Fred J. McCall wrote:

The difference is that there WERE private aviation vehicles that could
do the job.

Where is the private 'astronaut delivery vehicle' that NASA can put
private contract money against? Airmail didn't have to directly fund
AIRCRAFT DEVELOPMENT.

But it did once the concept got up and running; the Spirit Of St. Louis
was based on a Ryan designed mailplane:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_M-1
....and it wasn't the only aircraft designed to carry the US Mail:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categor...anes_1920-1929

Pat