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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
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NAT wished to expand their network and bid for the New York-Chicago airmail route CAM 17. On 2 April 1927 the airline was awarded the contract in competition with three other bidders; the rate was to be $ 1.24 per pound of airmail carried. 14 pilots were taken on from the Post Office
Department and
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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 $
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NAT passenger flights between New York (Newark) and
Chicago began in December 1930, one Ford Trimotor a day each way. Until then NAT had carried occasional passengers on the mail flights to Hadley Field for a $ 200 one-way fare. One-way fare Newark to Chicago in 1931 was $ 59.50.
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On 7 May 1930 N.A.T. was acquired by United
Aircraft and Transport Corporation, a holding company that already owned several airlines that operated as independent divisions. On 12 September 1930 N.A.T. itself purchased one of these divisions,
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206:, 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.
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Keys and other members of NAT's board realized that an airmail contract would be crucial to the development of the airline, and NAT bid for mail contract CAM 3 from the
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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
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of 1934 prohibited airlines and manufacturers from being under the same corporate umbrella, so Boeing split into three smaller companies, one of which is
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on 21 May 1925. The total authorized issued share capital was fixed at an unprecedented $ 10 million.
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began 1 September, initially with
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taken over from the Post Office. In early 1928 NAT added eight
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was a large United States airline; in 1930 it was bought by
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Airmail contract bid and commencement of operations
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499:– The Museum of Flight Digital Collections
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122:United Aircraft and Transport Corporation
489:The Museum of Flight Digital Collections
453:Airlines of the United States since 1914
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393:"City Now on Chief National Air Route"
375:"Announcement Made of Air Line Merger"
548:Defunct airlines of the United States
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218:airmail routes in 1928, and flew
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558:Airlines disestablished in 1930
319:"Photography - Chicago Tribune"
118:Holding company#Parent company
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457:Smithsonian Institution Press
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212:Stout Air Services, Inc.
251:Aircraft types operated
202:aircraft were built by
156:North American Aviation
110:Aircraft types operated
379:The Owosso Argus-Press
346:Davies, 1998, p. 51-52
257:Curtiss Carrier Pigeon
200:Carrier Pigeon biplane
129:National Air Transport
17:National Air Transport
231:the service over the
214:Stout had purchased
424:Davies, 1998, p. 61
397:The Toledo News-Bee
355:Davies, 1998, p. 52
337:Davies, 1998, p. 51
233:Allegheny Mountains
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451:(1998).
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