This M-2 was flown by Western Air Express, predecessor of Western Airlines. It was delivered to the Post Office Department in 1926 as an M-4, which had a longer wing than the M-2. It was later reconfigured as an M 2. In 1974, after 36 years in hangers, a large-scale restoration effort commenced, and it flew again on June 2,1976.
Douglas M-2
The M-2 was a fast, sturdy, dependable airplane designed to replace the de Havilland DH-4s in the U.S. Aerial Mail Service. The Post Office Department purchased a series of the Douglas airplanes (M-1, M-3, and M-4) and found they were much more efficient than the earlier de Havillands.