Donald Hudson (aviator)

Lieutenant Donald Hudson (21 December 1895 – 11 June 1967) was an

Donald Hudson
American World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories.[1] Postwar,
he pioneered aviation in Bolivia,[2][3] including being the first aviator to fly
across the Andes Mountains.[4]

Contents
Early life
World War I service
South American aviation pioneer
Later life
Legacy
Military honors and awards
See also
References
Bibliography

Donald Hudson, 1918

Early life Born 21 December 1895
Donald Hudson was born on 21 December 1895 in Topeka, Kansas, but Topeka, Kansas, USA
considered himself a native ofKansas City, Missouri.[4] Died 11 June 1967
Fort Meade, Maryland,
USA
World War I service
Allegiance United States
Hudson served with the 27th Aero Squadron for the last year of the war, as he
Service/ Air Service, United
reported there as a Nieuport 28 pilot in November 1917. He did not score a
branch States Army
victory until 2 July 1918, when he teamed with John MacArthur and four other
pilots to destroy a pair ofFokker D.VIIs. Hudson then changed to aSpad XIII as Rank Lieutenant
the squadron re-equipped. On 1 August, he became an ace, scoring three Unit 27th Aero Squadron
victories during a protection patrol with the help of Jerry Vasconcells and a Battles/wars World War I
couple of other pilots. The action won him a DSC.[2] His final victory was
Awards Distinguished Service
chalked up on 6 October 1918.[2]
Cross
Other work Record setting aviation
South American aviation pioneer pioneer in South
Postwar, Hudson became an instructor with the Bolivian Air Force. During his America
stay in South America, he was credited as being the first to overfly the Andes
Mountains.[2]

The President of Bolivia,José Gutiérrez Guerra, instructed Dr. Julio Zamora, Secretary of the Interior, to contract for a specially built
Curtiss 18T Wasp triplane; they may have been introduced to Hudson during this transaction. At any rate, Hudson, his bride, and two
mechanics accompanied the disassembled W
asp when it arrived inLa Paz via railroad from Chile on 20 December 1919. Hudson was
Escuela de Aviación.[5]
ranked as a lieutenant colonel and hired as chief pilot of the newly established

The Bolivian Curtiss 18T Wasp. The
figure third from left appears to be
Donald Hudson.
Hudson began a series of record-setting flights; for instance, his use of the Wasp
made him the only triplane pilot in South American history. On 17 April 1920, he
took off from El Alto near La Paz and flew across the Andes for the mountain
chain's first aerial crossing. Another flight took him to Lake Titicaca and set a South
American altitude record of 8,294 meters (27, 211 feet) above sea level. Another
high level flight like that, on 19 May, resulted in Hudson landing the Wasp with a
[6]
mechanic passenger rendered unconscious by cold and the altitude.
On a flight between Oruro and La Paz, Hudson crashed the Wasp near Sica Sica. The
destruction of the plane seems to have ended his influence, as he was then
investigated by Bolivian authorities.[6]

Later life
On 11 June 1967, at Fort Meade, Maryland, Donald Hudson succumbed to the aftereffects of a stroke.[4] He was buried at Arlington
National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia.[1]

Legacy
La Paz, Bolivia.[4]
A monument to Hudson's pioneering flight across the Andes was erected in

Military honors and awards

Distinguished Service Cross (DSC)

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Donald Hudson, First Lieutenant (Air Service), U.S. Army, for extraordinary
heroism in action near Fere-en-Tardenois, France, August 1, 1918. A protection patrol of which Lieutenant Hudson was a member
was attacked by a large formation of enemy planes. First Lieutenant Hudson was separated from the formation and forced to a low
altitude by four enemy planes (Fokker type). He shot down one, drove off the other three, and started to our lines with a damaged
machine, but was attacked by two planes. He shot down both of these planes and, by great perseverance and determination,
succeeded in reaching our lines.[7]

See also
List of World War I flying aces from the United States

References
1. The Aerodrome website[1] (http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/usa/hudson1.php) Retrieved on 24 June 2010.
2. American Aces of World War I. p. 70–71.
3. Conquistadors of the Sky: A History of Aviation in Latin America. p. 139–140; 156–157.
4. Over The Front: The Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services,
1914-1918, p. 45.
5. Conquistadors of the Sky: A History of Aviation in Latin America. p. 139–140; 156.
6. Conquistadors of the Sky: A History of Aviation in Latin America. p. 156–157.
7. "General Orders No. 46, W.D., 1919" (http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/usa/hudson1.php). theaerodrome.com.
Retrieved 24 June 2010.

Bibliography
 American Aces of World War I. Norman Franks, Harry Dempsey. Osprey Publishing, 2001.ISBN 1-84176-375-6,
ISBN 978-1-84176-375-0.
Conquistadors of the Sky: A History of Aviation in Latin America. Dan Hagedorn. University Press of Florida, 2008.
ISBN 0-8130-3249-0, ISBN 978-0-8130-3249-8.
Over The Front: The Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services,
1914-1918 . Norman Franks, Frank Bailey. Grub Street Publishing, 2008. ISBN 0948817542 ISBN 978-0948817540

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