Roy Franklin Jones (October 16, 1893 – February 17, 1974) was an aviator from the
Ketchikan, Alaska area. Jones learned to fly in the aviation section of the Army Signal Corps during
World War I.
Jones was the first pilot to establish commercial air service in
Alaska. On July 17, 1922, pilot Roy Jones and mechanic Gerald Smith landed at Ketchikan in the Tongass Narrows. There had been several mechanical breakdowns and some bad weather en route. Jones flew a Curtiss MF-6-K Seagull, named ''Northbird'', an open cockpit biplane equipped with a Hispano-Suiza 180 HP engine.
On the day he arrived, Jones sent a telegraph ahead to say he would arrive in 90 minutes. When he arrived there was a crowd which carried Jones to Pioneer Hall where Joe Ulmer gave a welcome speech. He stayed in the area, using ''Northbird'' to operate under the name Northbird Aviation Company. The airline did not prosper, as Jones crashed the
flying boat
A flying boat is a type of fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in that a flying boat's fuselage is purpose-designed for floatation and contains a hull, while floatplanes rely on fusela ...
in
Heckman Lake in 1923.
Jones continued living in Ketchikan until 1928.
Jones later became involved with another Alaskan airline, joining
Vern C. Gorst
Vern is a masculine given name, often a short form (hypocorism) of Vernon, Lavern or other names. People named Vern include:
* Vernon Vern Bakalich (1929–2015), New Zealand rugby league player
* Verdi Vern Barberis (1928–2005), Australian w ...
and
C.R. Wright to form
Pioneer Airways
Pioneer commonly refers to a settler who migrates to previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited land.
In the United States pioneer commonly refers to an American pioneer, a person in American history who migrated west to join in settling and dev ...
in 1930.
A veteran of
World War I as a pilot, during
World War II Jones joined the
United States Army Air Forces, being stationed at
Ladd Field,
Fairbanks
Fairbanks is a home rule city 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 the second largest in the state. The 2020 Census put the po ...
, from where he retired as a Major in the reserves post-war.
Jones died in
Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1974.
Legacy
There is a mountain named after Jones in Ketchikan; Roy Jones mountain
[
] sits near
Northbird
Northbird, also known as Northbird Peak, is a mountain summit in Alaska, United States.
Description
Northbird is located 3.7 miles (5.9 km) northeast of Ketchikan on Revillagigedo Island, on land managed by Tongass National Forest. Pre ...
mountain, which was, in turn, named after Jones' first airline.
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Roy (aviator)
1893 births
1974 deaths
Aviators from Alaska
People from Ketchikan, Alaska
Commercial aviators
American military personnel of World War I