Roy Franklin Jones (October 16, 1893 – February 17, 1974) was an aviator from the

Ketchikan, Alaska Ketchikan ( ; tli, Kichx̱áan) is a city in and the borough seat of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough of Alaska. It is the state's southeasternmost major settlement. Downtown Ketchikan is a National Historic District. With a population at the 202 ...

area. Jones learned to fly in the aviation section of the Army Signal Corps during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Jones was the first pilot to establish commercial air service in

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

. 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 and C.R. Wright to form Pioneer Airways in 1930. A veteran of

as a pilot, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Jones joined the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

, being stationed at

Ladd Field Ladd or Ladds may refer to: People *Ladd (surname) *Brent Ladds (born 1951), Canadian ice hockey administrator Places ;In the United States *Ladds, Georgia, an unincorporated community *Ladd, Illinois, village *Ladd, Missouri, an unincorporated c ...

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 Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, in 1974.

Legacy

There is a mountain named after Jones in Ketchikan; Roy Jones mountain sits near Northbird 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