Harold Geiger
Encyclopedia
Major Harold C. Geiger born in East Orange, New Jersey
, was a pioneer in US military aviation and ballooning who was killed in an airplane crash in 1927. Spokane International Airport
is designated with the International Air Transport Association airport code GEG in his memory.
June 16, 1904 to February 14, 1908, when he was graduated as an Army Second Lieutenant in the Coast Artillery Corps. He was promoted to First Lieutenant November 8, 1908.
As a lieutenant, Geiger commanded the aviation assets of the United States Army Signal Corps
in the Hawaiian Islands. The first Army airplanes, pilots and crews arrived in Oahu
in July 1913. The planes were based at Fort Kamehameha
, near present-day Hickam Air Force Base
.
Lieutenant Geiger arrived in Oahu with two Curtiss Aeroplane Company
seaplane
s, a mechanic, 12 enlisted men, and other equipment. However, Geiger’s aircraft were in poor shape. His flights were limited to short flights in Pearl Harbor
and a longer flight to Diamond Head, Hawaii
and back to Fort Kamehameha.
Geiger was ordered to cease all flying operations in late 1913, because the trade winds were too strong. The airplanes were sold locally, and the engines were sent back to the North Island Flying School. The Hawaiian Islands wouldn’t see any more Army aviation activity until 1917.
served overseas with the Army's Balloon Section Headquarters in France as a Lieutenant Colonel. He completed dirigible studies in France and Italy. He was attached later to the Ambassador's staff in Berlin. While in Germany, Major Geiger sent reports to the Chief of the United States Army Air Service
on the construction of the dirigible USS Los Angeles
, and repeatedly urged that the craft, which was later taken over by the Navy, be purchased by the Army. He was on the Los Angeles on its transatlantic flight.
Geiger also commanded the Army Balloon School at Ross Field, Arcadia, California. By 1927, Geiger was commandant of Phillips Air Field at Aberdeen, Maryland.
at Langley Field, his airplane and another flown by fellow student Horace Meek Hickam
hit each other and crashed.
On May 17, 1927, Geiger died in the crash of an Airco DH.4 he was flying. A newspaper article reported six mechanics and officers at the Middleton Air Station, at Olmsted Field, Pennsylvania as saying that Geiger's airplane dove into the ground from a height of 50 feet (15.2 m). Geiger managed to jump out just as the airplane struck the ground and burst into flames. He made desperate efforts to get clear of the wreckage and, according to the onlookers, half crawled and ran as far as the tail of the machine before he was overcome. There he dropped and the flames prevented the watchers from getting near enough to rescue him.
.
In 1941, the United States Department of Defense
purchased the area then known as Sunset Field from Spokane County, Washington
as a World War II
training facility for future pilots of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and the Douglas C-47 Skytrain. Following the acquisition, it renamed the facility Geiger Field in honor of Major Geiger. In 1946, a portion of the airfield was designated a municipal airport, and commercial airline operations were moved from Felts Field to Geiger Field. In 1960, the facility was renamed Spokane International Airport
.
East Orange, New Jersey
East Orange is a city in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census the city's population 64,270, making it the state's 20th largest municipality, having dropped 5,554 residents from its population of 69,824 in the 2000 Census, when it was the state's 14th most...
, was a pioneer in US military aviation and ballooning who was killed in an airplane crash in 1927. Spokane International Airport
Spokane International Airport
Spokane International Airport is a commercial airport located about west of downtown Spokane in Spokane County, Washington. It is the primary airport for Spokane, eastern Washington, Coeur d'Alene, and northern Idaho...
is designated with the International Air Transport Association airport code GEG in his memory.
Early military service
Geiger was a Cadet at the United States Military AcademyUnited States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
June 16, 1904 to February 14, 1908, when he was graduated as an Army Second Lieutenant in the Coast Artillery Corps. He was promoted to First Lieutenant November 8, 1908.
As a lieutenant, Geiger commanded the aviation assets of the United States Army Signal Corps
United States Army Signal Corps
The United States Army Signal Corps develops, tests, provides, and manages communications and information systems support for the command and control of combined arms forces. It was established in 1860, the brainchild of United States Army Major Albert J. Myer, and has had an important role from...
in the Hawaiian Islands. The first Army airplanes, pilots and crews arrived in Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
in July 1913. The planes were based at Fort Kamehameha
Fort Kamehameha
Fort Kamehameha was a United States Army military base that was the site of several coastal artillery batteries to defend Pearl Harbor starting in 1907 in Honolulu, Hawaii.-History:The eastern areas of the fort were in the district called Moanalua...
, near present-day Hickam Air Force Base
Hickam Air Force Base
Hickam Field, re-named Hickam Air Force Base in 1948, was a United States Air Force facility now part of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, named in honor of aviation pioneer Lt Col Horace Meek Hickam.- History :...
.
Lieutenant Geiger arrived in Oahu with two Curtiss Aeroplane Company
Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company
Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company was an American aircraft manufacturer that went public in 1916 with Glenn Hammond Curtiss as president. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the company was the largest aircraft manufacturer in the United States...
seaplane
Seaplane
A seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are a subclass called amphibian aircraft...
s, a mechanic, 12 enlisted men, and other equipment. However, Geiger’s aircraft were in poor shape. His flights were limited to short flights in Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
and a longer flight to Diamond Head, Hawaii
Diamond Head, Hawaii
Diamond Head is the name of a volcanic tuff cone on the Hawaiian island of Oahu and known to Hawaiians as Lēahi, most likely from lae 'browridge, promontory' plus ahi 'tuna' because the shape of the ridgeline resembles the shape of a tuna's dorsal fin...
and back to Fort Kamehameha.
Geiger was ordered to cease all flying operations in late 1913, because the trade winds were too strong. The airplanes were sold locally, and the engines were sent back to the North Island Flying School. The Hawaiian Islands wouldn’t see any more Army aviation activity until 1917.
Balloons and dirigibles
Geiger completed courses at the U.S. Army Balloon School in April 1917, and later during World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
served overseas with the Army's Balloon Section Headquarters in France as a Lieutenant Colonel. He completed dirigible studies in France and Italy. He was attached later to the Ambassador's staff in Berlin. While in Germany, Major Geiger sent reports to the Chief of the United States Army Air Service
United States Army Air Service
The Air Service, United States Army was a forerunner of the United States Air Force during and after World War I. It was established as an independent but temporary wartime branch of the War Department by two executive orders of President Woodrow Wilson: on May 24, 1918, replacing the Aviation...
on the construction of the dirigible USS Los Angeles
USS Los Angeles (ZR-3)
The second USS Los Angeles was a rigid airship, designated ZR-3, that was built in 1923-1924 by the Zeppelin factory in Friedrichshafen, Germany, where it was originally designated LZ-126...
, and repeatedly urged that the craft, which was later taken over by the Navy, be purchased by the Army. He was on the Los Angeles on its transatlantic flight.
Geiger also commanded the Army Balloon School at Ross Field, Arcadia, California. By 1927, Geiger was commandant of Phillips Air Field at Aberdeen, Maryland.
Aviation crashes
On May 10, 1926, Major Geiger was slightly injured in a mid-air collision between two airplanes at Langley Field, near Hampton, Virginia. While attending the Air Corps Tactical SchoolAir Corps Tactical School
The Air Corps Tactical School, also known as ACTS and "the Tactical School", was a military professional development school for officers of the United States Army Air Service and United States Army Air Corps, the first such school in the world. Created in 1920 at Langley Field, Virginia, it...
at Langley Field, his airplane and another flown by fellow student Horace Meek Hickam
Horace Meek Hickam
Horace Meek Hickam was a pioneer airpower advocate and an officer in the United States Army Air Corps. Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, is named in his honor.-Background:...
hit each other and crashed.
On May 17, 1927, Geiger died in the crash of an Airco DH.4 he was flying. A newspaper article reported six mechanics and officers at the Middleton Air Station, at Olmsted Field, Pennsylvania as saying that Geiger's airplane dove into the ground from a height of 50 feet (15.2 m). Geiger managed to jump out just as the airplane struck the ground and burst into flames. He made desperate efforts to get clear of the wreckage and, according to the onlookers, half crawled and ran as far as the tail of the machine before he was overcome. There he dropped and the flames prevented the watchers from getting near enough to rescue him.
Legacy
Major Geiger was buried at Arlington National CemeteryArlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
.
In 1941, the United States Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
purchased the area then known as Sunset Field from Spokane County, Washington
Spokane County, Washington
Spokane County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington, named after the Spokane tribe. As of the 2010 census the population was 471,221, making it the fourth most populous county in Washington state. The largest city and county seat is Spokane, the second largest city in the state,...
as a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
training facility for future pilots of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and the Douglas C-47 Skytrain. Following the acquisition, it renamed the facility Geiger Field in honor of Major Geiger. In 1946, a portion of the airfield was designated a municipal airport, and commercial airline operations were moved from Felts Field to Geiger Field. In 1960, the facility was renamed Spokane International Airport
Spokane International Airport
Spokane International Airport is a commercial airport located about west of downtown Spokane in Spokane County, Washington. It is the primary airport for Spokane, eastern Washington, Coeur d'Alene, and northern Idaho...
.
External links
- Biography by Clifford A. Presley http://www.earlyaviators.com/egeiger1.htm
- Early Aviators.com http://www.earlyaviators.com/egeiger.htm
- Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 100 Milestones of Hawaii Aviation History http://starbulletin.com/2003/12/11/special/story2.html
- Arlington National Cemetery http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/harold-geiger.htm
- U.S. Air Force photo http://www.af.mil/photos/media_search.asp?q=geiger&btnG.x=0&btnG.y=0