Charles F. Blair Jr.

Charles F. Blair Jr. (July 19, 1909 – September 2, 1978) was an American aviation pioneer who helped work out the routes and navigation techniques necessary for long-distance flights.

He served as a reserve officer, early in his career for the United States Navy, reaching the rank of captain, and later for the United States Air Force, reaching the rank of brigadier general.

He died in a transportation accident in the Caribbean while captaining a Grumman Goose seaplane for his airline, Antilles Air Boats.

Blair was born in Buffalo, New York.

He learned to fly in San Diego and made his first solo flight at the age of 19.

In 1931, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Vermont, and the following year was commissioned an Ensign as a naval aviator and served in the Naval Reserve, attaining the rank of Lieutenant while serving a tour as a fighter pilot.

He remained in the Naval Reserve in the prewar years while taking jobs as a pilot.

He flew for Boeing Air Transport and stayed with Boeing for seven years.

In 1940, Blair became a chief pilot at American Export Airlines, later renamed American Overseas Airlines, where he trained the pilots.

When America entered World War II, Blair was called into active duty and flew with the Naval Air Transport Service, reaching the rank of captain.

He also did work with the Air Transport Command, as well as serving as a test pilot for Grumman Aircraft.

With the Naval Transport Service he flew flying boats across the Atlantic to Foynes, Ireland.

On one return trip, flying the Sikorsky VS-44, he passed up his refueling station on Newfoundland and continued on to New York.

Arriving there after 25 hours and 45 minutes in the air, he was the first to carry passengers and mail on a non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean in a flying boat, long after a number of dirigibles.

As a Grumman test pilot he worked on projects that became the Grumman F6F Hellcat, Grumman F7F Tigercat, Grumman F8F Bearcat and the Martin Mars flying boat.

Following the war, Blair was placed in charge of flight testing the Lockheed Constellation and the Boeing Stratocruiser airliners for American Overseas Airlines, and he oversaw their introduction on the new transatlantic routes.

While working for American he started his own small transport service, flying personnel and material on special request flights to areas in need.

A P-51C equipped with long-range internal fuel tanks, the aircraft had been flown by Paul Mantz, winning the transcontinental Bendix Trophy air races in 1946 and 1947, and finishing second in 1948 and third in 1949.

Rechristening the plane "Stormy Petrel" and then "Excalibur III", Blair began setting records.

He called the air service Associated Air Transport, Inc. In 1950 American Overseas Airlines merged with Pan American World Airways.

Blair was hired on as a Chief Pilot at Pan Am.

In 1950 Pan American World Airways purchased a P-51 Mustang to allow Blair a chance to attempt a new long-distance record.

On January 31, 1951, Blair flew nonstop from New York to London to test the jet stream, traveling 3478 mi at an average speed of 446 mph in seven hours and 48 minutes, setting a record for a piston engine plane.

On May 29 of the same year he flew from Bardufoss, Norway, to Fairbanks, Alaska, flying 3260 nonstop miles across the North Pole.

Captain Blair was awarded the Harmon Trophy from President Truman.

That same year he was also awarded the Gold Medal of the Norwegian Aero Club.

The Excalibur III is now on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

Blair resigned his naval commission in 1952.

Attracted by his pioneering work in long-range flights, the Air Force invited him to act as a consultant.

In April 1953 he accepted a commission in the Air Force Reserve with the rank of colonel.

For the next 15 years he split his time flying between Pan Am and the Air Force.

In 1956 Blair led three F-84s in a flight across the Atlantic Ocean, using in-air refueling.

In 1959 he was promoted to brigadier general.

Two weeks after his promotion he led a flight of two F-100 Super Sabres in a nonstop flight from England to Alaska, routing the flight over the North Pole.

Blair was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for this achievement.

Brigadier General Blair became a consultant to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in 1962.

In 1963 he founded Antilles Air Boats, which provided transport between St Thomas and St Croix in the US Virgin Islands as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Six years later he retired from Pan Am.

He slowly built Antilles Air Boats up until it operated 27 aircraft, all propeller-driven flying boats from the war years which were well suited to the short hops over water the airline specialized in.

In 1974 Blair purchased two Sandringham flying boats from Ansett Airlines that had serviced the Sydney-to-Lord Howe Island route.