1913-1916: Silas Christofferson and Flying Dare Devils

Silas “Birdman” Christofferson flew to Lehi in 1913, making him the first person to do so. Early pilots packed fairgrounds with crowds who gathered to see the novelty of human flight. Flight maneuvers, stunts, aeroplane races, and bomb dropping demonstrations “captured the hearts” of Americans. Pilots who did these tricks were called barnstormers.

It is not hard to understand how a twelve-year-old seeing Silas Christofferson barnstorming would have been deeply affected. This was the case for Verenus Joseph Carter, or Vern. When Christofferson returned to Utah in 1916, Vern’s imagination took flight; he wanted to be a pilot. In the early days of aeroplanes, not many regulations were in place, and it was quite dangerous. Christofferson perished in 1916, the same year he made his visit to Utah,

1921: Vern Learning to Fly

Vern’s work ethic reflected his desire to fly and the spirit that made him a pioneer in aviation. He raised and sold cattle as a young man. He learned about engines while working at a car mechanic shop. Vern had a knack for mechanical work; not only would he become a pilot and teacher, but also a mechanic for his airplanes. He also found a job at Mercur Mines. In 1921, at the age of sixteen, before graduating high school, Vern drove himself to Los Angeles, California, to enroll in one of the early flight schools. After flight school, Vern stayed in California barnstorming.

The 1920s were an exciting period for aviation, often considered a “golden age” thanks to the continued work of barnstormers, the return of World War I pilots. The West Coast saw the development of several flight schools. The first veteran pilots returned home from war, creating an influx of fliers. One example of a flight school was Redwood Aviation School. Silas Christofferson built Redwood Aviation in 1916. It was the airfield where Christofferson suffered his fatal crash. Redwood claims to be the first airport to train Chinese, Chinese-American, Korean, and Japanese pilots. It also trained Helen Hodge, who was the first woman to get her pilot's license on the West Coast, and graduated from Redwood.9 Again, this was an exciting time for aviation, especially on the West Coast.

1929: The Return to Utah and Meeting Jessie

Vern bought his first airplane in 1928, a Hisso Standard, with the intention of teaching flight school in Los Angeles. However, the large number of pilots on the West Coast presented a problem. With so many instructors in California, Vern decided to return to Utah. In 1929, Vern moved to Ogden to teach flying. Being a pilot made him somewhat of a hero in the area. Francis Welsh was one of the young boys caught up in the excitement surrounding the new pilot. One day, he brought Vern to his house to meet his older sister Jessie. After six weeks, Jessie and Vern married in Brigham City on February 21, 1929. Dangerous plane crashes in the early years of flying were not the only threat to the Carters’ flying careers. The economic crash of 1929 set off the Great Depression and created financial difficulties for pilots, just like many other workers. The company Vern flew for closed in 1932, leaving the young Carter family with no income. Vern found work flying in Salt Lake and Pocatello until he invested in his own flying business in 1935.

1935: The Carters’ First Airport—Utah Central Airport

The Carters saved during the early depression years and bought land at 3200 West 2100 South on the border of Salt Lake City and West Valley City. They built Utah Central Airport, complete with a hangar, runway, and office, and ran their business, Carter Flying Services, from the site. Having an airport presented business advantages not held by private pilots who previously worked as barnstormers. And, the Carters took full advantage. They trained pilots, offered passenger flights, sold Piper airplanes, and had airshows. Jessie ran the business, managing the office. The aviation industry saw advancements that helped stabilize the industry during the Depression, such as the development of affordable, reliable plane engines. Business applications for flight were further solidified, such as crop dusting and business travel.

1930s: Winged Hero

The 1926 Air Commerce Act led to the demise of the barnstorming era in 1926-1927. The act regulated the industry that was proving quite dangerous. As part of the regulations, it required pilots to keep logbooks to track their flight hours. Vern began keeping a logbook the same day. Though perhaps not explicitly written about in the logbook, the hours logged show Vern's skilled flying proved invaluable to Utahns who found themselves in trouble. On one occasion, Vern saved a young man, Glen Rose, who was herding sheep thirty-three miles from Kelton. Rose’s appendix burst, and he was carried on a sled to Kelton. Unfortunately for Rose, a crash blocked the railroad, leaving him stranded. Vern swooped to the rescue and flew Rose to the hospital. In another instance, Vern flew in the search and rescue operation of two boys who went missing while sailing on the Great Salt Lake. Vern reported both boys were found safe while another boat towed them home.

1943: Deputies Jessie and Vern

Days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8972 on December 12, 1942. The order allowed the Navy to establish guard requirements for protecting “national-defense material, national-defense premises, and national-defense utilities.” In 1942, the Navy told the Carters that if they wanted to train Navy pilots, they needed police guards to protect the air school from sabotage. The Salt Lake City police informed the Carters that they did not have the resources to place guards at the airport. Instead, they offered the Carters training courses. When the Carters finished the courses, they were deputized. The police gave them badges and revolvers to guard the airport, and the Carters’ flight school provided flight training to World War II pilots. Jessie saw an increase in work that came with wartime pilot training. The influx of wartime students, time spent training to be police, and extra flying time to train the pilots were all part of the Carters’ sacrifices to the war effort. One notable role of U.S. pilots in World War II was the use of SBD Dauntless dive-bombers. Bombing runs turned the tide of the War in the Pacific theater in battles like Midway.

1950: The Carters’ Second Airport—Carter Sky Ranch

After World War II ended, the United States once again experienced a spike in the pilot population from veterans returning home. Many pilots went on to fly commercial jobs. Flight became increasingly popular in the 1950s. Passenger jets allowed for the huge growth of larger-scale airliner travel. Over the next two decades, the growth was massive. Passenger numbers ballooned, quadrupling from the mid-fifties to the early-seventies. Still, small airports fared quite well in Utah. By the late 1950s, Utah boasted twenty-seven flight schools and four airports near Salt Lake, two of which were started by the Carters.

For their second airport, the Carters purchased land in Draper and opened Carter Sky Ranch in 1950. They built the airport from the ground up, including three runways, a hangar, an office, and a home.25 The Piper airplanes Carter sold at Utah Central Airport and Carter Sky Ranch were completely different from the canvas and wooden airplanes Vern flew in the 1920s.

1963: Chairwoman Jessie

In 1929, a group of women established the Ninety-Nines, an organization dedicated to Women pilots. The Carters’ flight school taught women to fly since at least 1939. The Salt Lake City Chamber of Commerce partnered with the University of Utah, creating a scholarship for ten young pilots who would train at Carter’s Utah Central Airport. However, of the ten scholarships, only one could be awarded to a woman. In the 1950s, Jessie learned to fly. Once a pilot, Jessie used her skills to boost women’s flying in Utah. In 1960, she joined the Ninety Nines. In 1963, she served as chairwoman for Utah’s chapter and oversaw the group's efforts to improve some Utah airports by air marking them. Air marking meant painting the runways so they could be seen from the air.

1966: An Airport in Lehi

The Carters bought more land in 1960 for a new airport, this time in Lehi. The Carters set themselves to the task of building an airport from scratch. After two years of work, Lehi Carter Airport was ready for its first flight. In 1966, the Carters dedicated the airport. W. T. Piper, head of the Piper Aircraft and long-time friend of the Carters, came to Lehi to perform the dedication.33 The Carters were among the first Piper airplane dealers. Sadly, Vern died less than a month after the dedication. The airport reopened a year later with ceremonies acknowledging Vern’s dedication to aviation.

2014: Aviation Hall of Famers

Lehi's Carter Airport closed in 1972, but its history, and that of its founders, reminds us of the power individuals can have in sparking industries, like aviation, that profoundly shaped Utah. Because of this, the Utah Aviation Hall of Fame officially inducted the Carters in 2014.