4 - Post-War Pioneering
CHAPTER IV
POST-WAR PIONEERING
The Navy’s Captain Henry C. Mustin, in 1915, was launched by a catapult on the USS NORTH CAROLINA, flying a Curtiss F-boat; Glenn Curtiss continued development of flying boats, planning one capable of pioneering a trans-Atlantic flight. Then four NC (Navy Curtiss) craft were constructed for antisubmarine patrol duty in the Atlantic Ocean. Each had three 400 hp Liberty engines and a fourth behind the center engine to turn a pusher propeller. They were equipped with machine guns and could fly at a top speed of 90 mph. In May, 1919 the NC-4 became the first plane to fly across the Atlantic.
That year the first trans-Atlantic crossing by dirigible was made. The R-34, with its British Royal Air Force crew, arrived at its destination in 75 hours (the amount of flying time started in Poe’s 1844 hoax). Aboard was United States Navy Lieutenant Commander Zachary Lansdowne who later was killed in the Shenandoah disaster.
Aviation had conquered an ocean. Flyers next looked yearningly to the largest of them all, the Pacific with its 69 million square miles of water. But it was only a momentary glance. Aircraft were not yet capable of performing such a task. One thing was clear, however. If the Hawaiian Islands could be reached, the first speck of land 2,200 miles west of mainland U.S., man could eventually cross the entire Pacific. This became the goal. Capitalizing on the Navy flight, Army and Navy scientists began to develop accurate navigational techniques and aids which would carry planes through clouds and fog.
AVIATION PROGRESS
It remained for military air leaders of World War I to advance the cause of aviation, drawing on their flying experiences and visualizations during the conflict. They took a firm stand on behalf of airpower but the path was difficult. When peace was declared, the United States cancelled orders for 13,000 airplanes and demobilized most of the 200,000 men in the Army’s Air Service. Thousands of aircraft industry workers were suddenly out of a job. For the Army and Navy to make aviation advances, it would have to be done with wartime planes and the limited equipment and spares produced for war. Budgets would be tight. For civil aviation, however, this was to be a boon. Surplus military planes and equipment were placed on sale at very reasonable prices, pilots and technicians—desperately in need of work—were available for hire.
The military had their troubles. During the period July 1, 1920 and June 30, 1921, the Army suffered 330 crashes with far too many lives lost and bodies maimed. Efforts for improvements in planes and techniques were seriously hampered; in 1923, research and development work was completely stopped for lack of funds.
Great credit is due to the professional dedication of military flyers those days. In spite of these limitations, they were able to advance the frontiers of aviation considerably. The first major feat was a 4,000-mile air journey across the continent by four JN-4H planes, made while on aerial survey of air routes and direly needed landing fields. This was followed by a 9,823-mile flight. Long range over water flying was being made possible with each achievement. Important advances were made in pioneering airways, day and night photography, airborne radios, movement of men and equipment in units, aerial border patrol, forestry service, plus others.
Hawaii’s majestic skies were to become an important arena in the pageant of world aviation. Civilian pilots in Hawaii were to make their contributions. For a city the size of Honolulu, aviation activity at that time was greater than most communities of similar size. Flyers in Hawaii had laid a foundation for aviation upon which much would be built.
CHARLES FERN
Three men were about to play an important part in Hawaii’s civilian aviation efforts. W. “Ben” Stoddard and Charles J. Fern had been fraternity brothers in college; Fern and Charles T. Stoffer were Army flying instructors who, discharged after World War I, decided to fly for a living. Stoddard, in July of 1919, took a few flying lessons from Stoffer in Woodland, California, but didn’t finish the course. When his interest in flying cropped up again, Stoddard purchased a JN4D and asked Fern for flying lessons. After talking it over, the two elected to go barnstorming in California’s northern communities. But everywhere they went in the San Francisco Bay area, some flyer was already in place.
They decided “to go some place where nobody had been, and ended up in Honolulu,” according to Fern, who continued, “We brought the plane down on a ship and arrived December 19; I was test flying within a week. The commanding general of the Army stipulated that I had to pass some tests so Army flyers flew me a couple of times to give me an okay.”
“A pilot’s license was not needed to fly,” Fern states: “The Army brass that okayed civilian flying in those days did require that anyone who flew in Hawaii at that time should have had a pilot’s rating from the military services.”
Fern started barnstorming from Kapiolani Park in Honolulu on December 30, 1919, nine years after Mars’ first flight, carrying the first paying passenger in Hawaii since Ton Gunn. The cost was $10 a hop with $25 for stunt flying.” His Jenny had an OX5 engine which developed 90 horsepower and carried enough fuel for 2 ½ hours cruising or about 150 miles.
Intrigued Honolulu businessmen began thinking about flights between the islands and even dared to dream of ventures between Hawaii and the major land masses of the world. Locally, a larger mode of transportation meant a great deal to business establishments. In fact, it was an economic necessity. The Territory consisting of six major islands, it was difficult to transport people and goods because ships were slow and traveled too infrequently. Major companies were forced to maintain offices on the other islands, thus spending far more days away from the home plants than were needed. Air travel would save time and money and would actually enhance business. Tourist and resident travel among the islands was not so important yet, because planes carried too few passengers. Flights to and from the mainland appeared far in the future, although they bore some consideration.
NAVAL AVIATION COMES TO HAWAII
“Monster Aeroplanes Destined For Use By Flyers on Oahu,” read the article on page 1, Pacific Commercial Advertiser, dated February 2, 1917. “Sixteen gigantic seaplanes are to form the major portion of the equipment of the flying squadron which the War Department has decided shall be established immediately at Honolulu” the article went on. That was the first positive news Honolulu received that naval aviation was to be placed in Hawaii, and it was released 11 days before Curry’s arrival. Two months later, the Navy’s recruiting officer in Honolulu, Lieutenant H. W. Engel, stated that with the imminence of war an aviation corps was planned for Hawaii and solicited “birdmen” for the planned unit. However, no such unit came into being.
In October, 1919, a Navy board of inspectors recommended that a “first class naval base, capable of taking care of the entire U.S. Fleet in time of war, should be immediately developed at Pearl Harbor as a strategic necessity,” One of the recommendations was to “build an aviation base on Ford Island, and when Army agrees, take over the whole island for naval aviation.” The Secretary of War arranged for Ford Island to be used jointly for aviation purposes by the Army and Navy.
The Advertiser announced, on December 3, 1919, that the North Island Naval Air Station (San Diego) received rush orders to send 10 officers and 60 mechanics, together with four seaplanes, to Luke Field for permanent duty. On December 19, the USS CHICAGO arrived in Honolulu. On board, among other passengers and cargo, were nine naval aviation officers, 40 mechanics, two HS2-Ls and two N-9 seaplanes. The press, the following day, heralded the unit as the vanguard of a big force for Pearl Harbor. Its location was to be the Navy Yard southeast of the torpedo piers. The force, under command of Lieutenant Commander R. D. Kirkpatric, was named the Pacific Air Detachment, its mission one of defense and artillery control. Other officers included: Lieutenant Oliver P. Kilmer, Lieutenant E. B. Brix, Ensign A. S. Billings, Warrant Officer Samuel Butrick, Lieutenant W. R. Cobb, Lieutenant H. J. McNulty, Lieutenant R. R. Auerswald, Ensign C. H. Soper and Ensign J. B. Brady.
Immediately after arrival at Quarry Point, land was cleared of cactus and algarroba trees by the enlisted men, for the erection of temporary buildings built of demobilized material (no appropriation was available). The base force lived ashore in tents provided by the BEAVER. Preparations were made for the first flight by naval aircraft in Hawaii.
On January 3, 1920, Sir Arthur Whitten Brown spoke of the possibilities of making a flight from San Francisco to Honolulu. He, along with Sir John Alcock, made the first non-stop trans-Atlantic flight the previous year. The pioneer stated “there are no airplanes of sufficient flying radius” to make such a flight.
On January 17, the first Navy airplane to fly in the Hawaiian Islands took off from Hawaiian water and flew through the majestic skies above Honolulu.
Curry returned to Hawaii on January 24, 1920. The ADVERTISER reported: “Wireless impulses from high up in the tropic blue skies cracked out a hearty ‘Aloha’ to Colonel J. F. Curry, Air Service, and the officers and men of the 4th Aero Squadron arriving on the MADAWASKA yesterday and from the ships, ploughing the blue sea underneath went back an answering “Thank you.’” The aerial greeters consisted of two flying boats, two DH and one Curtiss JN-4 land planes. The flying boats were piloted by Lieutenant Donald Duke and Lieutenant L. J. Maitland; the Curtiss was flown by Lieutenant T. J. Lanfall, with Captain Furrow and Lieutenant Walter Miller handling the DHs. This was the beginning of a three year tour for the energetic aviator. On March 16, he sent a memorandum to his commanding general containing recommendations for the strength of the Air Force in the Hawaiian Department. These included the stationing in Hawaii of pursuit, bombing, and observation planes; an air depot; and balloons for observation purposes. The paper carried this important statement: “It is readily apparent that any successful attack would have as one of its component parts a large amount of aerial activity, and it is thought that the most effective way to combat same would be by the use of a strong, aggressive air force.”
During the year 1920 the Congress authorized the collier JUPITER to be converted into an aircraft carrier (to be commissioned on March 20 1922, and given the name of LANGLEY), an ocean-moving airplane facility which was to be of inestimable value to the United States.
On February 1, 1920, Delegate Kalanianaole introduced a bill in the United States Congress asking for Hawaii’s statehood. Meanwhile, back in his home territory, the delegate’s compatriots were making bids for progress and achievement in another field, aviation. Stoddard had formed his own company with Fern as pilot. On February 1, commercial aviation took on a new aspect as man was flown to another island for pay. Fern’s words bring out the hazards of flying in those early days, equipment inadequacy, and lack of flying facilities, high cost of flying, and the rugged tenacity of American man in the cockpit of an airplane:
“Olaf Thomason was my first inter-island passenger. He was a Norwegian who had made a lot of money ship-building during World War I and was in the Islands at that time and did not want to take the time for an inter-island steamer trip. I had previously flown him around the island of Oahu sightseeing for $100.”
“I flew him to Maui some time in February or March, 1920 (it was February 1). The fare was $150 round trip. We flew from Kapiolani Park and were to fly direct to Polo Field at Makawao, Maui. However, in the middle of the channel between Molokai and Maui, the float in my gas gauge evidently punctured and sank, indicating an empty tank. I thought my gas tank had sprung a big leak so I turned back to Molokai and landed in a pasture near the Cooke Ranch office. There, I found out what had happened, gassed up and went on.”
“I failed to locate the Polo Field for the reason that it had been marked on my map about 10 miles west of where it actually was. I returned to Kahului and landed in the fair grounds there. We had lunch, Mr. Thomason visited his friend, which was the purpose of the trip and we returned that afternoon.”
“There were no unusual incidents. I flew over Molokai to and from Maui; there was no special reception and not much excitement about the trip.”
“The reaction to flying, particularly inter-island flights was good even in those days. Of course, it was purely a spectacle but it was apparent even then that the answer to passenger transportation between the islands would be planes. I think the biggest point of it all was made over the fact that I flew back from Maui to Oahu in something around 90 minutes and this compared with the 12 hour overnight steamer trip, indicated what was coming.”
DIVERSITY IN HAWAII
On May 6, 1920, the Army’s aero strength in Hawaii was further increased by the addition of three balloon companies on Oahu, the 3rd and 21st Balloon Companies from Ross Field, California. On June 30, the first night flight was made over Oahu by Army Captain Robert Olds (then spelled “Oldys”). Not long after, the first air-to-ground photographs were taken by Army pilots of the crater Haleakala on the island of Maui (where Hawaiian folklore’s demi-god, Maui, lassoed the sun’s rays and, thus slowed down the sun for a longer day).
Luke-based planes began to take part in humanitarian activities. The first air-sea and air-mountain searches took place. Planes were fashioned into air ambulances to transport the sick from other islands to Oahu. In those days, the only medical attention available outside of Oahu was by a few over-worked missionary doctors.
Also during 1920, two HS 2-L Navy planes flew to Hilo, Hawaii, via Lahaina, Maui, in four hours and 10 minutes. Later, they conducted a survey of each island in the Hawaiian group for emergency anchorages. Pearl Harbor’s Pacific Air Detachment surveyed and took photographs of Molokai, Hawaii, Niihau, Oahu, Maui, Lanai, Kauai and Kahoolawe. The trip involved 1,966 miles in 25 hours and 55 minutes, the most extensive inter-island flight to date.
In his annual report of 1920, the Secretary of War recommended that a bureau be established for the direct control of aviation. He also stated that there was a Naval Air Station at Pearl Harbor (so designated officially on September 17, 1920), the first official mention of the new naval air facility. Later in December, the first anniversary of the naval air service in Hawaii was followed by the announcement that $1.5 million was to be spent for construction of NAS Pearl Harbor, including hangars, shops, barracks, and other facilities. The local Navy aircraft strength was increased by several large Liberty twin-engine flying boats with sufficient cruising radius to cover all the islands while carrying the navy’s heaviest bombs and torpedoes. A large hangar was also to be constructed on Ford Island to house dirigibles.
CHARLES STOFFER
Stoddard wrote to his ex-flying instructor in Woodland, California, informing Stoffer that Fern left the business to take up another position in Kauai. He asked Stoffer to bring his seaplane to the islands to fly for the company. Stoddard felt it would be very profitable in Hilo where the military had installed, but rarely used, a fine seaplane ramp equipped with tow gear. Stoffer arrived in December and the aircraft was freighted to Hilo the following month. There, Stoffer began barnstorming. On August 13, 1921, Stoffer made the first flight of a proposed commercial service between the islands of Hawaii and Oahu. It took him one hour and 35 minutes to arrive at Lahaina, Maui. Reaching next the island of Molokai, the winds were so strong that he and his remaining passenger (one got off at Maui) were forced to remain there overnight The plane took off the following morning..
“Hilo operating was conducted with a Curtiss N9 seaplane, which was originally a Navy primary trainer equipped with a Curtiss OXX6 engine. We removed the 100 HP (OXX6) and installed a Hispara Suiza rated at 220 HP. It was a reduction gear job which powered the SPAD 13 in WWI. The forward Deperdussin type controls were moved in order to ‘jam’ two passengers in the forward cockpit.”
“It was very difficult to swing the geared propeller fast enough to start the engine as the rounded pontoon was the only footing. Self-starters had not yet been introduced. On one passenger flight, the engine stopped after a landing off Hilo Bay.”
“I dropped the sea anchor, stripped to my shorts and swim around and climbed on the flat tip to swing the ‘prop.’ When the motor started, I hopped overboard and the pilotless plane, with its frantic
passengers, commenced taxiing in circles at a fairly rapid rate, pivoted by the anchor. I was submerged several times, trying to grasp a strut, before I was able to climb on board and take control.”
“To improve starting, a line was run from a pressure Presto tank, which allowed dry gas to enter the carburetor while the pilot churned on a hand magneto to ignite a starting charge.”
“Starting troubles were not so bad in California because we operated from sand beaches. The plane was quite performable and had made a 120-mile flight over the Sierras to Lake Tahoe which was considered a record flight over land by a seaplane and was recorded as such in the NAA year book.”
“Mr. Stoddard failed to meet his commitment and a Ralph King (non-flyer) purchased ½ interest and we decided to fly to Honolulu and convert the plane to a land plane.”
“The N9’s wind and landing gear fitting were interchangeable with the Jn4’s and we planned to replace the 220 Hisso with a 150 HP direct drive job We installed an automobile gas tank on the center section to augment our 20 gal. fuel tank in order to reach Honolulu.”
“The Aug. 13/21 flight carried Ed Searle of Hilo (brother of Pump, Honolulu Stadium director) and Van Dyke Johns, a noted Stanford tennis player who temporarily resided in Hilo. When the plane was launched, a strong side-wind caused it to drift onto a lava ledge but I didn’t think that hull damage occurred and took off. The flight progressed to approximately Midway between Hawaii and Maui when the auxiliary fuel tank ran dry and when I attempted to turn on the main supply the bronze handle on the main line sheared and we commenced a glide from 5,000 feet, while Ed Searle, who luckily had a pair of pliers in his pocket, climbed out of the cockpit and opened a small inspection door adjacent to the valve and attempted to twist the small remaining portion of the valve handle. At about 75 feet above the waves, he had it opened enough so that I could power-glide and at approx. 25 ft it was open sufficiently to ascend again.”
Fig. 17. First military man to parachute from a balloon in Hawaii Army Lt. Ben Cassiday (l) with Captain R. Hoyt (October 22, 1921).
“We alighted at Kewalo Basin (approximately where Magic Island is located and taxied to an area approximately 4 feet deep and anchored. We went to a nearby restaurant for coffee when a youngster came rushing in to report that the plane was sinking. There was plenty of help available to move it to safety before the vital parts were submerged.”
“Examination revealed several large holes in the pontoon, which had occurred following the Hilo launching. It wasn’t pleasant to reflect what would have transpired if it were not for Ed Searles’ presence of mind and his ability to twist the small remaining fuel value shank into an ‘On’ position.”
“The seaplane was converted as planned and operated from both Kapiolani Park and later the Territorial Fair Grounds. Several flights were made to Kahului, Maui, and also to Molokai. Schedules were usually set up to coincide with paydays at the plantations.
MILITARY EXPANSION
In the year 1921, Congress announced the establishment of a Bureau of Aeronautics within the Navy, with Rear Admiral William A. Moffett as its first chief. When Pearl Harbor’s rebuilt drydocks were formally opened, airplanes dropped lei over the harbor during the dedication ceremonies. Luke Field’s contributions in 1921 included the first radio transmission from a truck on the ground to a plane flying overhead. The unit practiced “day and night liaison with (an) anti-aircraft regiment.” Some additional quarters, barracks, a photographic laboratory, several hangars and warehouses were constructed, further enhancing the capabilities of aviation in Hawaii. An intensive effort followed to train and prepare for defense of the Islands, a prime mission for the 6th Aero Squadron during the next two decades, first at Luke then Wheeler Field.
In 1921, too, to complete the organization of the Hawaii Air Division, several army aviation units were assigned to Schofield Barracks, comprising the Divisional Air Service: the 4th Observation Squadron, 11th Photo Section and Branch Intelligence. The Air Service Supply Depot, under supervision of the Department Air Officer (Colonel Curry), was established at Schofield, occupying three warehouses. To make use of this new capability, a nearby landing strip had to be provided. Luke Field on Ford Island was too limited in space, so the old 17th Cavalry drill grounds at the south end of Schofield were chosen for the site. Thus, the newly recognized value of land-based military aircraft resulted in a new operating facility. In the meantime, construction at Luke continued, adding vitally needed resources for the newly reassigned 23rd Bombardment Squadron. Pilots practiced attack, bombing, coastal patrol, and communications missions. Each week they took part in war games and were becoming well trained in air tactics.
The Hawaiian Air Depot was established in Honolulu, in July, 1921, under the guidance of Major John B. Brooks (who had brought the 6th to Hawaii in 1917 and assumed command after Curry left for Washington). One enlisted man comprised his personnel strength for the first few months. He was succeeded by Army Captain Douglas Johnston, rated as airplane observer, balloon observer and airship pilot. Now retired in Honolulu, Johnston stated, “Flying was risky business those days; our biggest worry was motor failure over water. Actually over land, too; we didn’t wear parachutes.” Johnston’s close friend, Colonel Ben Cassiday, retired in Honolulu, served in Hawaii during the same period as a member of the 3rd Balloon Company. Married on October 18, 1921, “. . . three days later I made the first military parachute jump from a balloon in Hawaii, as part of a military review,” Cassiday reported.
In 1922, Pearl Harbor’s aircraft strength was increased considerably following an inspection by Secretary of the Navy Edwin Denby. During that year, also, a very capable Navy pilot made his first flight in Hawaii’s skies. His name was Lieutenant Commander John Rodgers, Naval Aviator No. 2. Rodgers later became commander of the new Navy base at Fort Island, Naval Air Station Pearl Harbor, to which Navy planes had to be moved for lack of space to Torpedo Pier 3. The new commander commissioned the facility on January 17, 1923. Learning that a tropical storm was approaching, he ordered the planes moved from the Navy Yard over to the newly constructed hangars at Ford Island. He finished his commissioning speech, the planes barely missing the full fury of the storm which completely demolished the canvas hangars in the Navy Yard. An ideal location for seaplane operations, Rodgers guided the base’s steady development until relieved in 1925 for a special project which would mark him as one of aviation’s most daring pioneers.
WHEELER FIELD
The airstrip on Schofield soon proved insufficient; therefore an intensive construction effort was initiated to increase the facility to that of a full-fledged airfield. Land planes were being put to even greater use, necessitating greater demands for facilities. Captain George E. Stratemeyer was named commander of the new field on February 6, 1922, and on the same day 20 enlisted men under 1st Lieutenant William T. Agee were sent from Luke Field to clear the fields of wood, guava and algarroba trees. Quarters were obtained in the 35th Infantry area, but they were two miles from the flying field so, transportation being limited, work progress was retarded.
In the spring of 1922, visions of airplane passenger service involving Hawaii sprung closer. Experts began a chant in that direction on the heels of greater flying activities in the Islands, and knowledge of improvements in airplane design, equipment and operating techniques. Newspaper reporters wrote of Honolulu as “a possible call station in round-the-world airplane passenger service, with the likelihood looming closer of a resident being able to circle the globe by air in a three week period.” In July, a world news feature appeared in the Sunday Honolulu Advertiser under the title, “Do you know what aviation is doing for Hawaii?” It went into detail about local flying activities, personality stories about local military flyers, and announcing the American Legion’s flying circus to be conducted on August 5 at Ford Island’s Luke Field. Thousands beheld the flying demonstrations and open house display of military flying might in Hawaii, the first close look at modern flying facilities for many Honolulu citizens. Aerial performance included acrobatic flying, parachute jumping, bomb dropping, towing swimmers on surfboards though the water at 80 mph, and mass flyovers. Aviation had grown significantly in just a few years.
Although Luke would continue to function as an important Army base and depot until the activation of Hickam Field near Fort Kamehameha in 1938, it would never again dominate aviation history in Hawaii. The scepter was about to pass to the old cavalry parade grounds at Schofield Barracks. The new field was dedicated on July 3, 1922, to the memory of Major Sheldon H. Wheeler, former commander of Luke Field who died as the result of an airplane crash at Luke on July 13, 1921 while participating in an aerial exhibition honoring the International Press Congress. The new field’s construction progressed well. By June 30, 1923, it was actively being used by the 17th Composite Group. Completed were three shop hangars, three airplane hangars, four Bessaneau storage hangars, two 5,000 gallon oil tanks, and two 50,000 gallon gasoline tanks.
Sitting in the geographical center of Oahu, Wheeler was bounded on the north by Schofield Barracks, on the east by the town of Wahiawa, and in all other directions by pineapple plantations. Situated on a 1,200 foot plateau between the island’s two mountain ranges, it is subject to breezes, light showers and cool nights. Thus was introduced to world aviation the one airfield which, tied in with Oakland Airport in California, was to be the locale of several important aviation “firsts.” Its first commander, Stratemeyer, went on to command the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations during World War II and the Far East Air Forces and the Air Defense Command in the post-war era.
In downtown Honolulu, the local chapter of the National Aeronautic Association was formed in 1923. Charter members were: W. R. Farrington, president; W. F. Dillingham, vice president; G. F. Bush, W. H. Hindle, Charles T. Stoffer, R. M. Schofield, Walter Beall, A. W. Valkenburg, O. L. Sorenson and Ernest B. Clark. A membership increase to 200 was soon realized taking in some of the most progressive and prominent men and women of the Territory. The first significant project of the local chapter was the selection of airports, landing fields and acquisition of titles thereto.
FLIGHT TO HAWAII
Back on the mainland, in May of 1923, the first non-stop flight from New York to San Diego was made in which Army Lieutenants Oakley G. Kelly and John A. Macready flew their Fokker T-2 transport 2,520 miles in 26 hours and 50 minutes. Shortly after, the press carried an announcement that the flying pair were ready to attempt a journey in their monoplane to Hawaii, part of War Department plans which had already resulted in the breaking of half a dozen records for long distance, endurance, speed and altitude. Kelly, friend of Stoffer, stated:
“I fly for my country and, besides, it is fun. When the Army Air Service gives the word, Mack and I shall be glad to attempt any sort of a flight. A hop to the Hawaiian Islands probably would start from San Diego or perhaps Los Angeles. The airline distance being 2,280 miles, the New York-San Diego flight was some 300 miles farther than this ocean flight would measure.”
The transcontinental feat was followed in one month’s time by the first air-to-air refueling operation, made by Army Captain Lowell H. Smith and Lieutenant J. P. Richter. Then on August 27-28, the pair set a new world refueled duration record of 37 hours 15 minutes and 14.8 seconds, and a distance record of 3,393.26 miles in a DH4B-Liberty 400 at Rockwell Field, San Diego.
Fig. 18. More than 100 persons fathered at Sprecklesville Maui to witness the arrival of Aviator Stoffer (4th adult from left) and Edward Doney (right) with 50 copies of Honolulu’s Sunday Advertiser (October 1923).
MITCHELL
The Army’s biggest proponent for a separate air force and the effective application of airpower, Brigadier General Billy Mitchell, got into the Hawaiian picture. On October 23, 1923, one year after setting a world speed record, Mitchell and his bride sailed for Hawaii. Mitchell was on assignment to conduct a Pacific-wide survey of the United States; military capabilities, both offensive and defensive in nature. His task was simply to look over the United States’ ability to destroy the enemy’s armed forces over land, water and air; the ability to destroy his war making capabilities, including material production and supply; and the ability to destroy his morale.
While Mitchell was surveying Hawaii, the Philippines, China, India and Japan, a job which lasted nine months, more flights were being made in Hawaii which had an impact on aviation’s development there.
Fig. 19. Aviator Stoffer in Molokai, 1925.
“CHARLEY’S CRATE”
Stoffer became well known in Hawaii. Using what affectionately got to be known as “Charley’s Crate,” he flew to such an extent that he can be credited with encouraging air-mindedness in Hawaii, along with the military efforts of Army and Navy units. He laid the foundation for civilian flying in the Islands with eight years of aerial demonstrations (he left for two periods totaling 18 months for Los Angeles where he flew in motion pictures). Anything that could be done in Hawaiian skies, Stoffer did.
Starting the first flying school in Hawaii (1921), many residents made their first flight with the aviator. When the Territory established new rules for civilian pilots (only citizens, those honorably discharged from the Army or Navy air services, the Signal Corps, the Reserve Corps, or those who held unrevoked pilot’s licenses from other states), Governor Farrington issued the first to Stoffer.
His airborne passengers included all age groups, from children to a man of 80; movie stars, royalty, businessmen, people from various walks of life. All were pleased with the experience and sensation of flying with Stoffer at the controls.
Continuing interisland commercial flying, Stoffer showed an airplane to spectators at the famed Maui County Fair, in October of 1923, and stayed on to give passenger hops at a rate charged according to length of time in the air. En route, he delivered the Sunday morning Advertiser to Molokai, then landed at Camp One near Spreckelsville, Maui, in 95 minutes where Mauians, too, were given “the novel sensation of reading Sunday’s paper on the morning of issue. (The supply lasted only 20 minutes.) It was a significant accomplishment for islands residing so far from the center of industry and commerce, another island also bounded by ocean waters. The achievement excited the people, and for newspapermen hinted of an expanded customer area. One reader summed up Maui’s reactions with a prophesy, “I bet anything that within a year we will have mail twice a day from Honolulu. We will read the Honolulu dailies a couple of hours after they are printed, morning and evening.” The project was pursued by the Honolulu chapter of the NAA. Mail, as with newspapers and other cargo, ordinarily took at least six hours in transit by ship, an easy mark to beat by airplane. NAA considered utilizing a more modern plane than that flown by Stoffer, the Loening Air Yacht amphibian such as was received recently by the Army at Luke Field, with a 400 hp Liberty engine and capable of speeds up to 120 mph.
Stoffer continued to go to Molokai and Maui via the air route. On occasion the Navy helped by covering the watery course with an emergency ship, the USS TANAGER, and a plane. The accommodating naval officer was a soon-to-be famous over-water spanner involving Hawaii, Commander John Rodgers. Stoffer flew to Molokai to make an aerial survey for a proposed harbor and dock site contemplated by a concern which had large pineapple interests on that island, another service of commercial interest.
Intra-island flying, however, occupied most of the enterprising pilot’s time. He set an altitude record for civilians by climbing to 12,600 feet in Honolulu, after loading up with 25 gallons of gasoline. Then he pursued a variety of missions with his airplane.
Incoming ships, including the CALIFORNIA, FRANCONIA, MATSONIA, HALEAKALA, EMPRESS OF FRANCE, with their hundreds of people on board – including dignitaries and luminaries – were greeted by “Charley’s Crate.” The plane would circle the great ships, swoop and soar in an aloha display, to the pleasure of travelers craning their necks and following the biplane maneuvering all about them. The darling pilot thrilled the people on occasion by dropping newspapers on the deck, sometimes one-by-one. (One hundred ADVERTISERS were dropped on the CALIFORNIA, with less than 10 missing the ship.) He dropped lei from the aircraft, as well.
For the opening of the Oahu baseball league season, Stoffer delivered Miss Ada Wilson to Atkinson Park where the young woman handed Mayor Wilson a Wilson baseball.
The aviator joined in an island-wide search for kidnapped 10-year-old Gill Jamieson, swooping over foothills and valleys for sight of the lad. Bootleggers and their stills became targets for searching authorities in Stoffer’s aircraft, prohibition officers armed with a rifle and binoculars scanning Oahu’s inner corners for the illicit operations.
Handbills were dropped by him from the air. One day his coat was lost in the process of releasing printed American Legion Carnival announcements over Honolulu (it was found and returned).
One day Stoffer took into the air with him a local resident, Charles N. Marques, suddenly dropped 7,000 feet in altitude with the hope that this would cure him of deafness. The procedure had been followed in the mainland “with some success,” but for Hawaii this was the first attempt. The deafness was not cured.
Salesmen on route taking orders from plantations were flown by Stoffer, from one side of the island to the other.
Entering next the “Wing-walking’ stunting field, so infamous in American in the 1920s, Stoffer took into the air noted American acrobat F. E. “Daredevil” Martish under sponsorship of the von Hamm-Young Company. Martish performed headstands in the air, hanging by one hand, among other hair–raising feats.
Always available for emergency flights, in January of 1923 Stoffer’s plane became the communications link between Waimanalo and Honolulu when storms made roads impassible to use on the windward side of Oahu. Hired by the Waimanalo Sugar Company, Stoffer made three round trip ferry flights with company dignitaries and business proceeded as usual—if not quicker. H.S. Gray and Company also partook of this service. Businessmen saw first hand the possibilities of aviation for business purposes, as well as emergencies and pleasure.
In 1924, Stoffer went to California to crash airplanes for motion picture productions. But he returned to the lovely islands of Hawaii. While he was gone, aviation had grown locally. Other civilian flyers took his number one position by fine achievements of their own. Relegated to transportation flying in a modernizing community, Stoffer went to the United States to participate in air mail flying and the risks of stunt flying for the movies. In association with eight others, the first flying squadron for Hollywood motion pictures was formed, called “THE BUZZARDS.” Within too short a time, only the Chief Buzzard, Dick Grace, and Stoffer were still alive. The latter returned once more to Hawaii but only for a short time. On the mainland, Stoffer flew the mail route and helped pioneer airlines in a flying capacity. Most notable was his position as Chief Pilot for Eastern Air Express.
Stoffer remained active in aviation. In response to the brewing world situation, prior to the start of World War II, he returned to military flying with the Army Air Corps. He retired as a colonel, now residing in California. Those who followed in Hawaii owe their footing to this flyer, a legend in his time—a real Mokulele bird-man!
ARMY SHOWS THE WAY
January 1924 saw the first flyers land on the island of Lanai. Flying in a De Havilland 4-B were Lieutenants W. C. Goldsborough and E. S. Davis and Sergeant Harold Fisher, with Army General C. T. Menoher as passenger, interested in a hunting expedition. Taking off from Wheeler Field, the group landed within 55 minutes. This flight was hailed by citizens as another step toward establishing interisland flying on a commercial basis.
In March, four Martin bombers made an unusual flight. The Army plans carried six Honolulu businessmen from Luke Field to Kahului, Maui, on a business trip arranged in cooperation with the Honolulu Chapter of the National Aeronautic Association. The military intended once again to show what commercial use could be made of aviation, and how safe it was to make the short over-water flights. Their plane took the passengers over the dead crater of Haleakala, some 16,500 feet. Newspapers, referring to that flight, cited Hawaii as the center of world military aviation. That same week, Army forces of Oahu had been sent to Molokai and Maui to repair, in record-breaking time, some disabled bombers. It was a convincing display of military flying’s mobility and capability. The press wrote of the need for further development of interisland flying, stressing the necessity for good landing fields at all sites. Considered adequate on Oahu, Maui’s airport was under construction, but Hilo’s improved field was still in the promotion stage. Only one military plane had been brought to Kauai, and that was by steamer.
On June 23, 1924, Lieutenant Russell L. Maughan made his famous dawn-to-dusk flight from New York to San Francisco. He covered 2,670 miles in 21 hours and 18 minutes, though he made five brief stops en route, in PW8-D12 Curtiss 375.
Mitchell’s return to Washington in July, 1924, marked the completion of a comprehensive world-wide survey of air capability. Two of the nine months were spent in Hawaii. That portion of his report alone took over 100 pages to cover. Mitchell wrote of Hawaiian air defense inadequacy, deploring the lack of coordination between Army and Navy personnel in the Islands. At the time, Mitchell was Assistant Chief of the Air Service, a post he held during the years 1920-1925.
On September 22, 1924, a most fantastic aerial mark was established by Army flyers—the pioneer flight around the world. Lieutenants Lowell H. Smith, Leslie P Arnold, Leigh Wade, Erik Nelson and John Harding covered the globe in 153 days. They flew from Seattle to Boston in 298 hours and 37 minutes of flying time, with an average speed of 74 mph. Big water spanning had reached a new apex. The Pacific now looked more inviting to flyers, particularly the stopping off place Hawaii.
