The Pasco Aviation Museum is set to host a centennial commemoration on April 6, 2026, celebrating 100 years since the United States’ first scheduled airmail and airline service. This historic event marked a significant milestone in American aviation history, beginning with Pilot Leon Cuddeback’s flight from Pasco with over 9,000 pieces of mail.
On that early morning in 1926, Cuddeback departed Pasco in a single-engine, open-cockpit Laird Swallow biplane destined for Boise, Idaho, and Elko, Nevada. His delivery of the mail weighing 202 pounds symbolized the launch of commercial airmail and the foundation of United Airlines, propelling the development of modern passenger and cargo air services.
The upcoming anniversary will be commemorated at 8:30 a.m. at the Pasco Aviation Museum, located at 4102 Stearman Ave., at Tri-Cities Airport. The event is open to the public, and officials including museum President Malin Bergstrom, Port of Pasco President Hans Engelke, state Representative Matt Boehnke, Pasco Mayor Charles Grimm, and Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Colin Hastings are expected to attend.
Following the ceremony, a ribbon-cutting will introduce a year-long display at the Tri-Cities Airport Terminal Building, highlighting the history of the first airmail service and its enduring legacy. This historic milestone underscores the importance of regional contributions to global aviation innovation and heritage, preserving a pivotal chapter in American aviation history.
