Mal Freeburg

Mal Bryan Freeburg (March 6, 1906 – May 10, 1963) was a pioneer aviator, barnstormer, test pilot, airline pilot, executive and the first recipient of the prestigious Airmail Flyers' Medal of Honor award, one of only ten such awards ever presented.

Early life and education He was born in Blackduck, Minnesota, the only child of Dr. Jay Monroe Freeburg and Bonita A Bryan. His father was the local dentist. After World War 1 the Freeburg family left Blackduck and moved to Minneapolis, where in 1924 he graduated from West High School. He then went on to attend the University of Minnesota, studying law. It was after having spent three years at the University of Minnesota that a classmate later recalled "on a spring day in 1926 airplanes popped into his head for no reason at all."

Early aviation and family life He bought a second-hand Canadian Curtis the next day. He left school and was trained to fly by the then well-known stunt pilot Vernon L "Vern" Roberts. He soloed on June 1, 1926. To celebrate he eloped with Ruth Evelyn Smith, of a prominent St. Paul family. He and Ruth took a flying honeymoon, believed to be the first in the area and possibly the nation, barnstorming through South Dakota and on to California for the winter. Along the way they would stop to visit relatives and Freeburg would take passengers for observation rides to pay their way covering some 35,000 miles. On July 23, 1930, Ruth and Mal had their first child, James "Jim" Monroe Freeburg. It wasn't long after that Mal began taking little Jim up on his lap. By the time Jim was 13 he demanded his father teach him how to fly. The passengers and cargo were transferred to another aircraft and completed the flight on schedule. Seventeen days later Freeburg was recommended to receive a new medal.

Proving passenger flight over the Rockies In 1933 he was on the NWA crew that proved passenger service over the Rockies in the winter was feasible. Amelia Earhart was also on that flight, mainly for PR purposes. Freeburg had flown her into the Twin Cities for the trip. Neither of them liked the other very much. On July 21, 1934, Ruth and Mal had their second child, Patricia Ruth Freeburg. In less than two months he has to make another emergency landing but had more time to prepare for this one. On September 19, 1934, flying a Lockheed Electra from Chicago, the landing gear failed to extend. He flew the aircraft over St. Paul for more than two hours to empty the fuel tanks before making an emergency landing with his 5 passengers safe and only slight damage to the plane.

Test pilot and airline executive He and Ruth divorced and in 1936 he married Violet Melvina Morinville. He continued to fly for NWA and in 1938 made news once again, this time by successfully making a high-altitude flight from St. Paul to Billings and then on to Salt Lake City using a newly designed oxygen nose mask. He later flew a second test flight using the new mask with the group of inventors from the Mayo Clinic and his new wife as passengers. On March 10, 1938, NWA promoted him to superintendent of the Eastern Division. Soon millions of Americans would become familiar with Freeburg when General Mills puts out a series of Wheaties cereal boxes with the heroics of Freeburg and seven other brave airmail pilots that were awarded the Airmail Flyers' Medal of Honor.

Mayor and foreign airmail In 1942 he ran for and was elected Mayor of Richfield but continued to fly for NWA. Twice he was promoted to an executive position, but he always insisted he continue as a pilot after his work was completed. During World War II he blazed the trail for a military route from Alaska along the Aleutian Islands. In 1948 he flew NWA's first flight of a Foreign Air Mail route, FAM-95, from Seattle, Washington, to Honolulu, Hawaii. This same year the most memorable aviation event of his life occurred when his son, Jim, joined him flying for NWA. The father-and-son pair made news flying with Mal as pilot and Jim as co-pilot. Mal remarked his only regret was that he wished Jim would call him Mal instead of Dad.

Retirement and commemoration He retired in 1952 and died on the 10th of May 1963 at the age of 57. Freeburg was inducted in the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame in 1990. Richfield declared Saturday June 12, 2010, Mal Freeburg Day.