Anchorage Daily News

Ray Petersen, a pioneer Alaska aviator, died in his sleep Tuesday morning in his Anchorage apartment, his family said.

He was 96.

Over his lifetime, he built some of the state's first fly-in fishing lodges in Katmai National Park and ran Wien Air Alaska, then the largest airline in the state.

Petersen, who was born in Nebraska, arrived in Anchorage aboard a steamship on April Fools' Day in 1934 and took a job with Star Air, flying to the Lucky Shot Mine near Hatcher Pass. He flew in open-cockpit planes in all kinds of weather.

He told reporters he decided to become a pilot as a high school student outside of Chicago in the '30s. He had a job bucking hay. A biplane landed in the field and the pilot asked for permission to use the field as a base for a flight school.

"The farmer said 'Okay if you take this kid up for a ride. So he took me up and the first thing I noticed was how cool it was. Here I was, far above the earth, and it was cool. Well, it didn't take me long to decide that flying was for me," he said during an interview with the Anchorage Daily News in 1978.

During World War II, Petersen worked in Alaska flying supplies and personnel for the military. He spent enough time in Anchorage to meet his wife, Toni Schodde. The couple had four children.

Peterson's trips often included military officers and politicians, and he'd frequently stop for fishing on the side. That's what launched him into the tourism business

In 1947 he formed Northern Consolidated Airlines, merging his Bethel-based air service, Ray Petersen Flying Service, with several other small airlines. In 1950 he brokered a deal with the National Park Service to build lodges in what was then Katmai National Monument. The five lodges launched a new era of fishing tourism in rural Alaska. Sportfishing now draws tens of thousands of people a year.

Northern Consolidated Airlines merged with Wien Air Alaska in 1968, becoming the state's largest airline. Petersen ran the company until the late '70s. His youngest son, Sonny, took over running the lodges in 1982.

"He was a very fine man to work for," said his friend, Edward Steger, a retired pilot who worked for him for 40 years.

Petersen's always kept up with the latest air technology, helping to move the state forward, he said.

"He was just such a great story-teller," his daughter Susan said Wednesday. "He had the ability to make friends, that was how he was so successful. He was able to make friends who helped him throughout his life. He was just a wonderful, colorful character."

The family is still making funeral plans, anticipating a service next week.

Find Julia O'Malley online at adn.com/contact/jomalley or call 257-4591.

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