Polar Pilot: Ben Eielson Story

Noel Wien, founder of today's Alaska Airlines, brought to Alaska in 1927 a Hamilton All-Metal Aircraft. One of his pilots, Carl Ben Eielson, flew this plane and eventually bought it and started his own company: Alaskan Airways Inc. This video depicts the second-to-last flight ever made by Ben Eielson: from Teller, AK, 376nm to North Cape (Mys Smidta in Russian) Siberia. Eielson Airforce Base, PAEI, at Fairbanks is named after Ben Eielson.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• ben
• eielson
• noel
• wien
• nanuk
• siberia
• hamilton
• airplane
• fs2004
• fs9
• simulator
• flight

[Kingpoint]

Interesting...I had thoughts of something similar involving CF-AXK, a Fairchild 82 that went missing in 1939 here in the Yukon. All I need is the FS aircraft files for a Fairchild 82.

I like what you have done. Cheers from the Yukon

[widgywji]

Thank you for viewing and your salutary comments. Good Luck with your Fairchild project. This aircraft is actually a Fokker FVIIa for FS2004 filename: fviia_v1.zip by Jens B Kristensen, and repainted by widgywji -- me. The NC10002 photo at the end is from our own family photo-album and this is the first time it has been published. I sent the original photo to Richard Wien, CEO Alaska Airlines, some year's ago.

[twallen47]

Well done, a nice tribute to a Legend!!!

[ImagineZone]

Ben Eilson was the first Alaskan Airways President and General Manager in 1929. He is in the National Aviation Hall of Fame. His story is amazing to read. Thanks for creating this memorial to him.

[ababa231]

I remember Wien Air Alaska a little differently. We all used to say, "Wien Air Alaska, It Goes When It Can". Reeves Aleutian Air... now those were pilots.