Before the success of the pony express, one man tried a different
approach airmale. Who is credited as the first offical U.S. cloud
riding courrier?

Balloonist John Wise made the first official airmail flight in 1859.
The first Pony Express delivery was a year later, in 1860.

"John Wise, the well-known aeronaut, made the world's first official
airmail flight. On August 17, 1859, he left Lafayette, Indiana, in his
balloon Jupiter bound for Philadelphia or New York City. The local
postmaster had permitted him to carry 123 letters and 23 circulars -
at no government expense. But the wind blew Wise southward rather than
east. After only 30 miles (48 kilometers), he was forced to descend.
The public thought poorly of the experiment and of the Post Office for
supporting it. It marked, however, the start of the government-private
sector partnership that would carry the mail by air after the
invention of the airplane."

U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission: Airmail Before 1918 
http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Government_Role/Pre-1918_mail/POL1.htm

"U.S. First Official Air Mail 
 Balloon 'Jupiter' 
 Ascended from Lafayette 
 Aug. 17, 1859 
 Pilot, Professor John Wise"

Tippecanoe County, Indiana: First Air Mail Flight
http://www.rootsweb.com/~intippec/airmail.htm

Google Web Search: "first official air mail" 1859
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=%22first+official+air+mail%22+1859

I hope this is precisely the information you need. If anything is
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Best regards,
pinkfreud

i want to thank you soooo much that was really great and so fast. i
just hope i gave enough money, i didn't expect it to be so detailed. i
would send a tip but the credit card i used is at its limit, i plan on
asking another question so i will be sure to tip.

GO PINK

I would try doing a search on Earle Ovington 

   "Ovington was duly sworn in as the first U.S. airmail pilot, then
handed a load of 640 letters and 1,280 postcards in a mail bag."

http://www.airmailpioneers.org/history/milestone3.html

gollyrancher,

The question said "Before the success of the Pony Express." Ovington
was many decades after the Pony Express.