Anchorage Daily News

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

He was 96.

During his life, 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 on April Fools' Day in 1934 and took a job with Star Air, flying to the Lucky Shot Mine near Hatcher Pass in open-cockpit planes in all kinds of weather. During World War II, he worked in Alaska flying supplies and personnel for the military. His 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 lodges launched a new era of fishing tourism in rural Alaska. There were five in total: Brooks Lodge, Kulik Lodge, Grosvenor Lodge, Battle Camp and Nonvianuk Camp. Sportfishing now draws 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.

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