Carl “Ben” Eilson: Pioneering the Alaska Skies
An early bush pilot and aviation adventurer.
Oh, those childhood days, when we dream and imagine.
Carl “Ben” Eilson was born in the small town of Hatton, North Dakota, where he discovered a love for aviation.
And Along Came WWI
In 1917, during World War I, Eilson learned to fly in the U.S. Army Air Service.
After the war, he was back in his hometown. Then, in the winter of 1919–1920, Eilson helped form the Hatton Aero Club, the first flying club in North Dakota.
Let’s Try Law
However, his life led him to study law. Eilson attended Georgetown Law School (now Georgetown University) in Washington, D.C.
Then, while working part-time as a police officer in the U.S. Capitol, he met Daniel Sutherland, Alaska’s territorial delegate to Congress. Sutherland persuaded Eilson to go to Alaska to teach high school.
Yes, You Can Share This Edition
And when you do, your friends and family will pay for you to fly all over Alaska for an entire year…well, it could happen.
Pictured above is Carl “Ben” Eilson and his Alaska airmail delivery plane.
Those Alaska Skies Were Calling
In Alaska, it didn’t take long for Eilson to get involved in the early days of aviation. As a pilot for Farthest North Aviation, he did something amazing.
It took sled dog teams 30 days to carry mail from Fairbanks to McGrath. But Eilson flew the mail there in under 3 hours. Eilson soon became known as the “Father of Airmail in Alaska.”
Besides flying airmail, Eilson was also developing a reputation as the “Father of Aviation” in Alaska.
Later, he was asked to form Alaskan Airways.
In 1929, U.S. President Herbert Hoover awarded Eilson the Harmon Trophy for outstanding aviator of the year.
In Fairbanks, Eilson created the Fairbanks Airplane Corporation. He took passengers on joyrides, flew equipment and doctors to remote camps.
He was also the first to fly around the North Pole from Alaska to Spitzbergen, Norway.
The Final Flight
On November 9, 1929, while on a rescue mission in Siberia, Carl “Ben” Eilson died in a plane crash. He was 32 years old.
Mile 26 Satellite Field Gets a New Name
In 1948, Mile 26 Satellite Field, located 26 miles southeast of Fairbanks, was renamed. It became known as Eilson Air Force Base in honor of Carl “Ben” Eilson.
Another honor was the naming of Mount Eilson, a peak northeast of Denali (McKinley)
Those Childhood Dreams
As a young boy, Carl “Ben” Eilson could have scarcely imagined just how far his love of aviation would take him. All the way to history-making adventure in Alaska.
For more adventure, Discover Alaska and enjoy.
From Our North Stars (that’s you)
From our Journey Back in Time: How the Alaska Railroad Forged Anchorage’s Beginnings.
Jerry has a family connection:
“My aunt Peggy and uncle John lived in Seward. John Ostrom worked on the Alaska railroad. My cousins, Donald Ostrom and his little sister, were born there in 1931.”
Connect with Mike and Mary Jane
Those early Alaska aviators brought Alaskans closer together with often daring flights within the territory. And we remember Carl “Ben” Eilson as the “Father of Aviation” in Alaska.
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Until Next Time
Mike and Mary Jane
Alaska Stories