ALASKAN AVIATION Essay Example For Students

ALASKAN AVIATION Essay ALASKAN AVIATIONHave you ever looked real close at themaps of Alaska? The next time you see a map look for the little airplanesymbol in every little town and village in Alaska. That symbol indicatesan airstrip. That symbol also means that that is were some unfortunatebush pilot crashed and said, This looks like a good place for an airstrip.In the early days of Alaskan aviation it was not possible to call aheadand determine if a community had a suitable landing strip. The pilotsimply flew to the village and looked for a open spot to land. Acontrolled crash into deep snow usually resulted. Once aviation becameroutine, the landing strips were refined and smoothed, but those firstfliers had to land by the seat of their pants. The tales of Alaska are real, they arebold, and they are tall. However, none is taller and truer then thetales of the Alaskan aviator. Many people have come to Alaska seekingtheir fortunes in gold or furs or lumber or oil. Many have come toseek the adventure of the great outdoors. The aviator of Alaska camefor none of the above. They came because that is what he or she did. A breed unto themselves, their actions have painted a portrait of forwardthinking men and women who stepped forward in time to see Alaskas future. That future being one in the air. Alaskan aviation has contributed significantlyto the lives of Alaskans. Many communities send and receive mail,receive groceries, provide emergency services, and maintain contact withthe outside world solely through the use of aircraft and the pilots whofly them. Alaskans have a unique relationship with the aircraft. Airplanes have enabled Alaskans to commute through their environment andconduct business in almost normal fashion. Alaska has benefited greatlythrough the use of aircraft and Alaskan aviators have contributed significantlyto the flying techniques used around the world. The aviation history in Alaska begins ironically,with a long, slow boat ride for an aircraft. After being off loadedat Skagway, the aircraft was hauled by the Yukon Narrow Gauge Railroadto Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. It then traveled down the Yukon riverand up the Tanana river to Fairbanks were the aircraft was flown for the1913, Fourth of July celebration (Mills and Phillips 13). Alaskahas never looked back from that first flight. In the summer of 1922, Clarence O. Prestdecided to fly from New York to Nome. All went well until Prest departedfrom Dawson City, Yukon Territory. After having engine trouble, Prestcrash landed on an isolated beach near Fort Yukon. Prest was transportedby a riverboat operator named Gilbert Cook to Tanana (Mills and Phillips16). Clarence O. Prest is the first name in a long and famous listof aviators that have crashed in the unforgiving terrain of Alaskas wilderness. Ben Eielson began the commercial use ofthe airplane in Alaska when on February 21, 1924, he flew the first officialair mail flight in Alaska from Fairbanks to McGrath. Eielson, asluck would have it, crashed on landing and returned to law studies at GeorgetownUniversity Washington, D. C.(Mills and Phillips 16). Eielson wouldlatter return to Alaska to renew his sense of adventure. The first flight across the Arctic tookplace in 1925. Noel Wien transported two mining operators who wantedto travel from Fairbanks to Wiseman, an arctic town some 80 miles northof the Arctic Circle (Potter 80). Numerous aviation companies sproutedin Alaska. These companies began to ferry supplies and passengersto the towns and villages of Alaska. Operating primarily form Weeksfield in Fairbanks and landing strips in Anchorage, these companies rackedup a significant amount of firsts. Joe Crosson of the Bennett-RodeboughCompany made the first commercial flight from Fairbanks to Point Barrowand the first flight over Mt. McKinleys 20,320 foot summit (Mills andPhillips 23). On April 16, 1928 Captains Carl Ben Eielson and anAustralian, George H. Wilkins, became the first aviators to successfullyfly over the North Pole. Their landing in Spitzbergen, Norway completeda 2,200 mile flight (Mills and Phillips 27). This also marked thefirst time that the knowledge of arctic aviation was used to specificallydesign an aircraft. The knowledge of Ben Eielson, which he had gainedon his previous flights in Alaska, contributed to the future design ofaircraft. Alaskan aviation matured quickly in 1929. The early barnstormers had had incredible luck walking away from crashafter crash, but in 1929, all that changed. In September of 1929,Russell Merrill departed on a flight from Anchorage to the Nyac mine nearBethel. He was never seen again. On November 9,1929 Ben Eielsonwas lost while enroute to Siberia. Ed Young was killed when his Fairchild71 crashed at Livengood. The last to find his fate was Ralph Wien. On October 12, 1930, Wien crashed at Kotzebue killing him and two priests. The Kotzebue airfield is named in his honor (Mills and Phillips 30). The tragic end of these great aviators marked the start of the great expansionof aviation in the Alaska territory. The demand for air travel continuedto grow and with that demand came better aircraft, safer airstrips, andmore experienced pilots. The 1930s were an era of growth for theaviation industry in Alaska. Aircraft became the sole means of reachingisolated villages and lonesome trappers. This development encouraged greatexpansion. Alaskan Airways was formed. The first flight trainingschool was established in Alaska, Star Air Service (Mills and Phillips34). The events of the previous two decades had served to prepareAlaska for the largest single event in U. S. history. W. W. II saw aviation pushed to theforefront of military planning. Its use would greatly determine theoutcome of the war. Whoever controlled the air would control theground, and whoever controlled the ground would win the war. Alaskanaviators were at the forefront. The years of experience gained flyingthrough, over, and around the most hazardous terrain, gave the Alaskanaviators key advantages in their fight with the Japanese. The Performing Arts and Inspiration: Mixtape EssayThe Japanese losses were 69 aircraft lost in combat and 200 lost due tofog or storm (Mills 104). July 10, 1943, saw a new development inthe war with Japan. Using Attu as a base to launch raids, the ArmyAir Force began to pound the Japanese Naval facilities in the Kuriles Islands. Bombing raids were limited, although the presence of hostile aircraft requiredthe Japanese to defend their islands with numerous aircraft and ships thatcould have been useful in other areas of the war. The bombing raidsconvinced the Japanese that the invasion of the Japanese mainland lie somewherein the near future. They attempted to prepare for an invasion whichnever materialized. A history of aviation in Alaska, especiallythe war era, can not be concluded without a detailed study of the contributionsto the war effort by the pilots and aircraft of the Navy PBY squadrons. These flying boats, were a reconnaissance platform which was used tolocate enemy forces. During the Aleutian campaign many of these aircraftbecame involved in offensive combat which they were ill equipped to do. Throughout the remainder of the war the PBY squadrons continued aroundthe clock operations as the watchful eyes of the north. The pilotsand squadrons were awarded numerous citations for valor and heroism includingthe Flying Cross and Air Medals (Freeman 177). Brigadier General William Billy Mitchellsaid, Alaska is the most central place in the world for aircraft, andthis is true either of Europe, Asia or North America. I believe inthe future. He who holds Alaska will hold the world, and I thinkit is the most strategic place in the world. This was to hold truethroughout the war and into the 21st century. With the end to the war Alaskans quicklyturned back to their normal way of life. This included their continuedlove affair with the airplane. The wars residual effect was thatmany new innovations were left in place which encouraged and benefitedfuture fliers. These included but a not limited to airports, navigationalaids, radio communication, and up to date charts of most of Alaska, includingthe Aleutian chain (Mills 145). Tourism began to be a major economic resourcefor Alaskans. Aircraft allowed the sportsman, fisherman and explorersto reach places yet unexplored. Entirely new businesses began toemerge in and around the aircraft industry. Some of these new businesseswere flying schools, charter sightseeing flights, mechanics, parts andservices, fuel and oil sales. Anchorage soon became the air crossroads to the orient. International air carriers refueled for internationalflights over the pole or using the great circle route. In 1960, withthe dedication of the Anchorage International Airport, Anchorage becamethe countrys fifth busiest terminal for freight and passenger traffic(Mills 146). Alaskan aviation has also moved into thefuture with the introduction on the rocket. NASAs Jet propulsionLaboratories use the hangars of Ladd Field, now Ft. Wainwright, to conducttests of the upper atmosphere. The research conducted aids in thefuture understanding of upper atmospheric wind and weather conditions. The University of Alaska, Fairbanks launchesand retrieves data from launches at the Poker Flats Research Range, just30 miles north of Fairbanks. The Poker Flats facility is the only non-federal,university owned and operated range in the world and the only high-latitude,auroral-zone rocket launch facility in the United States. More than1,500 meteorologic missiles and 236 major high-altitude sounding rocketexperiments have been launched by scientists and technicians. Studies areconducted by universities and agencies from around the world on topicssuch as the aurora, ozone layer solar protons the electric and magneticfields and ultraviolet radiation (http://www.pfrr.alaska.edu/~pfrr/PFRR/INDEX.HTM). These results enhance our understanding of the aurora borealis and theeffects that this phenomenon has on communication, navigation and otherflight related sciences. Alaskans have always had a deep love forthe aircraft and the people that fly them. With the invention ofthe plane, adventurers sought uncharted areas to explore and limits tobe pushed. This drive to go higher and faster has opened Alaska to thewhole of North America and the world. Today, thanks to the effortsof many pilots, Alaskas remote villages and communities have emergencyservices at their disposal. They purchase needed supplies that holdthem over for the winter. They communicate with the outside worldand travel to lobby state government for changes needed in their environmentand towns for their continued well being. Aviation has broughtnew sources of commerce to towns that would have long ago disappeared. Tourism, Alaskas third largest industry, is greatly indebted to the aircraft. Planes bring millions of travelers annually to the farthest reaches ofAlaska and with these travelers comes the needed income for thriving communities. BIBLIOGRAPHYFreeman, Elmer A.. Those NavyGuys and Their PBYs: The Aleutian Solution. Spokane, Washington: Kedging PublishingCo., 1984. Garfield, Brian. The ThousandMile War. N.Y.: Bantam Books, 1988. Levi, Steven, and OMeara, Jim. Bush Flying. United States: McGraw-Hill, 1992. MacLean, Robert Merrill, and Rossiter,Sean. Flying Gold: The Adventures of RussellMerrill, Pioneer Alaskan Aviator. Fairbanks, AK: Epicenter Press, 1994Mills, Stephen E., and Phillips,James W.. Sourdough Sky. Seattle, WA.: SuperiorPublishing Co., 1969. Mills, Stephen E.. ArcticWar Birds: Alaska Aviation of WWII. Seattle, WA: SuperiorPublishing Co., 1971. Potter, Jean. Flying Frontiersmen. N.Y.: The MacMillan Co., 1956Wachel, Pat. Oscar Winchell:Alaskas Flying Cowboy. Minneapolis: T. S. Denisonand Co. Inc., 1967. USAF Museum. Aleutian Islands1942-1943: The Aleutian Campaign. available Http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/history/wwii/Cp10.htm,July 1998. Poker Flat Research Range. General Information. availablehttp://www.pfrr.alaska.edu/~pfrr/PFRR/INDEX.HTM,July 1998