- Ed Musick
Edwin C. Musick (August 13, 1894,
St. Louis, Missouri –January 11 ,1938 ,Pago Pago, American Samoa ) was Chief Pilot forPan American World Airways and pioneered many of Pan Am's transoceanic routes including the famous route across thePacific Ocean on theChina Clipper .Musick learned flying at a flying school in
Los Angeles in the years leading up toWorld War I . In 1917 he joined the Aviation Section,U.S. Signal Corps (later called theUnited States Army Air Service ) in San Diego as a flight instructor. During the war he taught at airfields inWichita Falls ,Texas , andMiami ,Florida . It was in Florida after the war that Musick founded his own flying school and surpassed the 10,000 flying hours mark., Florida, that same year. Musick was promoted to chief pilot for Pan American's Caribbean Division in 1930.
In 1934, Musick was chosen to make the trial flights for the new Sikorsky S-42 flying boat. During these stringent test flights, Musick collected 10 world records for seaplanes. Musick's work on these trials led to him piloting the first two trans-Pacific survey routes for Pan American in 1935.
Because of his exploits with Pan American, Musick was one of the best known pilots of the 1930s, even making the cover of
Time Magazine on December 2, 1935. Also that year, he received theHarmon Trophy . At one point during the 1930s, Musick held more flying records than any other pilot.Musick and his crew died on the S-42
Samoan Clipper over Pago Pago, American Samoa, on a survey flight toAuckland, New Zealand . Sometime after take-off the aircraft experienced trouble and Musick turned it back toward Pago Pago. As the crew began dumping fuel in preparation for an emergency landing a spark in the fuel pump caused an explosion that tore the aircraft apart in mid-air.Musick Point inAuckland Harbour is named after him.References
*"Wings to the Orient, Pan American Clipper Planes 1935 to 1945." Author: Stan Cohen. Publisher: Pictorial Histories.
External links
* [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/archive/covers/0,16641,1101351202,00.html "Time Magazine" cover]
*
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