Noel Wien
Encyclopedia
Noel Wien was an American pioneer aviator
. He was the founder of Wien Air Alaska
, Alaska
's first airline
.
, Wien learned to fly from Ray Miller in 1921 and became a barnstormer
in Clarence W. Hinck
's Federated Fliers Flying Circus. Wien saw an opportunity to fly in Alaska and migrated there, later bringing his three brothers up from Minnesota. In 1924, with his pilot license No. 39 signed by Federation Aeronautique Internationale Official Orville Wright in hand, Wien flew his Hisso Standard biplane
to Alaska and began servicing the gold-rich territory.
His brothers Sig and Ralph Wien, were also bush pilots.
A legend among legendary pilots, when Wien first arrived in Alaska he had 538 hours of barnstorming and aerial circus stunt flying under his belt. He went on to build up a long list of firsts: he was first to fly from Fairbanks to Seattle, Fairbanks to Nome, and beyond the Arctic Circle
, across the Bering Strait
and was first to make a round-trip flight between Alaska and Asia.
He died on July 19, 1977 in Bellevue, Washington
.
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
. He was the founder of Wien Air Alaska
Wien Air Alaska
Wien Air Alaska was formed from Northern Consolidated Airlines and Wien Alaska Airways. The company was famous for being the first airline in Alaska, and one of the first in the United States.-History:...
, 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...
's first airline
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
.
Biography
Born in Lake Nebagamon, WisconsinLake Nebagamon, Wisconsin
Lake Nebagamon is a village in Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,015 at the 2000 census.-Transportation:U.S. Highway 2, U.S...
, Wien learned to fly from Ray Miller in 1921 and became a barnstormer
Barnstorming
Barnstorming was a popular form of entertainment in the 1920s in which stunt pilots would perform tricks with airplanes, either individually or in groups called a flying circus. Barnstorming was the first major form of civil aviation in the history of flight...
in Clarence W. Hinck
Clarence W. Hinck
Clarence W. Hinck , also known as "CW", was a pioneer aviator in the United States.-Family:Clarence Walter Hinck was born in Litchfield, Minnesota on September 15, 1889 to mother Clara from Sweden and father Jens Frederik Hinck from Denmark. Clarence was the fourth child of six. Lilian, the only...
's Federated Fliers Flying Circus. Wien saw an opportunity to fly in Alaska and migrated there, later bringing his three brothers up from Minnesota. In 1924, with his pilot license No. 39 signed by Federation Aeronautique Internationale Official Orville Wright in hand, Wien flew his Hisso Standard biplane
Biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two superimposed main wings. The Wright brothers' Wright Flyer used a biplane design, as did most aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage, it produces more drag than a similar monoplane wing...
to Alaska and began servicing the gold-rich territory.
His brothers Sig and Ralph Wien, were also bush pilots.
A legend among legendary pilots, when Wien first arrived in Alaska he had 538 hours of barnstorming and aerial circus stunt flying under his belt. He went on to build up a long list of firsts: he was first to fly from Fairbanks to Seattle, Fairbanks to Nome, and beyond the Arctic Circle
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For Epoch 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs north of the Equator....
, across the Bering Strait
Bering Strait
The Bering Strait , known to natives as Imakpik, is a sea strait between Cape Dezhnev, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia, the easternmost point of the Asian continent and Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, USA, the westernmost point of the North American continent, with latitude of about 65°40'N,...
and was first to make a round-trip flight between Alaska and Asia.
He died on July 19, 1977 in Bellevue, Washington
Bellevue, Washington
Bellevue is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, across Lake Washington from Seattle. Long known as a suburb or satellite city of Seattle, it is now categorized as an edge city or a boomburb. The population was 122,363 at the 2010 census.Downtown Bellevue is...
.
Legacy
- The Noel Wien Public LibraryNoel Wien Public LibraryThe Noel Wien Public Library, operated by the Fairbanks North Star Borough, is located in Fairbanks, Alaska. It has a branch library in North Pole, Alaska. Its current director is Greg Hill, who also writes a regular column for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. The library has more than 100,000...
in Fairbanks, AlaskaFairbanks, AlaskaFairbanks is a home rule city in and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska.Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska, and second largest in the state behind Anchorage...
is named after him. The library sits on the site of Weeks Field, the original airport in Fairbanks and base for many of Wien's early accomplishments. Weeks Field Park, adjacent to the library, was previously called Wien Park.
- Flying runs in the family: his sons, Noel Merrill Wien and Richard Wien, and grandsons Kurt, Michael and Kent all became commercial pilots as well.
- Noel Wien was inducted into the Minnesota Aviation History Museum Hall of Fame in 1989, the Alaska Aviation Heritage MuseumAlaska Aviation Heritage MuseumThe Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum is located in Anchorage, Alaska. Its mission is to preserve, display, and honor Alaska's aviation heritage, by preserving and displaying historic aircraft, artifacts, and memorabilia, and to foster public interest in aviation and its history...
Hall of Fame in 2000 and the National Aviation Hall of FameNational Aviation Hall of FameThe American National Aviation Hall of Fame is located at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, east Dayton, Ohio...
in 2010.