Lester J. Maitland

Lester J. Maitland (February 8, 1899 - March 27, 1990) was an aviation pioneer and a veteran pilot of World War I and World War II.

Early history and World War I

Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1899, Lester J. Maitland graduated from Riverside High School in 1917. He joined the United States Army Air Corps three days after the United States joined World War I and was assigned to the School of Military Aeronautics in Austin, Texas. By age nineteen he had become a flight instructor.

Between the two wars

After the War, Maitland remained in the military and was sent to Pearl Harbor where he served as a member of the 6th Aero Squadron.

By 1921, Maitland was serving as an aide to General Billy Mitchell. He was chosen as one of the pilots to take part in the sinking of the battleship Ostfriesland, which was a military experiment, set up by Mitchell in order to prove the effectiveness of air power against ships. As a result of this experiment's success aircraft carriers began to be built.

During the 1920's Maitland competed in many air races and exhibitions. On October 14, 1922 he become the first pilot in the United States to fly faster than 200 MPH. He would later break the World Absolute Speed record when he flew at a recorded speed of 244.94 MPH on March 29, 1923.

On June 28, 1927, Maitland and co-pilot Albert Francis Hegenberger flew their plane, the Bird of Paradise from California to Hawaii, becoming the first men to make this flight.

Becoming a writer was Maitland's next path in life, in 1928 his first, and only book, "Knights of the Air" was published. "Skyroads" a serialized comic strip about aviation was his next project. With artist, and fellow World War I pilot Dick Calkins, Maitland began this series in 1929. The pair continued to release "Skyroads" until they passed the writing and drawing duties to Calkins' assistant Russell Keaton in 1933.

World War II

Maitland was stationed as a commander on Clark Field in the Philippines. An attack on the field on December 8, 1941 forced him and his men to retreat to Bataan. From there he was ordered to Australia.

Reassigned to duty in the mainland of the United States, Maitland began to train the pilots of the 386th Bomb Group. At age 45, and one of the oldest pilots to fly in World War II, he and his men were one of the first groups to arrive at Boxted Airfield in England.

Maitland would go on to fly forty-four combat missions over the course of the war. He would receive the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross (his second to go with the one he received in World War I), five Air Medals and the Distinguished Unit Citation.

After World War II

In 1947, Maitland accepted the position of State Aeronautics Director, for the state of Wisconsin. He would resign two years later over his view that there was a lack of priority given to airports and flying. He accepted a similar position in Michigan and would become that state's Director of Civil Defense.

Retiring from what was then the Michigan Air National Guard in 1951, Maitland left his military career as a Brigadier General. He would go on to become a lay-minister in the Episcopal Church.

References

* [http://www.military.com/Content/MoreContent?file=ML_maitland_bkp bio from military.com]
* [http://www.aviationhalloffamewisconsin.com/inductees/maitland.htm Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame entry]
* [http://www.toonopedia.com/skyroads.htm Don Markstein's Toonopedia: "Skyroads"]