Wright-Patt figures large in first Trans-Pacific flight to Hawaii

Published July 23, 2019
By W. Eugene Barnett
88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio - The Trans-Pacific flight had been regularly requested by 1st Lt. Lester J. Maitland of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Air. On February 25, 1927 Maitland wrote a letter to 1st Lt. Albert F. Hegenberger, chief of the Instrument and Navigation Branch at McCook Field in Dayton Ohio. Maitland spoke to Hegenberger about being turned down every time he requested to fly because there was not a suitable airplane for such a long flight. Maitland now knew that the Army had the Fokker model F-VII trimotor built in the U.S., and had the Air Corps designation C-2.

“This is a fun story because it celebrates one of many instances where Wright-Patterson contributed to air power development. This trans-pacific crossing deserves a place in the top ten aerial achievements of all time because it proved that small bodies of land could be precisely navigated to over vast distances of ocean and helped define how we project air power across the oceans,” said Kenneth E. Sloat, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Historian.

Maitland asked Hegenberger if he would be willing to make the flight together. These two men were the most qualified aviators to undertake the flight. The piloting skills of Maitland were complemented by the technical skills of Hegenberger who would serve as copilot, navigator, radio operator, and flight engineer.

The C-2 did not have a name and since all previous trans-oceanic aircraft were given names by their crews, or sponsors, a member of the press came up with a name that was immediately popular, “The Bird of Paradise”.

Maitland and Hegenberger took flight from McCook Field, Dayton Ohio, on June 25, 1927. “The Bird of Paradise” was flown from McCook Field to Crissy Field, San Francisco, California. On June 27, the plane was flown to the Oakland Airport because Oakland had a long smooth unpaved runway.

On June 28, 1927 at 7:09 a.m. the Bird of Paradise lifted off with a roll of 4,600 feet at an airspeed of 93 miles per hour headed to Wheeler Field, Hawaii.

Other than their airspeed indicator and clock, the only navigation equipment were two compasses, one a conventional magnetic compass and the other an earth induction compass (which failed during the flight).

Previous flights had been unsuccessful, but the Army Air Corp had floating smoke bombs that did not work as planned, radio beacon receivers were out most of the time, and most of the precomputed celestial data was in error found in tables for planet Jupiter.

They were very close to Wheeler Field, Hawaii when the center engine failed. Carburetor icing was the culprit and carburetor air heaters had been removed to save weight. The C-2 could not fly on two engines at 10,000 feet so they dropped to just over 4,000 and the engine restarted.

“These men were both former Wright-Patters and, at the very least, share that in common with our Airmen of today, but I would suggest our Airmen have more in common with them than that, said Sloat, “This is a story where the professional competency of individuals, Maitland’s piloting skills and Hegenberger’s engineering skill, were merged into a team; a team that succeeded where others might have failed.”

History was made when they landed at Wheeler Field, at 6:29 a.m. on June 29, 1927. The trans-pacific flight took 25 hours and 50 minutes.

“They each brought a high degree of skills to the cockpit and shared of themselves freely, that’s why they succeeded. I see the same thing every day here at Wright-Patterson,” said Sloat, “In terms of air power projection, it probably fueled the minds of strategists who were thinking about strategic bombing that would eventually be so valuable in World War II.”

For more historical information, contact Kenneth Sloat, AFLCMC Historian at 937-255-2064 or email: kenneth.sloat.1@us.af.mil