On this day in 1898, aviator Wiley Post was born.
Image: Wiley Post / San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive, Flickr
Post was born on a farm near Grand Saline, Texas to William Francis Post and Mae Laine Quinlan. At the age of five, Post’s family moved to Oklahoma. From young age, Post was enamored with aviation. In 1913, Post saw a Curtis-Wright “pusher” plane take flight for the first time and immediately enrolled in the Sweeney Automobile and Aviation School in Kansas City. During World War I, Post wanted to become a pilot with the U.S. Air Service, however, Germany surrendered before he completed his training. He went on to work in the Oklahoma oilfields, but the work was unsteady. To supplement his income, he worked as a parachutist for a flying circus. In 1926, he was badly injured in an oil-rig accident, which caused him to lose sight in his left eye. It was then that he began wearing his famous eye patch. The settlement from the accident helped him purchase his first airplane.
On July 22, 1933, Post became the first person to fly solo around the world. He accomplished his journey in 7 days, 18 hours, and 49 minutes. An aviation pioneer, Post is also remembered for making the first major practical advances in pressurized flight. While exploring the limits of high altitude long-distance flight, Post worked with Russell S. Colley to develop what became the world’s first practical pressure suit. He was eventually able to fly as high as 50,000 feet.
Sadly, Post died on August 15, 1935. He, along with his good friend humorist Will Rogers, were killed in a plane crash while flying through Alaska.
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Source: Geni.com