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 child, 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, and 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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