Today in Postal History

Uruguay to United States
November 7, 1931

This is an uncommon first flight cover from the early days of international airmail.
The route taken was an extension of Foreign Air Mail Route 10 to Buenos Aires.
At the time, FAM 10 only went as far as Santos, Brazil.

The route had been pioneered by Pan American Airways, Inc. in 1929 from Miami
to the Caribbean on January 9, and then to Paramaribo, Dutch Guiana, on September 22.
Subsequently the route was extended along the Atlantic coast of South America.

This particular extension was made on short notice and only a
few covers (far less than a 100) were carried on any of the legs.
Montevideo was the first stop on the route north of Buenos Aires.
The flight that carried this cover began on October 26 and reached Buenos Aires on November 6.
The return flight (of the same plane and crew) left there November 7, 1931.
The return flight passed through Montevideo on November 7 where it picked up this cover.
It finally arrived back in Miami on November 16
and the cover was forwarded to its addressee in Harlingen, Texas.

The stamps are one 4c Prussian blue and two 16c rose Pegasus airmails of 1930 (Scott C31 and  C38).
The cover bears a Montevideo registry label.
Stamps from the Waterlow definitives of 1928 to 1943 complete the registry rate:
1c dark violet (Scott 351), 5c red (Scott 356), and 8c dark blue (Scott 364).
Total rate was 50c.

The cachet reads PRIMER VUELO FAM-10 * with URUGUAY - BRASIL - ESTADOS UNIDOS below.
The airplane pictured is the Consolidated Commodore.

*Thanks to Enrique Lewowicz for correcting my spelling of VUELO from the cachet.

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