Birthplace of Pioneer Pilot Russell L. Maughan

Birthplace of Pioneer Pilot Russell L. Maughan
Russell L. Maughn was born in this house on March 28, 1893. The house was built by his father and later remodeled.

Maughan served as a fighter pilot in France in World War I, coming within an ace of being and ace. In World War II he served as a Colonel in the English Air Force in Britain. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the Distinguished Flying Cross. He died on April 21, 1958 and is buried in the Logan City Cemetery.

Peter Maughan, his grandfather, crossed the plains in a covered wagon with the Mormon exodus, and later founded the first settlement in Cache Valley, Maughan’s Fort, now Wellsville.

Grandfather required months to trek across a third of the country. Grandson crossed the nation in the light of a single day.

First Dawn to Dusk Flight Across America

Colonel Russell L. Maughan of Logan, Utah made the first daylight flight across the continent on June 23, 1924. Flying solo in a Curtis PW-8 pursuit aircraft, Maughan, then a lieutenant in the U.S. Air Service, left Mitchell Field, New York, at dawn and arrived at Crissy Field, San Francisco, at 9:40 p.m., P.S.T, one minute before official dusk.

Winging his way to destiny, Maughan flew from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean in 21 hours 48 minutes and 30 seconds, averaging approximately 150 miles per hour. His actual in-flight time was 18 hours and 20 minutes.

Having made two previous attempts, which were aborted because of engine failures, Maughan’s successful flight illuminated the imagination of people everywhere. Hailed as a world hero he set both pattern and precedent for generations to follow.

His flight of fancy and faith had become a reality. And in a few short years others have broken the sound barrier, flown to the moon, and orbited the earth in a fantastic sequence of adventures of the human spirit.

But in 1924 the dawn to dusk flight across America was a “Maughanumental” achievement.

Location: 133 East Center St. Logan, Utah – S.U.P. Marker # 32