Alaska's first bush pilot was Carl Ben Eielson, a North Dakota farm boy of Scandinavian descent who flew during World War I. After the war, he moved to Alaska as a mathematics and science teacher in Fairbanks. However, he soon persuaded several citizens to help him acquire a Curtiss JN-4, flying passengers to nearby settlements. He then asked the postal operator for an airmail contract. The post office accepted the proposal and in 1924, Eielson received a de Havilland 4 that would be used to make eight mail runs to McGrath, away, before his contract was terminated after the third accident.