PENNSYLVANIA OIL INDUSTRY AND EARLY AVIATION
(Kelly & MacReady, Herndon & Pangborn, Byrd, Etc.)
Oil “fueled” the development of aviation. This fact was noted by Daniel Yergin in The Prize (1991). “When the Wright Brothers airplane first flew into the air at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in 1903, its engine burned gasoline and lubricants that had been brought to the beach in wooden barrels and blue tin cans by salesman from Standard Oil.”
The Pennsylvania oil industry played a major role in the pioneering flights of the 1920’s and 1930’s. Here are some examples of this relationship: Oakley Kelly (a Grove City, PA native) and John MacReady made the first non-stop flight across the United States, May 2, 1923. Kelly and MacReady’s Fokker T-2 plane equipped with a Liberty motor used Pennzoil lubricants, according to the National Petroleum News, June 6, 1923. “Lieut. Oakley Kelley and Lieut. John T. MacReady in their recent non-stop transcontinental flight from Mineola, L.I. (New York) to San Diego, Cal. used Pennzoil special airplane oil, manufactured by the Penn American Refining Co. and distributed by the Pennzoil Co., both of Oil City.”
Pennzoil lubes were also used by Clarence Chamberlin, first pilot to fly a passenger (Charles Levine) across the Atlantic (New York City to Eisleben, Germany), June 4, 1927. The Titusville Herald carried the following, June 7, 1927: “In aviation circles, everyone anticipated the successful completion of (Clarence) Chamberlin’s (Trans-Atlantic passenger) flight…. He personally supervised every step of the preparations, as well as the selection of the lubricant. He chose Pennzoil motor oil, the oil that had made possible his previous record-breaking flight of more than 51 hours.”
The major refiners of Bradford field oil – Kendall, Tide Water and Socony-Vacuum (Mobil) – were involved in the development of special aviation lubricants that played roles in the best known aviation firsts of the 1920s and 1930s. Aviation lube manufacturing paralelled Kendall’s development of cold weather motor oils at Bradford during the 1920s. “Gargoyle” aviation lubes refined at Socony-Vacuum’s Olean, NY refinery (founded in the 1870s) made possible Charles Lindbergh’s Trans-Atlantic solo flight (1927), Richard Byrd’s Arctic/ North Pole (1926) and Trans-Atlantic air mail (1927) flights, and Wiley Post’s ’round the world “hops” (1931 and 1933).
George Noville, Richard Byrd’s flight engineer on the 1926 Arctic expedition and 1927 air mail flight, devised a method of heating airplane engines and lube oil cans (prior to take-off) similar to those employed for warming stock tanks on leases in the Pennsylvania oil region. Byrd noted this achievement in his 1928 book Skyward.
Gilbert Emerson (1902 – 1961), Titusville native and grandson of Peoples Natural Gas Company/ Sun Oil Company co-founder Edward G. Emerson, helped design the Fokker tri-motor airplane America, flown by Richard Byrd (and a crew of three) on the first Trans-Atlantic airmail trip, June, 1927. Emerson also worked on Ameilia Earhart’s first Trans-Atlantic plane, the Friendship, 1927-1928.
Tide Water aviation lubricants, refined from Bradford, PA crude oil at Bayonne, NJ, made possible the November 29, 1929 Byrd South Pole flight. The Titusville Herald carried the following news release one week later: “Two radiograms from Little America were received at the office of the Tide Water Oil Company, 11 Broadway, New York City this week. The first, addressed to Titusville native Axtell J. Byles, president of the company, from Commander Byrd reads: ‘I want to send you my sincerest gratitude for your part in the success of our undertaking. Mulroy and inhabitants of Little America send best wishes to you and your associates.’
“The second from Thomas B. Mulroy, fuel engineer of the expedition, reads: ‘Tide Water Oil Company products used exclusively on Byrd Antarctic expedition… (Bernt) Balchen and (Harold) June authorize following statement: 'Tydol aviation gasoline and Veedol motor oil did their job on South Pole flight.’ ”
Richard Byrd, on his second Antarctic expedition (1933-1934), successfully used lubes left behind from the 1928-1929 flights. Lt. Comm. George Noville, U.S.N., Byrd’s executive officer, presented a Veedol can to W.S. Whelan, of the Tide Water Oil Company, stated the National Petroleum News, June 26, 1935. “This specially constructed can, cached in Little America when Byrd’s first expedition returned to civilization almost four years ago, was found intact, its contents of aviation oil in perfect condition, when members of the second expedition dug into supply caves.”
George Noville was also manager of Standard Oil – California’s (Chevron) aviation department!
Hugh Herndon and Clyde Pangborn made the first non-stop Trans-Pacific Airplane flight from Sabushiro, Japan to Wenatchee, Washington, October 3-5, 1931. Herndon was born in Titusville, October 3, 1904, grandson of oil producer-banker-philanthropist Col. John J. Carter. The Herndon-Pangborn Bellanca plane Miss Veedol (with Pratt & Whitney motor) used Tide Water gasoline with lubes!
Hugh Herndon (1904-1952) later headed the Cities Service Company’s aviation department, 1934. He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, Titusville.
By David L. Weber, 2007. David Weber Writing and Research Service, 269 Maple St., Pleasantville PA 16341