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Unusual Facts About Wiley Post and Oklahoma Airports
Maybe us Okies just have a pronounced sense of irony.
While Wiley Post is well known among older Oklahomans, that’s not the case for people outside of Oklahoma. Just some background on Wiley, he was a noted aviator of the 1930s. He made the first around the world solo flight in 1931.
Notice anything unusual about the image of Wiley Poston in the image of him on his tombstone? That’s right, he has an eyepatch. Post lost sight in one eye as the result of an oilfield injury. Generally speaking, most pilots have vision in both eyes. Oh, and there’s also one thing pretty spectacular about Post, his manner of death.
Wiley died in a plane crash. And he wasn’t alone. One of the most famous Okies in history, Will Rogers, was with him. Rogers also died in the crash. It really was a tragedy. But here’s what’s strange. Wiley Post has an airport named after him in Oklahoma City.
Think about that, a one-eyed pilot crashes a plane and kills off one of the most famous guys in state history and has an airport named after him. If a surgeon botched an operation on a famous citizen, would you name a hospital after him?
Here’s another take. Would you name a hospital after Jack Kevorkian? I think not.
