight. In the late 1920s, many airlines were known to be freight carriers. The invention of air freight was great for American business, not only did it allow them to get parts and merchandise quicker, but the speed of the process meant that businesses didn't have to keep as much inventory on hand.

As with any great idea, the early stages of the air freight industry saw tremendous growth. In 1927, only 45,000 pounds were shipped, but by 1931, that number had grown to over one million pounds a year. Although there were some attempts at organizing the air freight industry early on, the first commercial airlines that were all cargo did not happen until after World War II. In March of 1941, the top four airlines; United, American, Eastern and TWA formed Air Cargo, Inc., to deliver freight. Air Cargo operated during most of the war, and continued on until 1944. Near the end of the war, many of the airlines, including TWA and United, decided to start their own independent air freight services.

Many small plane operators wanted to join the air freight industry, but they weren't welcomed. The big airlines made it clear that they didn't want the small plane operators in the business. The big airlines believed that the small plane operators would make the industry unstable; plus, they really didn't want any competition. There were a few small plane operators that tried, but practically all of them fell by the wayside. But there was one small plane operator that survived, its name was Flying Tiger. Flying Tiger was owned by Robert Prescott, who was a "Flying Tigers" pilot during the war. Flying Tiger was able to survive because it delivered both civilian and military freight. During the 1960s, Flying Tiger became the largest air freight airline in the country.

Despite great hopes, especially after a tremendous start, the air freight industry wasn't growing as expected. It wasn't until the 1980s that someone tried to put a new spin on air freight; and that person was Fred Smith. Fred didn't believe the way the air freight industry was doing business was efficient or good for business and he opened up his own air freight business in Memphis, and named it Federal Express. A major plus for customers who chose Federal Express, was that they offered guaranteed next-day delivery. Within ten years of operations, Federal Express reported revenues of one billion dollars. In 1989, Federal Express bought Flying Tiger. The two companies were merged together to create the world's largest full-service all cargo airline.

Today, Federal Express is joined by United Parcel Service, which got its start back in 1907, as two of the more trusted and reliable air freight delivery services.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Air Freight