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"James Hutchison, a noted aviation mechanic, excelled at patching together aircraft at crash sites so they could limp back home. He worked with aviation pioneers like Noel Wien, Ben Eielson, Harold Gillam and Joe Crosson, and worked on Arctic explorer Sir Hubert Wilkins' airplane. He repaired Wiley Post's landing gear, which was damaged on his first round-the-world solo flight. Hutchison was named Alaska Aviation Mechanic of the Year in 1972 by the Federal Aviation Agency for a design change he made on the nose wheel steering mechanism of the Hercules aircraft. He lived in the downtown Fairbanks log cabin that he and his wife bought in 1923 and where they raised their 10 children. James died in Faibanks on September 3, 1996. He was 95" Tape H85-24 Click on a section below to hear audio. |
1) Coming to Alaska.
Army/ Haines/ Valdez/ home guards/ Vancouver Barracks/ 21st Infantry/ Seattle -- shipped from/ Ketchikan/ Juneau/ Valdez -- shipped to/ summertime -- July 1919/ Gulf of Alaska/ getting sick|
2) Arriving in Valdez.
August 1919/ personnel -- getting acquainted/ singing -- quartet/ entertaining -- people on boats/ Alyeska/ military post/ freight -- unloading/ Valdez -- putting on show/ Donaldson/ bootleggers/ Bay -- froze up/ military post -- returning to it|
3) Cutting ice out of the Bay and leaving the service.
Alagonkin -- ice cutter/ Higgins/ Matson, Helen -- wife/ marriage/ service -- discharged/ Fairbanks/ railroad/ Nenana|
4) Coming to Fairbanks.
traveling -- by train/ Seward/ Curry/ roadhouse/ Nenana/ fishcamp/ Fairbanks/ Nordale/ cabin -- rented on 6th Street/ work/ Sampson Hardware/ airplane --Sir Hubert Wilkens/airplane -- busted up/ field -- Gaffney and Cushman/ Sears Robuck Building/ airplanes/ tri-motor/ engines|
5) Repairing the airplane.
Sampson Hardware/ Ross, Ed -- machinist/ landing gear/ motor mount/ welding/ airplane -- flew good/ Barrow/ Major Lanfear -- pilot/ Sgt. Wisely -- co-pilot/ Wilkins/ gas tanks/ Bettles/ Wiseman/ disagreement/ Eielson, Ben/ America -- single engine airplane/ Ricketts field|
6) Plowing a new field for airplanes to land.
Ricketts/ Cushman Street/ Tanana/ Eielson, Ben/ Wilkens/ America -- single engine airplane/ extension road/ Liberty engine/ Falker airplanes/ tri-motor/ Sampson Hardware/ Wein, Noel/ forest fire/ Wiseman/ Young, Ed|
7) Repairing an airplane's lower panels and various jobs.
lower panels/ Standard/ Wein, Ralph/ Wein, Noel/ aviation -- getting started in/ Sampson Hardware -- quit/ Gerard, Tom/ Alaska Airways/ Pacific Alaska airplanes/ rheumatism/ Circle Hot Springs/ Pollick, Frank|
8) Supplies being delivered to repair an airplane.
Old Jess/ Brennan, Lorn/ Moose Creek/ Stenson/ Road Commission/ camp/ Pollick, Frank/ Fairbanks/ Nash, Frank -- head of Road Commission/ tent frame/ stove -- two barrel|
9) Repairing the airplane.
Bockner, Jess/ Osley, Bob/ Anderson, Andy/ Quigley, Fannie/ poles/ platform extension -- built/ engine -- lift off plane/ food/ radio/ transmitter|
10) Repairing the airplane, living in the tent, and getting blood poisoning.
Bockner, Jess/ Anderson, Andy -- hauling timber/ Bob Barlett's dad -- hauled ore/ wood/ shop/ snow -- banked up/ airplane -- in tent/ wings/ blood poisoning/ Pollick, Frank/ New Years Day/ Quigley, Frank/ Dr. Southerland|
11) Seeing the doctor and getting help.
Fairbanks -- spent week/ teeth -- new ones made/ reading/ teeth -- cold and bothering him/ teeth -- sitting on stove/ Osley, Bob|
12) Finishing the repairs on the airplane so it could fly and different jobs.
Smith -- Pan American mechanic/ tent -- took down/ Anderson, Andy/ Fairbanks -- finished plane/ Chicken/ Weaver, Norm -- head mechanic/ license/ Pollick, Frank/ airplane -- rod broke/ field --bend of river/ Osley, Bob|
13) Examining a disabled airplane in a remote area.
Pollick, Frank -- flew him to examine the airplane/ airplane parts -- ordering/ Johnson/ trappers cabin/ creek/ bull moose/ raft -- tried to build/ hand ax/ airplane -- repairing|
14) Coming back to Fairbanks and finishing the repairs on the airplane.
cleaning up/ Tillman, Warren/ Smith, Cleve/ engine -- tore apart/ cylinders/ engine -- running/ Pollick, Frank -- flew plane out/ Stensons|
15) Meeting Walt Johnson again, threat of war, and people leaving the country.
Johnson, Walt/ Eielson Air Force Base/ Whitehorse/ Stensons|
16) Searching around the country for tri-motor Stensons.
Pollick, Frank/ McDonald, Terrence/ R.J. Reynolds/ K.C. Jones -- School of Aeronautics in New Jersey/ seats for tri-motor Stenson -- looking for and finding|
17) Shipping the seats and heading back to Fairbanks.
Roosevelt Field/ brother -- stayed with/ McDonald, Terrence/ Fairbanks -- flying back/ Montana/ Alaska -- need pass to get back into/ pass -- getting it/ customs/ General Gaffney|
18) Arriving in Fairbanks.
repaired seats/ airplanes -- not winterized/ McDonald, Terrence -- went to Whitehorse/ landing -- on belly/ motor -- quit/ Old Richardson Road/ airplane -- bad shape|
19) Jobs and starting a business.
Pollick, Frank -- sold out to Alaska Airlines/ Gilliams/ Kuskokwim Mail/ Bethel/ Field/ son-in-law -- built hangar/ business -- own/ Accord, Randy/ McGloughlin, Jim/ Interior Airways|
20) The story of working on an airplane up by Unalakleet.
Alaska Airways/ Eielson, Ben -- killed/ Ungalik River -- airplane forced down/ oil -- draining/ Fairchild 71/ gas cases -- full of airplane supplies/ nails/ boxes.
21) The story of working on an airplane up by Unalakleet continued.
airplane -- repaired/ weather/ taking off/ Unalakleet/ Nome/ Gilliam's airplane/ Russian boat/ landing gear -- fixed/ Siberia/ Reed, Pat -- busted up plane again/ Gleason, Bob|
22) Coming home after Unalakeet and repairing a rented airplane.
MGM/ Teller/ airplane -- hired/ Walco -- put floats on/ Pacific Alaska/ Jones, Jerry -- flew airplane/ floats/ struts/ Stenson / Walco -- fixed/ Nome/ Ruby/ engine -- cranked/ weather|
23) Trying to get the airplane out of the river bank.
Tanana/ fog/ airplane -- walked it off the bar/ floats/ beach -- low side of bar/ weather -- cold/ cutting wood/ fire/ firepot|
24) Trying to stay warm at night and warming the engine up.
float -- has a hole in it/ bent pieces/ airplane -- unloading/ unexposed film/ seat covers/ firepot/ pump/ engine -- heat to start/ airplane -- turn around|
25) Getting the airplane going and returning to Fairbanks.
dogs -- barking/ cabin -- across river/ pumping water/ engine -- warm/ boat -- coming down river/ boat -- loaded/ Vauchon -- ran a roadhouse/ Young, Ed|
26) Developing rheumatism and changes in aviation.
rheumatism/ Circle Hot Springs/ airplanes -- made out of wood/ structure -- wood/ 1025 carbon steel tubing/ 4130 comolly/ fabric to all metal airplanes/ Cessena 180/ Fairchild 71 -- tubing and fabric/ metal ribs/ Beechcraft/ Bonanza/ Super Cubs|
27) Changes in aviation and engines.
DC3/ DC2/ maintenance -- easier/ aircraft -- light/ air cool engines/ J4/ J5 -- Lindberg's engine in his plane|
28) Airplane engines.
J4/ push rods/ grease/ accidents/ valve adjustments/ J6/ Pratt Witney|
29) Being considered a Pioneer.
requirements/ aviation business/ flying -- never learned/ reason for not flying/ Wein, Ralph/ license -- didn't need one|
30) Learning to fly and flying in the old days.
Wein, Ralph/ Packard diesel engine|