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New biography revisits Milwaukee pilot behind a landmark Pacific flight
Lester Maitland, a Riverwest-raised aviator, became the first pilot to fly nonstop from California to Hawaii in 1927. A new biography traces his path from Milwaukee’s early air shows to Army service and the former lakefront airport that bore his name.
A new biography is bringing renewed attention to Lester Maitland, the Milwaukee-raised pilot who in 1927 became the first to fly nonstop from California to Hawaii—a demanding journey at a time when there were no landing strips between the mainland and the islands.
Maitland was born in 1899 and grew up in Riverwest before moving to Milwaukee’s East Side. As a teenager, he saw daredevil aviators perform at events including the 1912 “Aviators Sky Jubilee” and the 1914 Wisconsin State Fair, where pilot Lincoln Beachey performed loops and other stunts.
Maitland’s own career took a more measured path. As World War I ended, he enlisted in the Army Signal Corps’ Aviation Section, which became the foundation of the U.S. Air Force. He served as an adjutant to Gen. Billy Mitchell, the Milwaukee-born aviation advocate who pressed for a separate air force, and advanced through the ranks.
By the time Japan attacked the United States in 1941, Maitland commanded a U.S. airbase in the Philippines. He was evacuated before the base fell to Japanese forces.
His best-known achievement came in peacetime. After completing the trans-Pacific flight, Maitland returned to a Milwaukee ticker-tape parade that rivaled the welcome given to Charles Lindbergh after his transatlantic crossing. Milwaukee also remembered him through Maitland Field, an airport on the lakefront site now occupied by Henry Maier Festival Park.
Milwaukee writer Liam Callanan’s book, “Stone Age Astronaut: The Astonishing Adventure of America’s Forgotten Flier,” follows Maitland’s life and the early years of aviation. The Wisconsin Historical Society Press published the biography.