2-839-577 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Air transport; mail plane; single engine; bi-plane. The Pitcairn PA-5 Mailwing was designed to carry air mail along the routes of the eastern United States. Efficient and economical, it helped build the route structure for what would ultimately become Eastern Air Lines. The Mailwing NC-2895 was built in 1927 and was the prototype for a series of Pitcairn mail planes. It combined a square-steel-tube fuselage with wooden wings, both covered by fabric. After it became obsolete as a mail plane, this airplane served several private owners, survived a crash, and saw use as a crop-duster. It was repurchased by employees of Eastern Air Lines, restored, and presented to company president Capt. Edward V. Rickenbacker, who later donated it to the Museum. The plane was restored in 1975 by veteran Eastern pilot Capt. Joseph Toth.