Night Air Mail

Just found this item in my collection. Is there any significance to
the "Night Air Mail" indication? If so, it appears that Day Air Mail
added Night Air Mail on some significant date, no?

As a follow-up, can you help tell me the Type or Scott Number? I'm
leaning towards Type IV but I find it difficult to tell for sure.

Don't know anything about it, but very interesting none the less. Especially with what look to be a block of imperf. Washingtons. Terrific event cancel too. This cover has lots going for it.
Considering the sun must have been rising at 7 am in August in San Francisco, I wonder if they had to hold on to this until sundown?

A larger scann of just one or two stamps is needed to help id the type.

The date of your cover is significant based on this historical account:

http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarch...%200629.html

A similar dated cover is for sale at this link:

http://www.coverspecialist.com/brow...em_id=433881

At this link is confirmation that the cover is identified as G-0162I (a government test flight):

http://www.aerodacious.com/GOV1920.HTM

Also, checkout this link:

http://about.usps.com/who-we-are/po...ils.htm#p=11

Thanks Wt1 ... tons of good information.

A larger scan of the lower two stamps is shown below.



Just the Left Stamp.

Long ago, the editors of the American Air Mail Catalog decided not to list "night air mail" first flights, because many had not been properly documented, and the catalogs would have ballooned in size. Therefore, it is a category much less researched than standard covers, and even now, there are many new discoveries each year.

Edward Worden is a famous name in aerophilately; you will find his name on many FDCs of the first six airmails, #C1-C6, and in many other aspects of air mail collecting too.

Then again, it could be a simple Type I. Only 9,900,000,000 made ...

Surely not 9+ billion of the imperforate variety...

It is a tough one since these have many features of a type IV. The leaves on the center left are very much a type IV as well as the left numeral 2 . The vertical lines in the ribbons, however are much stronger than average descriptions of a type IV. If you have not already done so, check this website:

http://1847usa.com/washfrank/2cT4_7...ypesMain.htm

I believe it is Type V.
Toga rope and button are not Type IV
Left 2 is not Type VI
Nose is not Type VA
Upper lip is not Type VII

FYI the cancel is International Postal Supply Co model D42

I did some more higher resolution pictures of various areas of some
of the stamps. I would have to agree that it is a Type V.

Left Laurel of Upper Right Stamp:



Ribbon of Lower Left Stamp:



The only confusing thing is that I do see a "D" in the Lower Right Stamp:



Taken all together, I eliminate everything except Types IV and V but lean toward a type V.

wt1 In your link mentioned above: http://www.coverspecialist.com/brow...em_id=433881 the airmail cover SF to NY was sent for only 2 cents. How was that posible?

Referring to the Domestic Air Mail Rates section within the Introduction pages of the Scott Specialized Catalog for US Stamps, covering the date in question, it states:

I had a Washington / Franklin "Expert" look it over. He tried, but could not find a watermark while on the cover. Based on the toga rope and button, he concluded a Type 1 which would make it Scott 482. Seems odd that a stamp issued 1916 to 1917 would be kept around for this flight, when later Imperfs from 1918 to 1920 were available. Not the greatest news, but at least I now know.