Tagged: Mudhole Smith

The 1928 Stearman biplane that made Alaska aviation history

The 1928 Stearman biplane that made Alaska aviation history

The plane in the drawing is a 1928 Stearman C3B, registration number NC5415. It is, along with planes such as Ben Eielson’s World War I-era Curtis Wright JN-4 (on display at Fairbanks International Airport),...

Old Cordova Air Service hangar, built in 1935

Mudhole Smith helped build Alaska’s aviation industry

Merle “Smitty” Smith, who is now known by his more colorful nickname, “Mudhole,” became enamored of flying at an early age. According to Lone Janson’s 1981 biography of him, Smitty, who was born and...