PILOT STORIES: Ben Eielson

Known as the father of Alaska's Air Mail Service, Ben Eielson was born in Hatton, North Dakota in 1897. Like many other young men, Eielson enlisted in the armed forces when the U.S. entered the first World War, ending up in Signal Corps' aviation section. By 1924, Eielson had made his way to Alaska, where he worked with supporters to set up an airmail route between Fairbanks and McGrath, Alaska. He became known as the "Father of Alaskan Aviation."

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