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The ECAMS

The Daily Briefing

Crossword · Sudoku · Trivia

August 15, 2026THEECAMS.COM

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This Day in Aviation

1935

This Day in Aviation: 15 August 1935

On 15 August 1935, pioneering aviator Wiley Post and humorist Will Rogers perished in a crash near Point Barrow, Alaska. Post, a solo around-the-world flyer and pressure suit developer, was scouting a U.S.-to-Russia air mail route with his famous friend. Their aircraft, a hybrid Lockheed built from a Model 9E Orion fuselage and a Model 7 Explorer wing, bore the restricted registration NR12283. Lockheed engineers had refused the dangerous modifications, but Pacific Airmotive in Burbank completed the work.

After landing on Walakpa Bay in dense fog, the pair taxied and took off north. At 50 feet, the Pratt & Whitney Wasp S3H1 engine stopped. The plane pitched down, rolled right, and crashed upside down after its wing struck mud. Local resident Clair Okpheah ran for help. A rescue party arrived 16 hours later to recover the bodies. Post's wristwatch had stopped at 8:18 p.m. No official explanation for the engine failure was ever established.

Trivia

1. What modification did Wiley Post request for his hybrid Lockheed aircraft that Lockheed engineers considered dangerous?

  1. A. Installing a larger Pratt & Whitney Wasp S3H1 engine
  2. B. Replacing the retractable landing gear with pontoons
  3. C. Combining the fuselage of a Model 9E Orion with a Model 7 Explorer wing
  4. D. Adding a three-bladed Hamilton Standard variable-pitch propeller
Show answer

B. The evidence states: 'Post also wanted to replace the retractable landing gear with pontoons for water landings.' It further notes that 'Lockheed engineers were of the opinion that the hybrid aircraft and the other modifications which were requested by Post were dangerous and refused to do the work.

2. Which crossword answer matches this clue: Bring an aircraft to a halt?

  1. A. ROC
  2. B. STOP
  3. C. SEAL
  4. D. AIRTRANSAT
Show answer

B. STOP is the matching crossword entry.

3. Which crossword answer matches this clue: Direction towards the rear of an aircraft?

  1. A. TPA
  2. B. AFT
  3. C. AAS
  4. D. HSI
Show answer

B. AFT is the matching crossword entry.