Richard Wien, 89, Noel Wien's son and family historian, talked about his father's beginnings as a pilot and his own time as a teenager and later pilot.

Wien said his father would also recognize pilots such as Ben Eielson and Noel's brother Ralph, as well as Joe Crosson, Russell Merril and Harold Gillam.

“Everyone contributed in their own way to bringing aviation to Alaska,” Wien said. “Whenever my biological father was honored, he never forgot to recognize the mechanics who made it possible for the pilots to fly.”

Richard Wien noted that his father was the only pilot in the Territory of Alaska for two years, 1924 and 1925. Noel Wien performed many firsts in the years that followed, including the first flight across the Arctic Circle in October 1924, the first commercial flight from Fairbanks to Nome in 1925, and the first flight from Alaska to Siberia in 1929, delivering furs to a ship trapped in the ice.

Noel Wien's aviation career in Alaska began with the Fairbanks Airplane Company with his brother Ralph, a mechanic. The brothers left the company in 1925. Noel returned to the Lower 48 to work as an airline pilot before returning with his brother Fritz in 1927.

The Wiens first worked with Gene Miller in 1927, making deliveries to Bush from Nome before striking out on their own in the summer of that year. After founding Wien Alaska Airways, Noel operated weekly flights from Fairbanks to Nome, as well as special airmail flights during the departure season. He later taught Ralph and Fritz to fly.

Noel and Ralph Wien sold their company to Avco in 1929, which merged with others to form Alaskan Airways, for which Noel Wien continued to fly even after his marriage to Ada Bering Arthurs of Nome.

Ada and Noel left Alaska in 1930 to give birth to their first child and went to Minnesota, but the couple planned to return after the birth. Ralph Wien died in a plane crash in Kotzebue in 1930.

Noel Wien flew for Alaskan Airways again until August 1932, when a non-compete clause expired and he re-founded Wien Airways.

Richard Wien noted that he and his brother Merrill learned valuable lessons in careful flying from their father as they followed in the aviator's footsteps.

“He instilled in us that we must always bring the plane home and do a good job and never allow ourselves to be pressured to fly when the conditions are not right,” he said, adding that this year 13 Wiens from three generations would follow in Noel Wien's footsteps.

“The story of Noel Wien's daring life as an aviator culminated in many milestones,” said Jay Ramras, owner of Pike's Lodge and ceremony emcee. “The nonstop flight in a biplane with no cabin, no radar or weather information from Anchorage to Fairbanks in July 1924 is just one of those milestones in a storied life.”

Dignitaries tell aviation history

Speakers included Governor Mike Dunleavy, Lieutenant Governor Nancy Dahlstrom, and U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, and there was an impromptu parable by former Governor Frank Murkowski.

“Noel Wien was a pioneer of aviation in Alaska and the result changed this state like no other,” Dunleavy said. “In doing so, he opened up this state from one end to the other.”

Dunleavy noted that aviation is a critical backbone of the state's transportation, with 237 state airports and “more airplanes per capita” than any other state.

“Flying has become part of our DNA here in Alaska,” Dunleavy said.

Dahlstrom, chairman of the Alaska Historical Commission, said Noel Wien's courage “reminds us of the resilience that defines us as Alaskans.”

“From the moment Noel took to the skies, he pushed the boundaries and paved the way for the development and connectivity of all people in our great country,” said Dahlstrom. “His legacy is a testament to the power of vision, courage and determination.”

Dahlstrom said Tuesday's ceremony reaffirms the commitment to protecting Alaska's unique values ​​and heritage.

“Our history is a living fabric, woven with the threads of countless people who have contributed to our culture and the strength of our communities,” Dahlstrom said.

Senator Murkowski said the ceremony of Noel Wien's first flight from Anchorage to Fairbanks serves as a reminder of shared stories of Alaska's pioneers.

“This is who we are, these connections and threads remain,” Murkowski said. “As we move forward, we must never take for granted how we are able to do this.”

She noted that it took pioneers like Noel Wien to break new ground, and that future generations could build on those successes as technology advanced and the state's infrastructure evolved.

Sullivan called the centennial a milestone for aviation in Alaska.

“Noel's flight was a prelude to the role Fairbanks plays today in aviation for the entire country and, in some ways, the entire world,” Sullivan said. “This city was a stronghold of the U.S. Air Force during World War II and the Cold War. It remains a major center for aviation development and domestic national defense.”

Sullivan pointed out that in a century, technology has evolved from biplanes to cutting-edge military jet fighters such as the F-35 and F-222.

The Senator praised Noel Wien's persistence, even in the face of the injuries and illnesses he had to endure over the years. Wien contracted polio in 1935 and survived, with only a limp in his right leg. In 1938, a piece of metal was thrust into his right eye and after a botched operation he lost his sight and depth perception in that eye. The eye was replaced with a glass eye in 1946.

Despite all the difficulties, Noel Wien continued flying and retired after 11,600 flight hours; his last emergency landing took place in 1956.

“I'm not sure the FAA would be OK with all those flights after that today,” Sullivan said.

A river landing makes history

Ramras noted that planning for the centennial began last year when he purchased a Cessna 140 owned by Noel Wien. Ramras planned to use the Cessna as a signature element in front of the outdoor area of ​​his new hotel addition, the aviation-themed Wing World.

Ramras invited Richard Wien to look at the planes and planned a cocktail reception soon after. Ramras said he and local historian Joan Skilbred had been researching the history of Wien's aviation accomplishments and the early days of aviation in the Department of the Interior. Among the research they found was News-Miner coverage of a 1958 Wien Air Alaska company picnic at the old Pikes Landing Airport Club, followed by a free barbecue hosted by Lloyd Pike in 1958 at the current site of Pike's Landing.

“The old Pike's Landing was washed away in the flood of 1967,” Ramras said.

The centennial also recognized Pike's Landing as one of the first dock anchorages on the Chena River to accommodate commercial seaplanes, and Lloyd Pike, the settler who built the dock and the original airport club. Pike rebuilt the dock 500 feet downstream from its original location after the August 1967 flood.

The dock and restaurant changed hands over the years. Ramras bought it in 1999 and built Pike's Waterfront Lodge and several additions over the next 25 years.

Ramras said Wing World, the lodge's newest addition, is dedicated to Noel Wien.

“Pike's Landing has been open to aviation and boating for more than 82 years,” Ramras said.

The ceremony concluded with the unveiling of the wooden statue of Noel Wien by his son Richard and Richard's wife Sally O'Neil Wien. The statue was carried to its present location under Noel Wien's Cessna airplane to the singing of Robert Crawford's “Off We Go Into the Wild Blue Yonder.”