VANCOUVER, Washington — Tucked away along the Columbia River in the southwest corner of Washington State lies the oldest airfield in continuous use in the United States. Largely ignored by aviation historians, pilots began using Pearson Field just two years after Kitty Hawk.
According to a new book, “Hidden History of Pearson Field,” the field’s first landing was by an 18-year-old boy, Lincoln Beachy, floating over the Columbia River in a dirigible carrying in his jacket pocket the first interstate airmail letters in the Pacific Northwest.
Published by The History Press, the new book tells the stories of the men and women who flew in and out of the airfield, as well as many of the airport’s unknown stories, including:
- Why the field was dedicated not once, but twice
- How the field is directly connected to the first flight around the world
- How the field aided the rise of airmail
- Why the Russian bombers made emergency landings in 1929 and 1937
- How the first airline magazine came into being
- How the field is linked to the beginnings of United Airlines
The author, Martin Middlewood, writes a weekly history column for The Columbian, called “Images from the Attic.” He earned a master’s degree in technical and professional writing from Eastern Washington University and completed graduate work in American History.
The Hidden History of Pearson Field is available for $24.95 from Arcadia Publishing and at bookstores and online booksellers.
Very interesting. Been flying for 65 years and did not know this information.