Hal Wright; Publisher Flew Air Paper Route

Hal Wright, the longtime north Sierra newspaper publisher who gained fame delivering papers to remote subscribers by flinging them from his single-engine airplane, has died after a short illness. He was 96.

Wright was hospitalized for two weeks with pneumonia, but recovered enough to return to his Loyalton home before dying June 24 with his two daughters at his bedside.

During his half-century run as publisher of the fortnightly Sierra Booster, Wright became a local celebrity after Associated Press took notice of his aerial paper route in the mid-1970s. Wright was subsequently featured in the London Daily Mail, on CBS News and the “Today” show, and in Ripley’s Believe It Or Not. Both houses of the state Legislature awarded him proclamations.

Wright began using his airplane for deliveries in the early 1950s, tossing rolled-up papers out an open window as he roared down over remote homesteads and forest fire lookout stations.

He continued the deliveries well into his 90s but didn’t always get the endorsement of the federal government. In the mid-1990s, Wright had to hire an attorney to force the Federal Aviation Administration to renew his pilot’s license. At his death, Wright was the fourth oldest private pilot in America.

His newspaper featured Wright’s aerial photographs and tidbits of news from around Sierra County, population 3,000. His wife, Alleen, affectionately nicknamed “Sweetie Pie,” helped him put together the biweekly.

Her death in January came as a huge blow to Wright, who lost much of the vigor that had powered his long working career.

“He always said he was the luckiest man alive,” said Jan Buck, Wright’s daughter. “My parents were vital. I’m proud of what they did. I think they made a mark.”

Wright, who is survived by his three grown children, will be remembered at a memorial service Saturday in his old hangar at Beckwourth Airport beginning at 9 a.m. His airplane will be on display.

At the end of the morning, the plane will return to the sky with Wright aboard one last time. Wright’s ashes will be spread along with his wife’s over the summer turf of Sierra County.