A NOTED PILOT.

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 395, 31 March 1937, Page 6

A NOTED PILOT.

CLIPPER’S COMMANDER Skill and Reliability. Solemn, quiet, and almost gloomy. Captain Edwin C. Muui’clX, commander of the Pan-iAmericaki Clipper, has probably contributed more real know ledge of ocean flying to aviation than all the spectacular fliers. Pioneer of most of the Pan-American routes, he made aviation history last year by flying the China Clipper from San Francisco to Manila. A taciturn pilot, who dislikes excitement, and always puts reliability first, “Pop” Musick, as he is called, has grown up with Pan-American Airways, and is now their senior pilot. He has spent over 12,000 hours in the air, and has never had a serious accident or lost a passenger in more than 1,000,000 miles of flying. Long EKperierjce. Captain Musick Lias been in commercial aviation for 23 years, and five years of his life have been tpen. in an aeroplane. He began the first of those 12,000 hours in 1913 at Los Afngeles, and by the time of the Great War he was an accomplished pilot. Trained men were rare in those 'days', so he v.'as assigned to teaching, first at Wichita Falls, Kansas, and later at Miami, Florida.

In 1921 Captain Musick joined one of the first commercial air lines in the United States —the _ Aeromarine Flying Service, which ran machines between Bimini, Nassau, land Havana. On this service he received invaluable flying-boat practice and started building his reputation.

Four years later Juan Terry Trippe organised a little ferry-boat air line to fly the 93 miles between Havana and Kej West, Florida, and gave it a resounding title —Pan-American Air L ways. The line needed a pilot who knew what a tropical hurricane looked like, and- also how to handle a flying-boat. Captain Musick got the position. Development of Company. Pan-American Airways' began to grow steadily, and soon Juan Terry Trippe became president of as organislation which covered Latin America and the Caribbean Sea and better flying-boats were built, and Captain Musick developed into one of the finest ocean flyers in the world. Then after he had made more than 1100 round trips out of Midmi for Gatin American ports, Pan-American Airways' began operations in the North Pacific, an'd Captain Musick was the man selected to make the first test flights between San Francisco and Honolulu. After months of patient planning, he flew the Pioneer Clipper to Manila, and then put the seal on his achievements as an ocean pilot by taking the China Clipper over the same route to inaugurate the first commercial service.

In 1935 the American branch of the International League of Aviators awarded the Harmon trophy to Captain Musick for his pioneer work <Jn the North Pacific service, and his flights from San Francisco to Honolulu. •