Here’s an Air Mail Commemorative Flight Cover Signed by Famous

Pioneer Military and Daredevil Pilot During the Golden Age of Aviation

LT. FLOYD EARL KEADLE

 (1896 – 1934)

·       EARLY AVIATION PIONEER – ONE OF THE EARLY BIRDS OF AVIATION,

·       WORLD WAR I LIEUTENANT, US ARMY AIR CORPS,

·       FLEW THE FIRST AIRPLANE OVER MT. SHASTA, CALIFORNIA, DANGEROUSLY SKIMMING ITS ROCKY SUMMIT SO HIS LIAISON OFFICER COULD CAPTURE DETAILED AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS,

·       FLEW UNDER EVERY SINGLE BRIDGE OVER THE SACRAMENTO RIVER BETWEEN RED BLUFF AND SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA,

·       AIR SHOW STUNT PILOT PARTICIPATING IN LONG-DISTANCE AIR DERBIES THROUGH THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST,

·       US AIRMAIL CAM ROUTE TRANSPORT PILOT, SURVIVING TWO DANGEROUS EMERGENCY LANDINGS WITHIN A SINGLE MONTH DUE TO MAJOR MID-AIR MECHANICAL TROUBLE,

·       CAPTAIN IN VARNEY AIRLINES, and OTHER AVIATION COMPANIES, and

·       MEMBER OF THE OREGON AVIATION HALL OF FAME!

Floyd E. Keadle learned to fly during World War I and flew forest fire patrols before leaving the Air Corps in 1921. During the 1920s he flew air shows, charter work Airmail flights, and was an instructor at the Tex Rankin School of Aviation. He flew for Alaska-Washington Airways and Westcoast Air Transport before flying airmail for Varney Airlines on the west coast. He flew with the famous stunt team of Rankin, Mount & Associates and once stopped an aircraft from running into a crowd at an air show, after it had started unexpectedly, run him over and smashed his arm in twelve places.

THIS AIRMAIL FLIGHT COVER SIGNED BY GOLDSMITH COMMEMORATES THE GOOD WILL TOUR VISIT BY FELLOW FAMOUS AVIATOR

WALTER HINTON 

(1888 – 1981)

and HIS FLIGHT LEAVING FROM VANCOUVER, WASHINGTON ON MAY 5 AND ARRIVING IN ROCK SPRINGS, WYOMING ON MAY 6, 1931.

THE COVER ALSO BEARS AN EARLY 5c US AIRMAIL POSTAGE STAMP and AIRPLANE CACHET and BI-PLANE ADDRESS.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES: LT FLOYD E. KEADLE - EARLY BIRD OF AVIATION

Lt. Floyd E. Keadle was a pioneering American aviator, commercial airmail pilot, and flight instructor who was active during the golden age of aviation in the 1920s and 1930s. In recognition of his foundational contributions to early American flight, he was posthumously inducted into the Oregon Aviation Hall of Fame.

Early Career & Military Service

Keadle learned to fly during World War I. Following the war, he flew hazardous forest fire patrols for the U.S. Army Air Corps—gaining a "daredevil" reputation on the Modoc patrol—before leaving the military in 1921. He is credited with flying the first airplane over Mt. Shasta, dangerously skimming its rocky summit so his liaison officer could capture aerial photographs. Keadle was also famously known for flying under every single bridge over the Sacramento River between Red Bluff and Sacramento.

Barnstorming & Aerial Acrobatics

During the 1920s, Keadle was a prominent stunting and charter pilot. He flew with the famous aerial stunt team Rankin, Mount & Associates alongside legendary aviator Tex Rankin. Keadle became a flight instructor at the renowned Tex Rankin School of Aviation in Oregon. During one airshow, he heroically stopped a runaway aircraft from barreling into a crowd of spectators after its motor started unexpectedly. Though he saved the crowd, the plane ran him over and smashed his arm in 12 places.

Commercial Airmail & Airline Flying

Despite his injuries, Keadle continued his high-profile commercial flying career. He flew for several pioneering West Coast operations:

• Alaska-Washington Airways & Westcoast Air Transport
• Varney Air Lines, where he flew main routes as an airmail pilot.

Medical Malpractice Case (Keadle v. Padden)

In March 1930, while working for Varney Air Lines, Keadle was involved in a landmark medical malpractice incident. A company physician, Dr. E.H. Padden, attempted to mold custom ear impressions for the pilot's auricle and auditory canals. The procedure was botched, causing Keadle permanent head injuries, affecting his hearing, and temporarily grounding him. The resulting lawsuit, Keadle v. Padden, escalated to the Oregon Supreme Court in 1933, which affirmed a judgment in Keadle's favor.

Keadle overcame the setback and returned to flying airmail and participating in long-distance air derbies through the Pacific Northwest into the 1930s. Today, he is commemorated in the Hall of Honor at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon.

1930 Pacific Air Derbies & Multi-Lap Record

Historical newspaper archives from August 1930 track Keadle actively competing across the West Coast in cross-country speed events. Records from the 1930 National Air Races fleet (often crossing loops between Seattle, Wenatchee, and Portland) confirm Keadle’s survival and high status following his March 1930 ear injury.

• The Standings: During a highly publicized multi-lap Northwest speed circuit in late August 1930, John Blum of Seattle took first place, Frank Kammer took second, and Floyd Keadle placed third. He narrowly nosed out his closest competitor, Pilot Bort Rouff, by less than six minutes over the cross-country course.
• The "Plug Hat" Incidents: In other late 1930 regional air circuses, Keadle was noted for stunting in a distinctive plug hat (top hat) while executing extreme 1,500-foot power dives to thrill the crowds. The Airmail Emergency Landings

Later that same year, in November and December 1930, Keadle continued his high-stakes runs flying the mail for Varney Air Lines. The Chehalis Bee-Nugget documented that Keadle survived two dangerous emergency landings within a single month due to major mid-air mechanical trouble:

November 1930: His motor began missing a few miles north of Centralia, Washington. He successfully glided back to make a forced landing at the Chehalis Airport, keeping the mail intact until a relief ship arrived.

December 1930: A piston completely shattered in mid-air on his Varney plane over Tenino, Washington. Keadle again resourcefully coaxed the failing aircraft down safely.

The cover measures 6½” x 3-5/8” and is in very fine condition, complete with backflap, and boldly signed by Keadle in black fountain pen ink.

NOTE: The document comes with the biographical sheets/articles pictured in the listing photos.

A FINE ADDITION TO YOUR AVIATION HISTORY AUTOGRAPH, MANUSCRIPT, EPHEMERA & POSTAL HISTORY COLLECTION.

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