Jack Knight (aviator)
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James Herbert "Jack" Knight (March 14, 1892 – February 24, 1945) was an American pilot who made the first overnight transcontinental air mail delivery. Knight was part of an airmail relay team that flew 2,629 miles across the United States on February 22–23, 1921 in an effort to show that the airmail service was much faster than the railroads. When all the other pilots were weathered-in or broken-down, Knight flew extra relay sections through the night in snow and fog and is credited with saving the airmail service from political decommission. "Jack Knight's Night Flight" made him the most famous pilot in America in the era prior to
Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, and author. On May 20–21, 1927, he made the first nonstop flight from New York (state), New York to Paris, a distance of . His aircra ...
.


Early life

Knight was born March 14, 1892, in
Lincoln Center, Kansas Lincoln Center, more commonly known as Lincoln, is a city in and the county seat of Lincoln County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,171. History Settler George Green founded the town of Lincol ...
, as James Herbert Brockett. After his mother died in 1893, he and his sister were raised by their aunt and uncle in
Buchanan, Michigan Buchanan is a city in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,300 at the 2020 census. The city is located at the southeast corner of Buchanan Township, about west of Niles. History The community was named after Ja ...
. Knight took on their last name, and also picked up the nick-name "Sky" as a child. He worked in
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
as a mechanical engineer before joining the
United States Army Air Service The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial warf ...
in 1917 to help fight in
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. Knight became a pilot instructor at
Ellington Field Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base is a joint installation shared by various active component and reserve component military units, as well as aircraft flight operations of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under the aegi ...
in
Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
, and was discharged with the rank of
first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...
in 1919. After the war ended, he took a job as an airmail pilot based in
Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...
. Knight was a member of First Christian Church in
Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...
, where he sang in the choir.


Airmail

The U.S. transcontinental mail route began operating in September 1920. But, since pilots did not fly after dark, the mail was transferred to a railcar to travel during the night. At dawn, a waiting plane would take the mail sacks and fly on. However, newly elected president,
Warren Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents w ...
, and some Congressmen began to talk openly about ending federal airmail subsidies. Questions of safety of flying the mail were not without merit. In the prior three years 17 airmail service pilots had died in crashes traced to mechanical or weather-related causes. Airmail pilots at the time virtually flew by the seat of their pants. Their instrument panel only included a magnetic compass for navigation which oscillated from north to south in rough weather. They also flew dangerously low in bad weather, skimming rivers, railroad tracks, and towns at treetop level in order to see where they were going. Consequently, Postmaster General Burleson and his Chief of the Airmail Service
Otto Praeger Otto Praeger (February 27, 1871 – February 4, 1948) was the Washington, D.C., postmaster from 1913 to 1915 and was the Second Assistant United States Postmaster General from 1915 to 1921. He was responsible for implementing airmail from 1918 to ...
devised a plan to demonstrate airmail's potential. They would have mail flown across the country completely by air, without using the railroad, and chose George Washington's birthday February 22, 1921, for the all-air cross-country test. This flight would not be an easy task for the pilots flying in unprotected cockpits as it would be difficult for pilots to find visual landmarks at night.


"Jack Knight's Night Flight"

On the morning of February 22, 1921, two mail planes left
Hazelhurst Field Roosevelt Field is a former airport, located in the East Garden City section of Uniondale, on Long Island, New York, United States. Originally called the Hempstead Plains Aerodrome, or sometimes Hempstead Plains field or the Garden City Aer ...
on Long Island, New York, heading west, while two other planes left Marina Field on
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
's
Presidio A presidio (''jail, fortification'') was a fortified base established by the Spanish Empire mainly between the 16th and 18th centuries in areas under their control or influence. The term is derived from the Latin word ''praesidium'' meaning ''pr ...
flying east. Relay planes waited at the regularly scheduled stops in between. Knight was waiting in
North Platte, Nebraska North Platte is a city in and the county seat of Lincoln County, Nebraska, United States. It is located in the west-central part of the state, along Interstate 80, at the confluence of the North and South Platte Rivers forming the Platte River. ...
, to continue the east-bound leg with a broken nose he received from a crash the week before in his
de Havilland DH-4 The Airco DH.4 is a British two-seat biplane day bomber of the First World War. It was designed by Geoffrey de Havilland (hence "DH") for Airco, and was the first British two-seat light day-bomber capable of defending itself. It was design ...
B mail plane. Fellow pilot Frank Yeager flew the leg from
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, to North Platte where Knight was waiting, but Knight was delayed while a damaged tailskid was repaired. Knight departed for
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, at 10:44pm not knowing that the relief pilot scheduled to meet him in Omaha was stuck in a snowstorm in Chicago. That same storm had also stopped the other westbound pilot, whose mail was being loaded onto a train. Knight was unaware that he was the only pilot left flying and that the future of airmail could depend on him. Through the cold night he was able to see signal fires lit by post office employees, airfield managers, and even local farmers. "I felt as if I had a thousand friends on the ground, Lexington, Kearney, Grand Island,
Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451–1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, the capital city of the U.S. state of Ohio * Columbus, Georgia, a city i ...
, Fremont slipped by, warm glows of well-wishers beneath the plane's wing. And then, I saw the lights of Omaha" he stated about that first leg. Landing at Omaha after 1:00AM on the 22nd, Knight learned that he was the only pilot still flying, as the east bound leg had also been grounded by the snowstorm. However, after warming himself, Knight chose to continue the flight, despite the threatening storm and the fact that he had never flown east of Omaha. Knight departed at 2:00AM for the next leg of the flight to
Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...
. Following more fires and other landmarks across Iowa, Knight flew the next leg through
Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...
, where snow prevented a landing, and then another 120 miles to
Iowa City Iowa City is the largest city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. At the time of the 2020 census the population was 74,828, making it the state's fifth-most populous city. The Iowa City metropolitan area, which enc ...
. At Iowa City, everyone had gone home believing the planes had been grounded due to the weather. The airport night-watchman was the only one there and heard the plane coming. He set out two railroad flares to mark the airport and could see the plane lining up for landing. In the -12°f (-24°c) stopover, Knight left the engine running for fear it wouldn't restart, drank some coffee, ate a ham sandwich, refueled, and departed at 6:30AM for the final 200 miles to Chicago. At 8:40AM, Knight reached Chicago's Checkerboard Field. His all-night flight had covered 830 miles and he had found his way using a basic compass and a small, torn section of road map. Newspaper reporters were waiting for Knight in Chicago, and his flight made front-page headlines nationwide. Knight admitted later that his broken nose, sub-zero temperatures, frozen wind and bumpy air made the flight especially brutal. The papers extensively wrote about "Jack Knight's Night Flight" making him the most famous pilot in the Pre-Lindbergh era. Fellow airmail pilot and friend, Slonnie Sloniger, always greeted him with "Jack Knight the guy who saved the night mail", as if it were all part of his name. Though Knight was a hero, the feat was a team victory as two other pilots continued on to New York. All together, seven pilots had taken part in the transcontinental flight, taking 33 hours 20 minutes to fly 2,629 miles (3,652 kilometers). Impressed by the feat and by the wide public acclaim, Congress at last appropriated the needed funds for the beleaguered airmail service.


Later life

After becoming a household name, Knight worked with the Postal Service and local civic leaders to set up a system of navigational beacons and emergency landing strips. Knight ended up the top airmail pilot with over 417,000 miles flown in the airmail service when it was disbanded on September 1, 1927, and put out for bids to the private sector. He then went on to work for
Boeing Air Transport United Air Lines was formed in 1931 as a subsidiary of United Aircraft and Transport Corporation to manage its airlines that were originally acquired by William Boeing, including Boeing Air Transport, Pacific Air Transport, Varney Air Lines, and ...
which became
United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois that operates an extensive domestic and international route network across the United States and six ...
in 1934. Knight continued with United, eventually flying
DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper ...
passenger flights and later becoming Vice-President of Safety. Knight had a vacation cottage in
Dune Acres, Indiana Dune Acres is a town in Westchester Township, Porter County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 234 as of the 2020 census. Dune Acres is located in the duneland of the south shore of Lake Michigan. Many residents of Dune Acres and ...
, on the shores of Lake Michigan. At the outbreak of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Knight joined the Civil Aeronautics Administration working in airway development. That dove-tailed into a position with the Defense Support Corporation which procured material for the war effort. While working with a team in the Amazon jungle looking for sources of rubber, Knight contracted
malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...
.


Death and honors

The malaria contracted in South America had weakened him to the point he was unable to recover after a serious fall. Knight died on February 24, 1945, in Chicago. His ashes were scattered over
Lake Michigan Lake Michigan ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...
. In 1999, Knight was enshrined in the Michigan Aviation Hall of Fame. In 1950, a children's book titled "''Pilot Jack Knight''" was written by A.M. Anderson and R.E. Johnson.


References


External links


Smithsonian Postal Museum "Knight's Night"Michigan Aviation Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knight 1892 births 1945 deaths United States airmail pilots American aviation pioneers Aviators from Michigan Aviators from Kansas United Airlines people American commercial aviators United States Army Air Service pilots of World War I