Silas G. Christofferson (1890 – October 31, 1916) was an American aviator. He was the brother of Harry Christofferson, a fellow Early Bird, and the husband of aviator and X-ray technician

Edna Christofferson Edna Emma Bissner Christofferson was an American aviator, markswoman, and X-ray technician. She was the wife of pioneering aviator Silas Christofferson. Early life Edna Christofferson was the daughter of Martin and Mary Elizabeth Bissner, imm ...

. Christofferson was born in

Polk County, Iowa Polk County is located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 492,401. It is Iowa's most populous county, and home to over 15% of the state's residents. The county seat is Des Moines, which is also the capital city ...

in 1890. When he was six, his family moved to California. He had six brothers, four of whom also became aviators. The most notable of these was Harry Christofferson. By 1908, Christofferson had moved to

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wo ...

, where he worked as a chauffeur. In 1910, Christofferson co-founded the Bennett-Christofferson Airship Company in Portland, Oregon. Also named on the incorporation papers were Fred and Mabel Bennett. The company started out with a capital stock of 3000 dollars. By 1911, Christofferson and Fred Bennett were making practice flights on the artillery drill grounds of the

Vancouver Barracks Established in 1849, the Vancouver Barracks was the first U.S. Army base located in the Pacific Northwest. Built on a rise 20 feet (6 m) above the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) trading station Fort Vancouver. Its buildings were formed in a line a ...

. They were only permitted to fly in the early morning and after 4 PM to avoid spooking the mules at the barracks. On at least one of these flights, Christofferson took a passenger, Edna Becker. Becker and Christofferson married on November 19, 1912. In 1912, Christofferson flew eight miles from the roof of the 150-foot-tall Multnomah Building in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populou ...

to the

Vancouver, Washington Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, located in Clark County, Washington, Clark County. Incorporated in 1857, Vancouver has a population of 190,915 as of the 2020 Unit ...

. The flight took him twelve minutes and was observed by a crowd of over 45,000. Upon landing, he said that " ile my trip was not as pleasant as some might think, I enjoyed it immensely." The Oregonian declared it a record-setting feat, claiming Christofferson was the first to "

rust Rust is an iron oxide, a usually reddish-brown oxide formed by the reaction of iron and oxygen in the catalytic presence of water or air moisture. Rust consists of hydrous iron(III) oxides (Fe2O3·nH2O) and iron(III) oxide-hydroxide (FeO(OH), ...

his heavier-than-air machine in a start from the midst of a business section of a great city." In 1914, Christofferson reached an altitude of 15,728 feet in a flight over

Mount Whitney Mount Whitney ( Paiute: Tumanguya; ''Too-man-i-goo-yah'') is the highest mountain in the contiguous United States and the Sierra Nevada, with an elevation of . It is in East– Central California, on the boundary between California's Inyo and ...

, setting a national record. It was his second attempt of the day to fly over the mountain: his first attempt, at 5:21 AM that morning, was unsuccessful due to strong winds. On October 31, 1916, Christofferson was testing a new biplane prototype to demonstrate its safety. Two hundred feet above the ground, his engine died. He was rushed to the Redwood City Hospital by Edna and Harry. A few hours after the crash, Christofferson died of internal injuries. He was buried beside

Lincoln Beachey Lincoln Beachey (March 3, 1887 – March 14, 1915) was a pioneer American aviator and barnstormer. He became famous and wealthy from flying exhibitions, staging aerial stunts, helping invent aerobatics, and setting aviation records. He was kn ...

in Cypress Lawn Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Christofferson, Silas G. 1890 births 1916 deaths Accidental deaths in California Aviators from Iowa Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States Members of the Early Birds of Aviation People from Des Moines, Iowa Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1916

See also

References