Aviation

Aviation

Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...

 has occupied a unique position in Alaska

Alaska

Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...

 since it was first introduced. Since the road system is largely confined to the major population centers, air service to the Interior

Alaska Interior

The Alaska Interior covers most of the U.S. state's territory. It is largely wilderness. Mountains include Mount McKinley in the Alaska Range, the Wrangell Mountains, and the Ray Mountains....

 and western Alaska, as well as the Aleutian Islands, allowed for the influx of settlers, the year-round contact of villages with the state's larger cities and services, and rapid transportation of people and goods throughout the state.

Notable pilots

• Carl Ben Eielson (1897–1929)
• Linious McGee (1897–1968)
• Russel Hyde Merrill
  Russel Merrill
  Russel Hyde Merrill was an Alaskan aviation pioneer. Born in Des Moines, Iowa, he became a U.S. Navy pilot during World War I, becoming Naval Aviator No. 469...
  
   (1894–1929)
• Ingrid Pederson, first person to fly a small airplane over the North Pole
• Noel Wien
  Noel Wien
  Noel Wien was an American pioneer aviator. He was the founder of Wien Air Alaska, Alaska's first airline.-Biography:...
  
  (1899–1977)