Ernest Emery Harmon, Captain Army Air Corps (February 8, 1893 Ft. Worth, TX - August 27, 1933 Stamford, CT) was an aviation pioneer. Lesser known than many of the major figures of early flight, his significant contributions during the "Golden Age" of aviation resulted, by an act of Congress (June 23, 1948), in the naming of Ernest Harmon Air Force Base in his honor. Dedication ceremonies occurred on August 13, 1949 at the base in Stephenville, Newfoundland.[1]
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Harmon earned his wings in May 1918 at Gerstner Field, Louisiana where he went on to become a flight, gunnery, and bombing instructor. Later (after a hurricane devastated Gerstner Field) Harmon was transferred to Wilbur Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio. During his career in the Signal Enlisted Corps, and the Army Air Corps, he also spent time at Bolling Field, Washington D.C., France Field, Panama C. Z., and Mitchel Field, Long Island.
In 1919 (Jul 24 - Nov 9), Lieutenant Harmon piloted the first ever flight around the continental United States, four years before John A. Macready and Oakley G. Kelly flew the first non-stop transcontinental flight across the United States, and eight years before Charles Lindberg's Atlantic Ocean crossing. Also on the flight was his commanding officer, Lt. Col. Rutherford Hartz, and two mechanics Sgt. Jerry Dobias and Sgt. Jack Harding. Original plans called for a second pilot, Lt. Lotha A. Smith, but due to an injury that resulted from a crash landing early on in Jay, New York, he was forced to abandon the mission during its first week. The historic flight was monitored by the entire nation, and it was featured in newspaper articles across the country. Often landing in farmer's fields, when no airstrip was available, the historic Round-The-Rim flight was an early success in military aviation. The brave efforts of the R-T-R crew resulted in helping to establish, and/or improve landing strip markings and design, navigation and mapping standards, and basic aviation communication. Among the many objectives of the flight were to prove aircraft endurance over long flights, establish new air fields, generate enthusiasm for commercial and military aviation, and to inspire new recruits into military aviation service.[2]
On February 19, 1919 Lieutenant Harmon set an air speed record flying a 400 hp LePere aeroplane from Washington, D.C. to New York City achieving 165.1 mph and covering the distance in 85 minutes. After the flight his passenger, Lt. Col. R.F. Hartz said Lt. Harmon "burnt the air" in order to accomplish the unprecedented feat.
On June 30, 1919, Harmon flew a Martin MB-1 bomber non-stop from the Martin factory in Dayton, Ohio to Washington D.C. covering the 390 mile distance in 3 hours and 45 minutes, yet another speed record for him at the time.
On Oct 14, 1925 at the International Air Races at Mitchel Field piloting a Huff-Daland bomber, Harmon won the Detroit News Transport Trophy and $1000 in Liberty bonds by achieving a speed of 119.91 mph.[3]
Early in 1919, Harmon's wife Harriette Alexander Harmon, was a passenger on one of his flights from Bolling Field in Washington D.C. to Mitchel Field, Long Island. This flight established Mrs. Harmon as the first woman ever to fly from the nation's capital to New York City.[4]
Lieutenant Harmon was the first pilot ever to flight the giant L.W.F "Owl" Bomber with its three 400 hp Liberty motors.
In 1924, Harmon piloted the infamous Barling Bomber. He took off from Mitchel Field and crash landed literally across the street in Roosevelt Field, Long Island. After the flight he deemed the Barling Bomber as "not yet airworthy".[5] Ultimately in 1928, General Hap Arnold ordered the plane destroyed due to its inferior and unsafe design.
In 1926, Harmon, with his bombardier Harold George, won the bombing contest in the "heavier than air bomber" category at the international air races in Philadelphia.[6]
While Capt. Harmon met an untimely death in an aviation accident in 1933, he is credited with having recruited, and mentored the careers of many individuals who went on to become heroes, and leaders in the United States military. In 1924, Harmon saw promise in a young University of Maryland football quarterback named Pete Quesada. Harmon took Quesada flying out of Bolling Field in Washington D.C. and successfully recruited him on the same day into the Army Air Service.[7] Harmon, himself a former football player at Bethany College, WVa., had an ulterior motive in recruiting Quesada into the Air Service.It was to include Quesada on the Air Service football team at Kelly Field in San Antonio, Tx while he was in flight training. Later in his career, Gen. Pete Quesada, and his Ninth Air Tactical Command, led the air invasion on D-Day (June 6, 1944 aka "Overlord") during World War II. Lt. Gen Pete Quesada is widely recognized as having developed the strategy of proving the successful use of tactical "close air support" to ground troops during combat.
In 1918, while an instructor at Gerstner Field, Louisiana, Harmon trained the controversial Lieutenant Edmund G. Chamberlain who was reported to have shot down 5 enemy aircraft in one day during the first World War.[8]
In June 1932, Harmon was promoted to Captain and was assigned commanding officer of the 5th Observation Squadron at Mitchel Field, Long Island.
Harmon Drive at Lackland Air Force Base is named in Captain Harmon's honor.