333:. 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.
165:(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
238:, 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.
226:
33:
259:
129:
294:, 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.
249:
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
352:
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,
317:
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.
343:
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,
233:
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,
318:
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
861:
396:
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
297:
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,
377:
796:
831:
336:
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,
743:
856:
826:
384:
which procured material for the war effort. While working with a team in the Amazon jungle looking for sources of rubber, Knight contracted
836:
702:
677:
650:
206:
851:
841:
290:, to North Platte where Knight was waiting, but Knight was delayed while a damaged tailskid was repaired. Knight departed for
777:
190:
132:
846:
718:
181:, as James Herbert Brockett. After his mother died in 1893, he and his sister were raised by their aunt and uncle in
275:
381:
340:, always greeted him with "Jack Knight the guy who saved the night mail", as if it were all part of his name.
537:
306:
279:
178:
53:
403:
In 1999, Knight was enshrined in the
Michigan Aviation Hall of Fame. In 1950, a children's book titled "
821:
816:
354:
282:, to continue the east-bound leg with a broken nose he received from a crash the week before in his
278:
flying east. Relay planes waited at the regularly scheduled stops in between. Knight was waiting in
366:
298:
185:. Knight took on their last name, and also picked up the nick-name "Sky" as a child. He worked in
310:
182:
365:
passenger flights and later becoming Vice-President of Safety. Knight had a vacation cottage in
258:
773:
698:
673:
646:
314:
302:
287:
283:
166:
72:
250:
unprotected cockpits as it would be difficult for pilots to find visual landmarks at night.
337:
326:
319:
267:
225:
32:
358:
291:
242:
214:
198:
511:
485:
325:
Following more fires and other landmarks across Iowa, Knight flew the next leg through
235:
202:
810:
568:
397:
330:
271:
344:
Congress at last appropriated the needed funds for the beleaguered airmail service.
270:
on Long Island, New York, heading west, while two other planes left Marina Field on
373:
246:
667:
362:
194:
142:
353:
1927, and put out for bids to the private sector. He then went on to work for
430:
128:
209:
in 1919. After the war ended, he took a job as an airmail pilot based in
380:
working in airway development. That dove-tailed into a position with the
210:
597:
385:
186:
801:
569:"On Wings of Faith: Navigating the First Day/Night Transcontinental"
460:
643:
Mavericks of the Sky - The First Daring Pilots of the U.S. Airmail
257:
224:
329:, where snow prevented a landing, and then another 120 miles to
361:
in 1934. Knight continued with United, eventually flying
286:
B mail plane. Fellow pilot Frank Yeager flew the leg from
266:
On the morning of
February 22, 1921, two mail planes left
262:
Knight with the broken nose he had during his night-flight
645:. New York: Harper Perennial. pp. 232–241, 266–268.
695:
One Pilot's Log - The Career of E.L. "Slonnie" Sloniger
862:
United States Army Air
Service pilots of World War I
672:. Southern Illinois University Press. p. 132.
213:. Knight was a member of First Christian Church in
148:
138:
123:
115:
100:
80:
61:
39:
23:
407:" was written by A.M. Anderson and R.E. Johnson.
641:Rosenberg, Berry; Macaulay, Catherine (2006).
8:
189:as a mechanical engineer before joining the
636:
634:
632:
630:
628:
626:
624:
622:
620:
618:
461:"Michigan Aviation Hall of Fame Enshrinees"
797:Smithsonian Postal Museum "Knight's Night"
744:"Jack Knight and the Iowa City connection"
31:
20:
538:"Transcontinental Flight and Jack Knight"
562:
560:
558:
455:
453:
451:
424:
422:
420:
229:Knight testing early air-to-ground radio
510:Rosenberg, Berry; Macaulay, Catherine.
416:
768:Anderson, A.M.; Johnson, R.E. (1950).
591:
589:
205:, and was discharged with the rank of
197:. Knight became a pilot instructor at
697:. Charlottesville, VA: Howell Press.
245:and his Chief of the Airmail Service
7:
542:U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission
832:United States Postal Service people
177:Knight was born March 14, 1892, in
723:Smithsonian National Postal Museum
602:Smithsonian National Postal Museum
369:, on the shores of Lake Michigan.
253:
14:
669:The American Aviation Experience
378:Civil Aeronautics Administration
127:
598:"Jack Knight Saves the Airmail"
802:Michigan Aviation Hall of Fame
217:, where he sang in the choir.
191:United States Army Air Service
133:United States Army Air Service
1:
857:American commercial aviators
827:United States airmail pilots
254:"Jack Knight's Night Flight"
119:"Jack Knight's Night Flight"
382:Defense Support Corporation
243:Postmaster General Burleson
163:James Herbert "Jack" Knight
878:
837:American aviation pioneers
16:American pilot (1892–1945)
193:in 1917 to help fight in
156:
108:
30:
693:Jerry, Sloniger (1997).
431:"James H. "Jack" Knight"
567:Allison Wright, Nancy.
852:United Airlines people
842:Aviators from Michigan
280:North Platte, Nebraska
263:
230:
179:Lincoln Center, Kansas
54:Lincoln Center, Kansas
516:mavericksofthesky.com
261:
228:
847:Aviators from Kansas
772:. Chicago: Wheeler.
512:"The Airmail Pilots"
376:, Knight joined the
355:Boeing Air Transport
666:Brady, Tim (2000).
372:At the outbreak of
367:Dune Acres, Indiana
264:
231:
183:Buchanan, Michigan
770:Pilot Jack Knight
435:earlyaviators.com
405:Pilot Jack Knight
288:Cheyenne, Wyoming
284:de Havilland DH-4
167:Charles Lindbergh
160:
159:
73:Chicago, Illinois
65:February 24, 1945
869:
784:
783:
765:
759:
758:
756:
754:
740:
734:
733:
731:
729:
715:
709:
708:
690:
684:
683:
663:
657:
656:
638:
613:
612:
610:
608:
593:
584:
583:
581:
579:
573:Airmail Pioneers
564:
553:
552:
550:
548:
533:
527:
526:
524:
522:
507:
501:
500:
498:
496:
490:FamilySearch.com
482:
476:
475:
473:
471:
457:
446:
445:
443:
441:
426:
392:Death and honors
338:Slonnie Sloniger
327:Des Moines, Iowa
320:Des Moines, Iowa
268:Hazelhurst Field
207:first lieutenant
131:
68:
49:
47:
35:
21:
877:
876:
872:
871:
870:
868:
867:
866:
807:
806:
793:
788:
787:
780:
767:
766:
762:
752:
750:
742:
741:
737:
727:
725:
717:
716:
712:
705:
692:
691:
687:
680:
665:
664:
660:
653:
640:
639:
616:
606:
604:
596:Pope, Nancy A.
595:
594:
587:
577:
575:
566:
565:
556:
546:
544:
535:
534:
530:
520:
518:
509:
508:
504:
494:
492:
484:
483:
479:
469:
467:
459:
458:
449:
439:
437:
429:Cooper, Ralph.
428:
427:
418:
413:
394:
359:United Airlines
350:
292:Omaha, Nebraska
256:
223:
215:Omaha, Nebraska
199:Ellington Field
175:
110:Aviation career
96:
87:Esther Sullivan
76:
70:
66:
57:
51:
45:
43:
26:
17:
12:
11:
5:
875:
873:
865:
864:
859:
854:
849:
844:
839:
834:
829:
824:
819:
809:
808:
805:
804:
799:
792:
791:External links
789:
786:
785:
778:
760:
735:
710:
703:
685:
678:
658:
651:
614:
585:
554:
528:
502:
477:
447:
415:
414:
412:
409:
393:
390:
349:
346:
255:
252:
241:Consequently,
236:Warren Harding
222:
219:
203:Houston, Texas
174:
171:
158:
157:
154:
153:
150:
146:
145:
140:
136:
135:
125:
121:
120:
117:
116:Famous flights
113:
112:
106:
105:
102:
98:
97:
95:
94:
93:Florence Jones
91:
88:
84:
82:
78:
77:
71:
69:(aged 52)
63:
59:
58:
52:
50:March 14, 1892
41:
37:
36:
28:
27:
24:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
874:
863:
860:
858:
855:
853:
850:
848:
845:
843:
840:
838:
835:
833:
830:
828:
825:
823:
820:
818:
815:
814:
812:
803:
800:
798:
795:
794:
790:
781:
775:
771:
764:
761:
749:
745:
739:
736:
724:
720:
719:"Jack Knight"
714:
711:
706:
704:9781574270488
700:
696:
689:
686:
681:
679:9780809323715
675:
671:
670:
662:
659:
654:
652:0-06-052950-4
648:
644:
637:
635:
633:
631:
629:
627:
625:
623:
621:
619:
615:
603:
599:
592:
590:
586:
574:
570:
563:
561:
559:
555:
543:
539:
536:Mola, Roger.
532:
529:
517:
513:
506:
503:
491:
487:
486:"1900 Census"
481:
478:
466:
462:
456:
454:
452:
448:
436:
432:
425:
423:
421:
417:
410:
408:
406:
401:
399:
398:Lake Michigan
391:
389:
387:
383:
379:
375:
370:
368:
364:
360:
357:which became
356:
347:
345:
341:
339:
334:
332:
328:
323:
321:
316:
312:
308:
304:
300:
295:
293:
289:
285:
281:
277:
273:
272:San Francisco
269:
260:
251:
248:
244:
239:
237:
227:
220:
218:
216:
212:
208:
204:
200:
196:
192:
188:
184:
180:
172:
170:
168:
164:
155:
151:
147:
144:
141:
137:
134:
130:
126:
122:
118:
114:
111:
107:
103:
99:
92:
89:
86:
85:
83:
79:
74:
64:
60:
55:
42:
38:
34:
29:
22:
19:
769:
763:
751:. Retrieved
747:
738:
728:February 28,
726:. Retrieved
722:
713:
694:
688:
668:
661:
642:
605:. Retrieved
601:
578:February 28,
576:. Retrieved
572:
547:February 28,
545:. Retrieved
541:
531:
519:. Retrieved
515:
505:
493:. Retrieved
489:
480:
468:. Retrieved
464:
440:February 27,
438:. Retrieved
434:
404:
402:
395:
374:World War II
371:
351:
342:
335:
324:
307:Grand Island
296:
265:
247:Otto Praeger
240:
232:
176:
162:
161:
109:
67:(1945-02-24)
18:
822:1945 deaths
817:1892 births
195:World War I
143:World War I
25:Jack Knight
811:Categories
779:1479416576
465:Airzoo.org
411:References
348:Later life
173:Early life
152:Lieutenant
46:1892-03-14
748:icgov.org
331:Iowa City
299:Lexington
124:Air force
90:Lois Haag
753:March 1,
607:March 1,
521:March 1,
495:March 1,
470:March 1,
311:Columbus
276:Presidio
211:Nebraska
101:Children
386:malaria
315:Fremont
303:Kearney
221:Airmail
187:Chicago
139:Battles
81:Spouses
776:
701:
676:
649:
774:ISBN
755:2021
730:2021
699:ISBN
674:ISBN
647:ISBN
609:2021
580:2021
549:2021
523:2021
497:2021
472:2021
442:2021
363:DC-3
149:Rank
75:, US
62:Died
56:, US
40:Born
274:'s
201:in
169:.
813::
746:.
721:.
617:^
600:.
588:^
571:.
557:^
540:.
514:.
488:.
463:.
450:^
433:.
419:^
400:.
388:.
322:.
313:,
309:,
305:,
301:,
782:.
757:.
732:.
707:.
682:.
655:.
611:.
582:.
551:.
525:.
499:.
474:.
444:.
104:1
48:)
44:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
