When it comes to monuments and other tributes to aviation and aviators, there are legions. There are probably few, however, that are as unassuming as that contained in a certain Southern California hotel and count among its fans some of the most celebrated in history. The Mission Inn might seem like just another hotel to most people, but to those who are familiar with it, it’s a legend steeped in story and splendor. The original owner of the Inn, and the one most responsible for its current form, Frank Miller, was a civic leader who strongly supported many different endeavors, among these being early aviation. In 1932, Miller was approached by a friend of his daughter about creating a shrine dedicated to aviators who have visited the hotel. By the end of 1932, Miller had completed the fourth major wing of his hotel, where the chapel is located. Several friends encouraged him to follow this up with the construction of a shrine to aviators who had visited the Inn. It would be called the Flyer’s Wall, dedicated to St. Francis, the patron saint of birdmen.
On December 15, 1932, a ceremony in the Atrio outside of the chapel dedicated the chapel as an aviator shrine. A special copper plaque was designed and installed that reads: “Francis of Assisi, Lover of Birds and Birdmen, Patron Saint.” Presiding over the ceremonies was Monsignor McCarthy, the one-time priest at St. Francis de Sales in Riverside. Colonel H. H. “Hap” Arnold, who would later serve as commander in chief of the Army Air Force during WWII, was present in his capacity as commander of the 1st Wing of the General Headquarters Air Force at nearby March Field. DeWitt Hutchings read a poem by Henry Longfellow entitled The Prayer of St. Francis. The Mission Inn is decorated with artifacts Miller collected from all over the world. Included in these are various aviation insignia and other related items. This inspired the installation of copper wings that would commemorate visits by famous aviators who had visited the Inn. With each installation, there was a ceremony to honor the aviator named. The wings are about 10 inches wide with a propeller in the center. Each aviator would sign and date a piece of paper, which was then transferred to an etching on the left wing. The date was marked on the right wing. Each aviator honored was invited to hang their wings on the wall.
The first ceremony was held on March 26, 1934, with the hanging of the wings for Major General B.D. Boulois, Lt. Col. Henry H. “Hap” Arnold, Brig. General O. Westover and Lt. Commander H.V. Wiley. Only Lt. Commander Wiley was present for the ceremony; the other three had visited the Mission Inn at various times the previous two years. Over the years, copper wings with the names of 161 flyers with their signatures etched into a wing have been hung on the wall. Some of those aviators include Lt. Gen. James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle, Amelia Earhart, Mrs. U.G. “Queenie” McQueen, Jackie Cochran, John Northrop, Eddie Rickenbacker, John Glenn, and Chuck Yeager. And the list goes on. No doubt the number will increase as the years go by.
