Frank Hern
April 25, 1927, Santa Cruz, California — April 28, 1966, Aishihik, Yukon Territories, Canada
Buried in Seldovia City Cemetery Plot #96FRANK LYN HERN was born on April 25, 1926 in Santa Cruz, California to Royal Franklin and Ruby Alice (Powell) Hern. He attended Mission Hill school and later moved with his family to Seattle where he continued his schooling. Later his family returned to Santa Cruz.
In his mid-teens, Frank joined the United States Army Transport Service as a merchant mariner. ATS operated Army transport ships for both troop transport and cargo service between United States ports and overseas posts. He was present when Dutch Harbor was bombed, being only 16 at the time. While with the ATS Hern’s travels included Kiska, Hawaii and Attu.
He enlisted in the army air corps in December, 1943, before he was 18, although he was not called until June of the following year. He received most of his training in Texas, first at Amarillo, then Scott’s field and finally Harlingen field from which he was graduated November 16, 1944, as a tail gunner on a B-24. Following a leave at Christmas, Hern was transferred to Walla Walla, Wash., army air field where he completed his final training aboard the Liberator.
By 1966, Frank was living in Seldovia, and working as a bush pilot of Cook Inlet Aviation. In the intervening years he raced hydroplanes, motorcycles and sports cars and was a certified aviation ground school instructor.
His final adventure was to be an attempt at setting a new world record in light plane straight line distance flight. He planned to fly, non-stop, at least 3,600 miles in his Cessna 150 from Fairbanks Alaska to Tallahassee, Florida, to crack the existing 2,647-mile record in the 1,102 to 2,204-pound weight category set in 1956 by a Czechoslovakian.
Frank picked up his brand new 1966 Model 150 Commuter at the Cessna Aircraft Company in Wichita, Kansas on March 14 and immediately began preparations for the April flight. He intended to paint the “City of Seldovia, Alaska,” on the 150’s fuselage and place a replica of the Alaska flag on the vertical tail fin of the plane.
Sadly, on April 28, 1966, Frank Hern crashed and was killed early in the record flight near Aishihik, Yukon Territory, Canada. The cause of the crash was listed as a Stall by investigators, due to the airplane being overloaded.
The area was so remote that the wreckage was not found until 5 months after the crash. With 20/20 hindsight, we can speculate that Hern likely got trapped in a mountain pass, and was unable to climb because the airplane was loaded 700-800 pounds over gross weight. It is ironic and sad to read in the press release that “Hern’s bush-pilot knowledge of the 8,000 to 10,000 peaks of the Canadian Rockies is to his advantage in that he can choose either to climb over the peaks or fly through their passes.”
Alaskan Bush Pilot Plans Non-stop Distance Record in a Cessna 150
Source: Cessna News March 23, 1966
WICHITA, KANSAS–An Alaskan bush pilot, 39-year-old Frank Hern of Seldovia, Alaska, is in Wichita to complete preparations for an April attempt at a world’s light plane straight line distance record in his new Cessna 150.
Hern plans to fly at least 3,600 miles in his small two-seat aircraft to crack the existing 2,647-mile record in the 1,102 to 2,204-pound weight category set in 1956 by a Czechoslovakian. The record was established by Frantisek Novah in a Sokal model in a flight from Brno, Czechoslovakia to Kulunda, Russia.
The nonstop flight planned by Hern is to start at Fairbanks, Alaska, cross the Canadian Rockies and continue on southeast towards Tallahassee, Florida.
Hern’s flight already has been sanctioned by the National Aeronautic Association in Washington, D. C., which operates under the auspices of the Federation Aeronautique Internationale. This is the international organization responsible for checking and verifying all official aviation record claims. For the next 90 days, beginning March 21, Hern will be the only person allowed this sanction for a straight line distance hop in that weight category.
The Alaskan picked up his 1966 Model 150 Commuter at the Cessna Aircraft Company on March 14 and immediately began preparations for the April flight. The Javelin Aircraft Company in Wichita, specializing in manufacture of special aircraft fuel systems, is installing a 125-gallon fuel tank in the fuselage. Together with the aircraft’s auxiliary long range wing tanks, total useable fuel will be approximately 160 gallons.
The Cessna 150 has a 100 horsepower Continental engine and cruises at 120 mph. On climb-out, the aircraft has the capability to ascend at 670 feet per minute and has a service ceiling of 12,650 feet.
Hern says he intends to paint the “City of Seldovia, Alaska,” on the 150’s fuselage and place a replica of the Alaska flag on the vertical tail fin of the plane.
According to the bush pilot, planning stages of the venture has been in the works for months and he has “set up many a night” examining flight charts. Hern, now on a leave of absence from Cook Inlet Aviation Company, said he decided on a Cessna 150 for the task and placed his order with Cessna in early January.
A 10,000 hour and 20-year pilot, Hern has a commercial license with multi-engine, land, sea, instructor and instrument instructor ratings in addition to a ground school instructor rating.
The record attempt will be made on an IFR flight plan and will start when advantageous weather exists along the proposed flight route. The flight is expected to last in excess of 30 hours with a fair amount of those hours occurring at night. Hern’s bush-pilot knowledge of the 8,000 to 10,000 peaks of the Canadian Rockies is to his advantage in that he can choose either to climb over the peaks or fly through their passes.
Nourishment during the flight will consist of a high protein chocolate drink, water, and malted milk tablets.
[Winnipeg Free Press Newspaper Archives, May 2, 1966, p.3]
Fairbanks News Miner: Sept. 26, 1966 - Wreckage believed to be that of a plane piloted by long-distance flier Frank Hern, of Seldovia, missing since April 28 on a flight from Fairbanks, has been spotted near Aishihik, Y.T. Hawley W. Evans, owners of Fairbanks Air Service, and John Jensen of Tok, first spotted the wreckage yesterday as they were returning from the states with a new plane. “We were flying between Burwash and Aishihik, at about 10,000 feet, above the clouds. My co-pilot had a hole on his side, and looked down and saw the plane” Evans said. “It was in a blind canyon along one of the creeeks going into Talbot Creek, east of BUrwash Landing” he said. Evans said he and Jensen didn’t realize the wreckage might be the missiong Hern plane, but when he radioed to Floyd Miller, Northway customs officer who has been independently searching for Hern all summer, Miller alerted the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. An RCMP spokesman haid a chartered helicopter left at 8 am tody for the site of the wreckage. He said the helicopter team might have to land some distance from the wreckage and walk in. Jensen, who alerted the News-Miner and Miller returned to the wreckage scene last night. Jense
Date: 28-APR-1966 Time: 19:41 Type: Silhouette image of generic C150 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different Cessna 150F Owner/operator: Private Registration: N6934F C/n / msn: 150-63564 Fatalities: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Substantial Category: Accident Location: near Aishihik,Yukon Territories - Canada Phase: En route Nature: Private Departure airport: Fairbanks, Alaska, USA Destination airport: Tallahassee, Florida, USA
Narrative:
On April 28, 1966, Frank Hern crashed and was killed early in the record flight near Aishihik, Yukon Territory, Canada. The cause of the crash was listed as a Stall by investigators, due to the airplane being overloaded. The area was so remote that the wreckage was not found until 5 months after the crash.
With 20/20 hindsight, we can speculate that Hern likely got trapped in a mountain pass, and was unable to climb because the airplane was loaded 700-800 pounds over gross weight. It is ironic and sad to read in the press release that “Hern’s bush-pilot knowledge of the 8,000 to 10,000 peaks of the Canadian Rockies is to his advantage in that he can choose either to climb over the peaks or fly through their passes.”
The accident occurred at approximately 7:40 pm which in April would have been near total darkness. Why would Frank Hern choose to fly in the most mountainous part of his flight in darkness? In 1966 that part of the world had little in the way of navigational aids. Despite his bush-pilot experience, it appears Frank Hern fell victim to miscalculation and overconfidence.
Road & Track Magazine November 1953:
“A strange assortment of cars lined up for the feature of the day.” The author was Bill Brant and the feature race noted was the Seafair Trophy at the inaugural Seafair Sports Car Races held on Saturday August 8, 1953 at Paine Air Force Base in Everett, Washington. Not only was the assortment of cars “strange,” this was a race weekend that almost didn’t happen. Apparently the
Seafair Committee did not initially understand the level of interest in sports car racing at this time. However, with considerable prodding from the Northwestern Region of the SCCA, the Puget Sound Sports Car Club, the Air Force and the Seafair Celebration, the race was not only approved, but was scheduled in conjunction with the following day’s unlimited hydroplane “Gold Cup” race on Lake Washington. It turned out that the sports car guys were right as spectators arrived in droves…25,000 of them!
The 48-lap, 100-mile feature race was contested by an assortment of 11 strange and wonderful automobiles driven by soon-to-be racing legends and some forever-unknowns. Bill Stroppe and his mighty Mercury-milled Kurtis was the overall race winner that day. Bill Pollack finished 2nd in a C-Type Jaguar, followed by Frank Hern in a modified Jag and Pete Lovely in a Porsche Super.