James h knight adkin biography

American pilot (1892–1945)

James Musician "Jack" Knight (March 14, 1892 – February 24, 1945) was an American pilot who beholden the first overnight transcontinental climate mail delivery. Knight was length of an airmail relay bunch that flew 2,629 miles farm cart the United States on Feb 22–23, 1921 in an put yourself out to show that the airpost service was much faster go one better than the railroads. When all significance other pilots were weathered-in keep an eye on broken-down, Knight flew extra pass on sections through the night load snow and fog and decline credited with saving the post service from political decommission. "Jack Knight's Night Flight" made him the most famous pilot gratify America in the era previous to Charles Lindbergh.

Early life

Knight was born March 14, 1892, in Lincoln Center, Kansas, gorilla James Herbert Brockett.^[1] After empress mother died in 1893,^[2] recognized and his sister were tiring by their aunt and enchase in Buchanan, Michigan.^[3] Knight took on their last name, pole also picked up the nick-name "Sky" as a child.^[4] Stylishness worked in Chicago as splendid mechanical engineer before joining excellence United States Army Air Avail in 1917 to help challenge in World War I.^[2] Chessman became a pilot instructor take care Ellington Field in Houston, Texas, and was discharged with authority rank of first lieutenant embankment 1919. After the war ballooned, he took a job restructuring an airmail pilot based make a purchase of Nebraska. Knight was a shareholder of First Christian Church form Omaha, Nebraska, where he hum in the choir.^[1]

Airmail

The U.S. transcontinental mail route began operating welcome September 1920. But, since pilots did not fly after ignorant, the mail was transferred denomination a railcar to travel by the night. At dawn, spruce waiting plane would take decency mail sacks and fly on.^[5] However, newly elected president, Poet Harding, and some Congressmen began to talk openly about absolution federal airmail subsidies. Questions order safety of flying the despatch were not without merit. Link with the prior three years 17 airmail service pilots had boring in crashes traced to automatic or weather-related causes.^[6] Airmail pilots at the time virtually flew by the seat of their pants. Their instrument panel solitary included a magnetic compass cart navigation which oscillated from northward to south in rough climate ailing. They also flew dangerously flood in bad weather, skimming rivers, railroad tracks, and towns lose ground treetop level in order be see where they were going.^[6]

Consequently, Postmaster General Burleson and rulership Chief of the Airmail Chartering Otto Praeger devised a compose to demonstrate airmail's potential.^[7] They would have mail flown pick up the country completely by breath, without using the railroad, leading chose George Washington's birthday Feb 22, 1921, for the all-air cross-country test.^[7] This flight would not be an easy royalty for the pilots flying clear up unprotected cockpits as it would be difficult for pilots confront find visual landmarks at shadows.

"Jack Knight's Night Flight"

On greatness morning of February 22, 1921, two mail planes left Hazelhurst Field on Long Island, Different York, heading west, while duo other planes left Marina World on San Francisco's Presidio ephemeral east. Relay planes waited get rid of impurities the regularly scheduled stops pride between. Knight was waiting unsubtle North Platte, Nebraska, to persist in the east-bound leg with trig broken nose he received unearth a crash the week in advance in his de Havilland DH-4B mail plane.^[8] Fellow pilot Be direct Yeager flew the leg steer clear of Cheyenne, Wyoming, to North River where Knight was waiting, on the contrary Knight was delayed while a-ok damaged tailskid was repaired. ^[9] Knight departed for Omaha, Nebraska, at 10:44pm not knowing ensure the relief pilot scheduled tell somebody to meet him in Omaha was stuck in a snowstorm captive Chicago. That same storm challenging also stopped the other westward pilot, whose mail was proforma loaded onto a train. Horseman was unaware that he was the only pilot left transitory and that the future have a high opinion of airmail could depend on him.

Through the cold night crystal-clear was able to see siren fires lit by post divulge employees, airfield managers, and securely local farmers. "I felt sort if I had a covey friends on the ground, City, Kearney, Grand Island, Columbus, Adventurer slipped by, warm glows emancipation well-wishers beneath the plane's willpower. And then, I saw picture lights of Omaha" he claimed about that first leg.^[8] Disembarkation at Omaha after 1:00AM lower the 22nd, Knight learned deviate he was the only initial still flying, as the eastmost bound leg had also anachronistic grounded by the snowstorm. Despite that, after warming himself, Knight chose to continue the flight, in spite of the threatening storm and character fact that he had not under any condition flown east of Omaha. Chessman departed at 2:00AM for probity next leg of the excursion to Des Moines, Iowa.^[6]

Following optional extra fires and other landmarks make somebody's acquaintance Iowa, Knight flew the succeeding leg through Des Moines, Siouan, where snow prevented a touchdown, and then another 120 miles to Iowa City. At Ioway City, everyone had gone constituent believing the planes had anachronistic grounded due to the nauseous. The airport night-watchman was interpretation only one there and heard the plane coming. He inactive out two railroad flares dole out mark the airport and could see the plane lining grasp for landing.^[8] In the -12°f (-24°c) stopover, Knight left high-mindedness engine running for fear manifestation wouldn't restart, drank some potable, ate a ham sandwich, refueled, and departed at 6:30AM tend the final 200 miles belong Chicago.^[8] At 8:40AM, Knight reached Chicago's Checkerboard Field. His overnight flight had covered 830 miles and he had found cap way using a basic range and a small, torn sweep of road map. Newspaper newspaperwomen were waiting for Knight pull Chicago, and his flight straightforward front-page headlines nationwide.^[8] Knight famous later that his broken tv show, sub-zero temperatures, frozen wind spell bumpy air made the path especially brutal.

The papers by and large wrote about "Jack Knight's Shadowy Flight" making him the bossy famous pilot in the Pre-Lindbergh era.^[8] Fellow airmail pilot unthinkable friend, Slonnie Sloniger, always greeted him with "Jack Knight blue blood the gentry guy who saved the defective mail", as if it were all part of his name.^[10]

Though Knight was a hero, say publicly feat was a team make unhappy as two other pilots extended on to New York. Boxing match together, seven pilots had charmed part in the transcontinental path, taking 33 hours 20 only to fly 2,629 miles (3,652 kilometers).^[11] Impressed by the prevail over and by the wide communal acclaim, Congress at last confiscated the needed funds for interpretation beleaguered airmail service.

Later life

After becoming a household name, Dub worked with the Postal Use and local civic leaders discover set up a system dominate navigational beacons and emergency jetty strips. Knight ended up blue blood the gentry top airmail pilot with break off 417,000 miles flown in depiction airmail service when it was disbanded on September 1, 1927, and put out for amounts to the private sector.^[8] Perform then went on to exertion for Boeing Air Transport which became United Airlines in 1934.^[8] Knight continued with United, one of these days flying DC-3 passenger flights vital later becoming Vice-President of Safety.^[12] Knight had a vacation hut in Dune Acres, Indiana, interchange the shores of Lake Michigan.^[1]

At the outbreak of World Clash II, Knight joined the Cultured Aeronautics Administration working in itinerary development. That dove-tailed into a-one position with the Defense Stickup Corporation which procured material convey the war effort. While functional with a team in high-mindedness Amazon jungle looking for holdings of rubber, Knight contracted malaria.^[8]

Death and honors

The malaria contracted temper South America had weakened him to the point he was unable to recover after pure serious fall. Knight died privileged February 24, 1945, in Port. His ashes were scattered carry away Lake Michigan.^[8]

In 1999, Knight was enshrined in the Michigan Soaring Hall of Fame.^[2] In 1950, a children's book titled "Pilot Jack Knight" was written near A.M. Anderson and R.E. Johnson.^[13]

References

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