Elrey B. Jeppesen

Elrey B. Jeppesen was an early aviator and air mail pilot who revolutionized aerial navigation.

Elrey B. Jeppesen was born in Lake Arthur, Louisiana on January 28, 1907 to Jens Hansen Jeppesen and Petrea Marea (Petersen) Jeppesen. Shortly after he was born the family, including Jeppesen’s older brother Edward, moved to Oregon and eventually settled in the Portland area. 

Jeppesen’s interest in flight began at an early age. When he was 14 he received his first ride in an airplane, a Curtiss JN-4D Jenny. From that moment he knew that he wanted to learn how to fly and eventually dropped out of high school pursue a job at Pearson Field in Vancouver, Washington. Jeppesen received his pilot’s license at the age of 19 and bought his first airplane, a 1916 Jenny, for $500 at the age of 21. 

Jeppesen’s career in aviation began in 1928 when he was briefly employed by the Tex Rankin Flying Circus as a ticket taker, barnstormer, and wing walker. During his time there, he soloed Dorothy Hester’s first flight. Hester later went on to set world records in 1931 for number of snap rolls in an OX-5 and most consecutive outside loops. 

In 1929 Jeppesen landed a job in the foreign photographic mapping division in Mexico for Fairchild Aerial Surveys. Once the Depression set it, Jeppesen began flying air mail as a reserve pilot for Boeing Air Transport. He flew for several years with Boeing and Varney Air Lines before they merged to form United Air Lines. He continued to fly with United Air Lines until 1954.

While flying with United Air Lines Jeppesen met his future wife, stewardess Nadine Liscomb. They married on September 24, 1936 and had two children together, Jim and Richard.  

While flying the Cheyenne to Salt Lake City route during his air mail days, Jeppesen began assembling a book of handwritten notes to help him navigate the different destinations along this often dangerous route. Because there were not a lot of aeronautical charts available to pilots at the time, pilots often had to rely on road maps, railroad tracks, and other landmarks for navigation. Jeppesen felt that this was not enough information needed to safely navigate the sky and began compiling information that he felt would allow him to return home safely each night. He would often scale silos, smokestacks, and even mountains with three altimeters strapped on his body in order to get accurate measurements which he would then add to what has now become known as the “Little Black Book.” In this book he would also note the telephone numbers of farmers in the area, which he would phone ahead to get weather reports.

Other pilots soon took notice of Jeppesen’s “Little Black Book” and began requesting copies for their own use. He began selling these copies for $10 apiece and they eventually became so popular that he started his own business out of his basement, the Jeppesen Airway Manual. Nadine took on a pivotal role in the business, taking charge of the accounting, billing, and also traveling with Jeppesen to collect data to include in the manual. 

Eventually the company was able to expand into a space of its own. During World War II Jeppesen & Company landed contracts with the Navy and also began making color relief maps. In 1954 Jeppesen retired from United Air Lines in order to focus solely on the company and to cut down on stress which was having an ill effect on his health. 

In 1957 the company expanded overseas and opened an office in Frankfurt, Germany. Jeppesen decided to sell the company to Times Mirror in 1961 and the company merged with Sanderson Films to form Jeppesen Sanderson, Inc. While continuing to improve upon and update the Airway Manual and produce maps, the company also expanded to produce literature on aviation safety and flight training. In 2000 the company was bought by The Boeing Company.  

Although Jeppesen sold the company in 1961, he remained on the board and stayed involved in the operation of the company. He was active in several different aviation organizations and received awards throughout his life for his many contributions to flight safety, including an induction into the U.S. National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1990 and an Honorary Degree from the University of Denver in 1991. In 1995 the Denver International Airport honored Jeppesen by naming the main terminal after him. Today there is a large bronze statue of Jeppesen in the terminal along with a small exhibit on his life. 

Elrey Jeppesen died on November 26, 1996, preceded slightly by his wife Nadine on June 10, 1996.