PILOT STORIES: Max Miller
| Air Mail
Service Began: |
July 1, 1918 |
| Air Mail Service Ended: |
December 6, 1918 |
| Pilot Rehired: |
April 8, 1919 |
| Air Mail Service Ended: |
Sept 1, 1920 |
| Assignment: |
Washington |
| |
April 8, 1919 – Washington |
| |
May 10, 1919 – Chicago |
| |
July 1, 1919 – Cleveland |
| |
Mar 1, 1920 – Bellefonte |
| |
July 1, 1920 - Cleveland |
Max Miller was born in Norway. As a kid, Max
was interested in aeronautics, making kites, model airplanes,
and gliders. He was in the army in the Philippines, where
he probably trained to be an aviator. Miller was the first
pilot hired by Benjamin Lipsner for the Postal Service-operated
Air Mail Service. Max was married to Daisy Thomas who worked
in Lipsner and Otto Praeger's office.
On September 1, 1920, Miller left Hazelhurst
air field for Cleveland at 5:30 am in a Junkers-Larsen aircraft
with mechanic Gustav Reierson and 600 pounds of mail. Two
hours later, the airplane was seen inexplicably only 20 miles
away. It was flying low and the motor was cutting out and
backfiring. Flames could be seen from the front of the airplane
and Reierson was tossing out mailbags. The flames engulfed
the front of the airplane, the aircraft nosed over and dove into
the ground. The gas tanks exploded blowing the wings off.
Both men were killed in the explosion.
Click here to learn more about Max
Miller.
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