Wiley Post, in only 36 years of life and with only one eye, accomplished more in the field of aviation than most men dream of.
A Bad Start
In 1921, after several years of working jobs in construction, for the military, and the oil industry, Post took a wrong turn at the age of 23.
No one really knows why Post turned to robbery in 1921, but he attempted armed robbery. Post was captured by the four men he attempted to rob at gunpoint in Grady County, Oklahoma.
Post pled guilty and was sentenced to 10 years in the state reformatory in Granite, Oklahoma. He was prisoner number 3009.
Post became withdrawn in prison. He avoided social contact with other prisoners. Post was heading toward a state of psychological failure.
Prison doctors recommended Post be paroled due to his declining mental health. In 1922, after only one year into Post’s sentence, Governor J.B.A. Robertson granted his release.
Wiley Post was a convicted felon.
Aviator
Following his release from prison, Post returned to the oil fields. He supplemented his income by parachuting from airplanes in a flying circus.
In October 1926, an accident on a drilling rig cost Post his left eye.
Wiley Post had dreams of fame and fortune as a pilot. Post was not going to allow the loss of his eye to force him to abandon his goals. Post took the insurance compensation, about $1800, and bought his first airplane.
In 1928 Post became a personal pilot to F.C. Hall, an Oklahoma oilman. In Hall’s plane, a Lockheed 5C Vega named Winnie Mae, Post won the Derby of the National Air Races from Los Angeles to Chicago in 1930.
Fame
Around the World Record
On June 23, 1931, flying the Winnie Mae, Post and his navigator took off from Roosevelt Field on Long Island. Post circled the globe and landed at Roosevelt Field 8 days, 15 hours, and 51 minutes later.
The flight broke the previous 20 day record held by the airship Graf Zeppelin, set in 1929.
Later that year, Post and his navigator published “Around the World in Eight Days.”
A Solo Around the World Record
In July 1933, Post equipped the Winnie Mae with a robot pilot, which would now be called autopilot, and navigational instruments.
On this flight, Post bested his 1931 record by almost a full day. And this was accomplished even though the flight was interrupted because Post had to repair the gyroscope and a bent propeller.
Post proved the value of navigational instruments and the automatic pilot.
An Interesting Comment
The famous Howard Hughes, also an avid aviator, said, “Wiley Post’s flight remains the most remarkable flight in history. It can never be duplicated. He did it alone! … It’s like pulling a rabbit out of a hat or sawing a woman in half.”
Up, Up in the Air
Post began to probe the possibilities of high-altitude, long-distance flying. But the cabin of the Winnie Mae was not pressurized. Because of this, Post, with the help of the B.F. Goodrich Company, developed the world’s first pressurized flight suit.
In 1934, Post wearing his “Man from Mars” flying suit, made an unofficial ascent to 49,000 feet.
Post proved that he could achieve significant speed increases by flying at high altitudes.
Wiley Post discovered the Jet Stream.
In a Nutshell
Post was truly a great scientific aviation pioneer His accomplishments in the advancement of aviation are immeasurable.
A Tinkerer
Post spent many hours studying various pieces of mechanical equipment, such as sewing machines and farm equipment. He would study them by disassembling and then reassembling them.
Awards and Honors
Wiley Post’s airplane, a Lockheed 5C Vega named Winnie Mae, is now part of the Smithsonian Institution’s collection.
Post received the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1932 by act of Congress and won the Collier Trophy in the same year.
In 1934, Post won the Gold Medal of Belgium and the Harmon Trophy.
New York City gave Wiley Post two ticker-tape parades and the keys to the city.
Two Presidents, Hoover and Roosevelt, honored Post.
An Early Death
On August 15, 1935 in Point Barrow, Alaska, Wiley Post and his friend, humorist Will Rogers, died in an airplane accident.
Wiley Post was only 36 years old.
Roger Connor, curator at the National Air and Space Museum, wrote, “The nation entered a state of mourning that it has rarely done outside of the death of presidents”
Wiley Post’s and Will Rogers’ names are on Oklahoma City airports.
The Oklahoma Judicial Center is located in a building named after Post, a convicted felon.
Reference Material
National Aviation Hall of Fame
Britannica Article About Wiley Post
