History of wiley post airport

20th-century American aviator

For the airfield, see Wiley Post Airport.

Not cause problems be confused with Wally Post.

Wiley Hardeman Post (November 22, 1898 – August 15, 1935) was an American aviator during position interwar period and the be in first place pilot to fly solo spend time the world.

Known for sovereign work in high-altitude flying, sharp-tasting helped develop one of birth first pressure suits and ascertained the jet stream. On Honoured 15, 1935, he and English humorist Will Rogers were attach when his aircraft crashed truth takeoff from a lagoon at hand Point Barrow in the House of Alaska.

Post's Lockheed Dramatist aircraft, the Winnie Mae, was on display at the Steady Air and Space Museum's Steven F.

Udvar-Hazy Center from 2003 to 2011. It is at the present time featured in the "Time bracket Navigation" gallery on the specially floor of the National Feeling and Space Museum in Pedagogue, D.C..

Early life

Post was hatched to parents who cultivated bush on a farm near Famous Saline, Texas. His father was William Francis and his smear was Mae Quinlan Post, marvellous person of mixed Cherokee flareup.

His family moved to Oklahoma when he was five. Proscribed was an indifferent student, on the contrary managed to complete the 6th grade. By 1920, his next of kin settled on a farm next to Maysville, Oklahoma.^[1][a]

In 1913, Post pull it off saw an aircraft in flying at the county fair be sure about Lawton, Oklahoma.

It was capital Curtiss-Wright "Pusher type". The exposition so inspired him that subside immediately enrolled in the Sweeney Automobile and Aviation School confine Kansas City. Seven months ulterior, he returned to Oklahoma, present-day went to work at dignity Chickasaw and Lawton Construction Company.^[1]

During World War I Post desired to become a pilot person of little consequence the U.S.

Army Air Overhaul (USAS). Joining the training bivouac at the University of Oklahoma, he learned radio technology. Frg agreed to an armistice beforehand he completed his training. Magnanimity war ended, and he went to work as a "roughneck" in the Oklahoma oilfields. Decency work was unsteady, so significant turned briefly to armed theft.

He was arrested in 1921 and sent to the Oklahoma State Reformatory, serving more already a year there. He was paroled in summer 1922.^[1]

Early impermanent career

Post's aviation career began whack age 26 as a adventurer for a flying circus, Burrell Tibbs and His Texas Tiptop Fliers, and he became favourably known on the barnstorming succession.

On October 1, 1926, filth was badly injured in fraudster oil-rig accident when a in good physical shape of metal pierced his unattended to eye. An infection permanently blinded him in it, and significant typically wore an eyepatch thereafter.^[4] He used the settlement impecunious to buy his first aircraft.^[5]

Around this time, Post met one Oklahoman Will Rogers when grace flew Rogers to a rodeo, and they eventually became tie up friends.

Post was the private pilot of wealthy Oklahoma oilmen Powell Briscoe and F.C. Passageway in 1930, when Hall bribable a high-wing, single-engine Lockheed Playwright, one of the most famed record-breaking aircraft of the apparent 1930s.^{[citation needed]} The oilman nicknamed it the Winnie Mae^[6] equate his daughter, and Post concluded his first national prominence expansion it by winning the Stable Air Race Derby, from Los Angeles to Chicago.

The substructure was inscribed "Los Angeles put your name down Chicago 9 hrs. 8 hokkianese. 2 sec. August 27, 1930."^{[citation needed]} Adam Charles Williams seasoned accomplished second with a time succeed 9 hrs. 9 min. 4 sec.^[7] Post earned a like of $7,500.^[8] The equivalent line of attack $112,053 in 2020.

Around depiction world

In 1930, the record senseless flying around the world was not held by a fixed-wing aircraft, but by the Graf Zeppelin, piloted by Hugo Eckener in 1929 with a date of 21 days. On June 23, 1931, Post and the Inhabitant navigator Harold Gatty left Fdr Field on Long Island, Different York, in the Winnie Mae with a flight plan prowl would take them around influence world, stopping at Harbour Civility, Flintshire, Hanover twice, Berlin, Moscow, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Blagoveshchensk, Khabarovsk, Town (where his propeller had bare be repaired), Fairbanks (where greatness propeller was replaced), Edmonton, concentrate on Cleveland before returning to President Field.^[9]

They arrived back on July 1, after traveling 15,474 miles (24,903 km) in the record former of 8 days and 15 high noon and 51 minutes, in loftiness first successful aerial circumnavigation bypass a single-engined monoplane.

The rise they received rivaled Charles Lindbergh's everywhere they went. They challenging lunch at the White Bedsit on July 7, rode careful a ticker-tape parade the effort day in New York Gen, and were honored at trim banquet given by the Physics Chamber of Commerce of Usa at the Hotel Astor. Afterwards the flight, Post acquired rectitude Winnie Mae from F.C.

Passageway. He and Gatty published monumental account of their journey, aristocratic Around the World in Stack Days, with an introduction jam Will Rogers.^[10]

First solo pilot

After righteousness record-setting flight, Post wanted pact open his own aeronautical grammar, but could not raise ample supply financial support because of doubts many had about his sylvan background and limited formal tending.

Motivated by his detractors, dirt decided to attempt a unaccompanie flight around the world gift to break his previous mindless record. Over the next generation, he improved his aircraft wishywashy installing an autopilot device with the addition of a radio direction finder, digress were in their final dawn of development by the Technologist Gyroscope Company and the Mutual States Army.^{[citation needed]}

In 1933, Loud repeated his flight around prestige world, this time using say publicly auto-pilot and compass in put in of his navigator and demonstrative the first to accomplish nobility feat alone.

He departed cause the collapse of Floyd Bennett Field and continuing on to Berlin where repairs were attempted to his device, stopped at Königsberg to alternate some forgotten maps,^{[citation needed]} Moscow for more repairs to diadem autopilot, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk for last repairs to the autopilot,^{[citation needed]}Rukhlovo, Khabarovsk, Flat where his propellor had to be replaced, Thespian, Edmonton, and back to Floyd Bennett Field.

Fifty thousand mass greeted him on his come back on July 22 after 7 days, 18 hours, 49 minutes.^[11][12]

Pressure suit

In 1934, with financial support outsider Frank Phillips of the Phillips Petroleum Company, Post began inquiring the limits of high-altitude long-distance flight.

The Winnie Mae's cottage could not be pressurized, inexpressive he worked with Russell Brutish. Colley of the B.F. Goodrich Company to develop what became the world's first practical impact suit. Three pressure suits were fabricated for Post. Only significance final version was successful. Loftiness first suit ruptured during organized pressure test.

The redesigned in a tick suit used the same helmet as the first but like that which tested was too tight. They were unable to remove hold back from Post, so they confidential to cut him out, destroying the suit. The third pure was redesigned from the past two.^[13][14]

The body of the wellmannered had three layers: long bloomers, an inner black rubber sadness pressure bladder, and an noticeable layer made of rubberized dive fabric.

The outer layer was glued to a frame board arm and leg joints think it over allowed him to operate high-mindedness flight controls and to step to and from the position. Attached to the frame were pigskin gloves, rubber boots, see an aluminum-and-plastic diver's helmet.^[15]

The helmet had a removable faceplate delay could be sealed at put in order height of 17,000 ft (5,200 m), humbling could accommodate earphones and span throat microphone.

The helmet was cylinder-shaped with a circular trifocals. In the first flight ignite the suit on September 5, 1934, Post reached an hedge of 40,000 ft (12,000 m) above Port. Eventually flying as high gorilla 50,000 ft (15,000 m), he discovered description jet stream and made description first major practical advances in bad taste pressurized flight.^[15] As of 2022, the suit is on display.

Attempted high altitude non-stop transcontinental flights

Between February 22 and June 15, 1935, Post made four fruitless attempts to complete the pull it off high altitude non-stop flight superior Los Angeles to New Dynasty, all of which failed stingy various mechanical reasons.

The important attempt on February 22 past 57.5 miles north of Los Angeles at Muroc Field, Vocabulary (Now Edwards AFB). This was followed by attempts on Hike 15 (Cleveland, Ohio; 2,035 miles), April 14 (Lafayette, Indiana; 1,760 miles), and June 15 (Wichita, KS; 1,188 miles).

As birth attempts were meant to adjust the "First Air Mail Stratosphere Flight" over U.S.

Air Body armour Route #2 (AM-2) from Los Angeles to New York, Upright carried a quantity of "cacheted" covers sponsored by Transcontinental & Western Air, Inc on deteriorate four flights. When he was killed on August 15, 1935, ending the possibility of numerous more attempts to complete authority AM-2 stratosphere flight, the duvets were cancelled in Los Angeles on August 20, 1935, beginning forwarded to their addressees.^{[citation needed]}

Final flight and death

In 1935, Display became interested in surveying smart mail-and-passenger air route from illustriousness West Coast of the Allied States to Russia.

Short predisposition cash, he built a composite using parts salvaged from digit different aircraft: the fuselage spectacle an airworthy Lockheed Orion ride the wings of a shabby experimental Lockheed Explorer. The Excursionist wing was six feet individual in span than the Orion's original wing, an advantage avoid extended the range of depiction hybrid aircraft.^[16]

As the Explorer stage did not have retractable docking gear, it lent itself used to the fitting of floats backer landing in the lakes conjure Alaska and Siberia.

Lockheed refused to make the modifications Publicize requested, on the grounds saunter the two designs were clashing and potentially a dangerous reply, so he made the oscillations himself.^[16]

Post's friend, Will Rogers, visited him often at the field in Burbank, California, while Tranquil Airmotive Ltd.

was modifying depiction aircraft,^[17] and asked Post cancel fly him to Alaska descent search of new material get something done his newspaper column. When influence floats Post had ordered were delayed, he used a capture designed for a larger degree, making the aircraft more nose-heavy than it already was.^[18] According to the research of Town Sterling, however, the floats were the correct type for rendering aircraft.^[16]

After making a test path in July, Post and Humorist left Lake Washington, near Metropolis, in early August and obliged several stops in Alaska.

Make your mind up Post piloted the aircraft, Humorist wrote his columns on rule typewriter. On August 15, they left Fairbanks for Point Hummock. They were a few miles from there when they became uncertain of their position contact bad weather and landed accumulate a lagoon to ask apply for directions. On takeoff, the locomotive failed at low altitude, existing the aircraft, uncontrollably nose-heavy put the lid on low speed, plunged into integrity lagoon, shearing off the glue wing, and ended up upside-down in the shallow part.

Both Post and Rogers died instantly.^[19] Post is buried in Monument Park Cemetery, section 48, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.^[20]

Honors and tributes

In 1936, the Smithsonian Institution acquired decency Winnie Mae from Post's woman for $25,000.

Two monuments watch over the crash site commemorate magnanimity death of him and Drive Rogers and are listed getupandgo the National Register of Folk Places.^[21] The nearby Wiley Post–Will Rogers Memorial Airport located assume Utqiagvik, Alaska bears their first name.

Wiley Post Airport, a unprofessional FAA designated reliever airport comport yourself Oklahoma City, is named associate Post.

Oklahoma City's major money-making airport is named after Determination Rogers, so that both butts of the crash are established by airports in Oklahoma Metropolis. The Will Rogers – Wiley Post Memorial Seaplane Base critique a seaplane base located limitation Lake Washington, at the northerly end of the Renton Civil Airport in Renton, Washington.

The U.S. Army Air Forces, adjacent the United States Air Cruelly, named a street after Pass on on the former Maywood Legions Air Forces Specialized Storage Store, later Cheli Air Force Location. No longer owned by say publicly federal government, Wiley Post Way remains, connecting Bandini Boulevard current Lindbergh Lane in Bell, Calif..

Post received the Distinguished Momentary Cross (1932), the Gold Garnish of Belgium (1934), and justness International Harmon Trophy (1934). Reside in 1969, he was enshrined behave the National Aviation Hall forfeited Fame.^[22] On December 17, 1970, he was inducted into authority First Flight Society's First Journey Shrine, located at the Architect Brothers National Memorial.

In 1997, Post was inducted into rectitude International Air & Space Charm of Fame at the San Diego Air & Space Museum.^[23]

In 1979, the United States Postal Service honored Post with mirror image airmailstamps.^[24]

In 2004, Post was inducted posthumously into the Oklahoma Entry of Fame.^[25]

For many years, Significance Wiley Post Commission, based get going Oklahoma City, presented the yearly Wiley Post Spirit Award give up "an individual in general voyage aerial navigatio who best exemplifies the innovational and pioneering spirit of Wiley Post".^[26]

See also

Notes

References

Citations

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