Huff-Daland D-49        Huff, Daland Dusters Inc

                                    

                                         Huff, Daland Dusters Inc is always considered to be the forerunner of the now might Delta
                                         Air Lines,  The father of Delta was Collett.E. Woolman who, after acquiring his degree in                       
                                         agriculture, joined Huff-Daland Dusters, Inc., the world's first commercial crop dusting
                                         organization, as operations manager.  The company was so named since it operated special
                                         crop dusting aircraft built by the Huff-Daland Mfg Co of Ogdensburg N.Y.  Seen above is
                                         one of the original machines, although I doubt they actually had 54 aircraft, although that
                                         may have been possi ble.  Seen below is a restoration produced after WW II for Delta
                                         Airlines. Woolman, as COO, moved the base of operations from Louisiana to Macon,
                                         Georgia in 1925 and was engaged in primarily spraying for boll weevil, the scourge of the
                                         cotton fields.   Whilst dusting in Peru during the northern hemisphere's winter months,
                                         Woolman first visualized the future of passenger service by air.   In fact, he inaugurated
                                         the first services between Peru and Ecuador in 1927.  (This line was later sold to Panagra).
                                         Upon returning to the U.S. he quit Huff-Daland to form his own airline company,
                                         Delta Air Service.   Incidentally, Delta was still in the crop dusting business as late as 1966. 
                                   
                                      Huff-Daland D-49 (restoration)