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Early Hawaii Aviators

Posted on Oct 18, 2017 in

Early Hawaii Aviators

Curtiss Model E Pusher (Signal Corps aircraft No. 8) arrived on Oahu July 11, 1913 as part of the first aviation unit to be stationed in Hawaii under the command of Lt. Harold E. Geiger at Fort Kamehameha (January-November 1913). It came with Signal Aircraft No. 2 Curtiss Model G Tractor Scout.

Curtiss Model G Tracktor Scout (Signal Corps aircraft No. 21) brought to Fort Kamehameha on July 11, 1913 by Army Lt. Harold Geiger.

Signal Corps aircraft No. 21 arrived on Oahu July 11, 1913. Individual on float is believed to be Army Lt. Harold E. Geiger.

Curtiss Model G Tractor Scout on rails used to get it into the water at Fort Kamehameha, Honolulu.

Divers enjoy the waters off of Fort Kamehameha, 1913. The seaplane hangars are in the background.

Divers enjoy the waters off of Fort Kamehameha. The seaplane hangars are in the background, 1913.

Army Lt. Harold E. Geiger arrived in Honolulu on the transport USS Logan on July 11, 1913 with 12 enlisted men and a civilian engine expert. Their equipment included two seaplanes--a Curtiss E 2-seater dual control plane and a Curtiss G fuselage tractor. They made their first flight on August 8, 1913.

A woman poses in front of a Curtiss Model G Army Air Service plane, 1914.

Tom Gunn made an impressive 25-minute flight at Schofield Barracks, circled Wahiawa on another flight, and took up Hawaii's first airplane passengers on July 13, 1913. Citing safety concern, Gunn skimmed the ground and to the disappointment of his passengers did not get airborn.

Major Sheldon Wheeler for whom Wheeler Field (later Wheeler Air Force Base) was named. 1915.

Maj. Sheldon H. Wheeler for whom Wheeler AFB is named. He was with the Dept. of Military Aeronautics, picture at Carlstrom Aviation Field, Arcadia, Florida on June 16, 1918.

Major Sheldon Wheeler for whom Wheeler Field (later Wheeler Air Force Base) was named. 1918.

Early Hawaii aviator Army Capt. John Brooks, 1917. He was the Army Department Aviation Officer in Hawaii from 1915-1917.

Early Hawaii aviator Army Capt. John Curry, 1917. Capt. Curry surveyed Oahu to select suitable facilities for the 6th Aero Squadron and decided on Ford Island since it had excellent approaches and plenty of water for landings and takeoffs.

Major Harold E. Clark followed Capt. John Brooks as Army Department Aviation Officer in Hawaii in November 1917. Six months later he made the first interisland flight. He flew a Curtiss R-6 with Sgt. Robert P. Gay from Fort Kamehameha to Maui where a huge reception waited. Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines is named for him.

Major Harold E. Clark made the first interisland flight in a Curtiss R-6 with Sgt. Robert P. Gay from Fort Kamehameha. They flew to Maui where a huge reception waited. From Maui, Major Clark and Sgt. Gay headed for the Big Island encountering thick clouds as they neared Hawaii's coast. They lost their bearings in the clouds and crashed on the slope of Mauna Kea. Unhurt they waited for aid; when none came they walked two days and nights without food until they reached safety.

Mason Didier, French Aviator, Poses on his bi-plane before taking off from Leilehua (Schofield Barracks Field) on June 22, 1911. He later crashed.

Second Lieutenant Franklin B. Bellows, for whom Bellows Field was named, 1918.

Advertisement for a balloon flight on Oahu by the Van Tassell Brothers on November 2, 1889.

Sun Yet Young was the first Hawaii resident to earn a pilot's license. Here he stands in the midst of Chinese fliers.

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