Pasco: United in Flight for 100 Years
Celebrate a centennial of aviation history.
At 6:20 AM on the morning of April 6, 1926, pilot Leon Cuddeback lifted off from a dirt runway in Pasco, Washington, with thousands gathered to witness the first commercial aviation flight: an airmail run from Pasco to Elko, Nevada.
With 207 pounds of mail – including gifts for the Postmaster General and President Calvin Coolidge – Cuddeback took flight in his Laird Swallow biplane headed for an intermediary stop in Boise, Idaho.
Moving mail from one state to another in a matter of hours – not days – was unheard of at the time. This historic flight ushered in the future of not only mail delivery, but a new age of commercial air travel.
Join us on April 6th, 2026 as we celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the first commercial aviation flight! We are planning to commemorate this historic occasion with flight demonstrations, educational events, and plenty of special guests.