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The Smithsonian has a print [arago.si.edu/record_194367_img_1.html] of this, captioned "New York City Postmaster Thomas Patten is photographed handing Lt. Torrey Webb equipment to make ready for one of the first regularly scheduled airmail flights in the United States. On May 15, 1918, the United States officially established airmail service between New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC, under the direction of the Post Office Department, using army aircraft and pilots. The Army Air Corps pilots chosen to fly that day were Lieutenants Howard Culver, Torrey Webb, Walter Miller and Stephen Bonsal. Lt. Webb carried the first day’s mail in this Curtiss "Jenny" aircraft numbered 38278 from a temporary airmail field at Belmont Park, Long Island, New York to Bustleton Field, near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. " and dated May 15, 1918.

This sequence of photos is related to the first scheduled airmail route. See www.aerofiles.com/airmail.html for details.

Torrey Hord Webb (7 December 1892 - 23 November 1975) and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_G._Patten

I grew up across the street from where the Bustleton Airfield was in Northeast Philly. Not a sign or thought of the first Airmail service taking off from there at all.

The crosses are interesting. Were they put on to help trainees visualise how they looked in the air to air position? Stig