Monument Honors World War I Aviation Hero

A World War I aviation hero who went on to make a number of record-setting flights in the early days of American aviation history will be honored on Veteran’s Day, Nov. 11, when a monument is unveiled at Utah State University. The dedication of the monument honoring Cache Valley native Russell Maughan begins at 11 a.m. at the southeast entrance of the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.

The program will follow a military format, including a 21-gun salute and a flyover by Hill Air Force Base. Cache Valley Veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq will participate in the monument unveiling.

 

Maughan made aviation history on June 23, 1924, as the first man to fly “dawn-to-dusk” in a transcontinental flight across the United States. Flying solo in a Curtis PW-8 aircraft, he completed his record-breaking flight in 18 hours and 20 minutes with an average speed of 150 mph.

 

On the 50th anniversary of Maughan’s dawn-to-dusk flight, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., added his achievement to its prestigious Milestones of Flight, which highlights the most important moments in the history of aviation.