AVIATION.
[Note: Article in second paragraph called
Beech “Walter H. Beach...of Beach Air-craft.” Also, Hume infers Walter Beech
was a partner of Hill & Williams. Believe the earlier articles disprove
this. MAW]
SOURCE: Arkansas City Daily Traveler, May
9, 1940, issue.
Aviation Has a
20-Year History in Arkansas City.
Aviation so far as Arkansas City, Kansas,
was concerned was just a newborn infant at the time Roy Hume, a member of the
group of 1920 “pioneers,” took a picture showing Mr. and Mrs. Errett Williams
and their plane—one of the first in Arkansas City—a JN4D Curtiss, called a
“Jennie.” By 1940 Hume was about the
only member still active. Hume also had one of the first planes in operation in
1920 at Arkansas City, a J-1 Standard. Another of Arkansas City’s early pilots,
army-trained Beachy Musselman, was no longer flying by 1940.
Errett Williams was killed in Texas a few
years prior to the interview held with Roy Hume in 1941. Hume stated that Pete
Hill, who operated the first air field in Arkansas City with Errett Williams
and Walter H. Beech, had become a state airport inspector in Idaho. Beech, the
third member of that pioneering trio, was president of Beech Aircraft at
Wichita.
There were two airports in operation at
the same time. Williams, Beech, and Hill operated their flying field—located
just north of the city—until their hangar was destroyed by fire. At the same
time Cecil J. Lucas and Hume, another pair of air pioneers, operated their air
field south of town, site of the Arkansas City airport in 1940.
Hume stated that he had never been a
pilot himself, but there were many of them in Arkansas City in the 1920s. The
roster of fliers included Williams, Beech, Lucas (a Wichita pilot in the
1940s), the late Dick Phillips, the late Shirley DeVore, Beachy Musselman, and
a pilot named Nevell. Nevell had flown for Hume and was killed while in
government air mail service east of Wichita in the late 1930s.
Another famous early-day flier, Hume
said, was the late Jimmy Ward, who had been associated with the
internationally-known Wright brothers. Ward flew throughout most of aviation’s
history, and died of a stomach ailment two years prior to the interview.
Following the Hume-Lucas and the
Beech-Williams-Hill airports, a field was leased by the Chamber of Commerce
south of Arkansas City. This field was in operation until 1930 when a fire
destroyed the hangar and seven planes. Reede Farrell, Johnny Boggs, and Jack
Lightstone were among those who lost planes in that fire. Both Boggs and
Lightstone received flying training at Chickasha, Oklahoma. Another flyer who
used this field, Merritt Kirkpatrick—instructed by Irl S. Beach—was recently
killed in a crash in Alaska, Hume said.
Irl S. Beach had become an inspector in a
big aircraft factory in San Diego, Hume stated.
After the hangar fire south of town in 1930, Beach and Hume leased and
operated an airport 2½ miles north of Arkansas City and continued in operation
until 1935. At that time Johnny Boggs and Hume leased a field south of the
city. In 1937, Hume and Boggs sold their operation to Tom Smyer. In 1938 the
City of Arkansas City took over rental of the field and it became the municipal
airport.
At the time of this article, there were
two fliers holding private licenses in Arkansas City: John Corlett and Lloyd Pickett. There were
three others holding a solo rating, which permitted them to fly anywhere in the
United States so long as they did not take up passengers. They were: Jack Axley,
Earl Haines, and Perry Grainger. There were eight others who held either at
that time or previously students’ permits, allowing them to make solo flights
so long as they remained near their home airport: Jack Lightstone, Clyde
Dorrance, Raymond Mathiasmeier, Leonard Estep, Harold Gilbert, Bob Leach,
Johnny Vaughn, and Dodson Givens.
THE CURTISS JN SERIES “JENNYS” WERE THE
FIRST AIRCRAFT TO BE BUILT IN LARGE NUMBERS FOR THE SIGNAL CORPS....seen it
spelled both ways...JENNYS AND JENNIES.
PICTURE CAPTION IN ANOTHER BOOK:
Flying French-built SPADs, Captain Eddie
Rickenbacker of the 94th Aero Squadron was the top-scoring ace in the USAAS
during World War I with 26 victories. When the war ended in November 1918,
3,800 of the 7,889 USAAS aircraft were from foreign manufacturers.
ROUGH PENNED NOTES BY MRS. HARRY (BESS)
OLDROYD GIVEN TO KAY BY TERRY EATON...SOME OF THESE NOTES PERTAIN TO Early
Fliers Here and Their Planes...BESS ENTITLED PENNED ARTICLE AS FOLLOWS.
Early
Airplanes in A.C. and the Fliers
It took a World War to make America
really air minded. After the war Arkansas City was one of the places where Air
Force fliers congregated.
According to Arthur Walker [known as D.
Arthur Walker, he became prominent attorney in Arkansas City] the first plane
to arrive here was a rotary engine, frail monoplane, probably a Blériot. It
came to the old military air field on East Madison Avenue. The pilot was a
barnstormer. The pilot would watch the smoke from neighboring smokestacks to
determine the direction and velocity of the wind. When they seemed right to
him, he would take off, reaching an altitude of three or four hundred feet,
then make a circular flight for about three minutes before landing.
John Robson says the first flier to
locate in Arkansas City was Errett Williams. The day Williams arrived in
Arkansas City, John saw him and when he buzzed the city tower knew he was
looking for a landing. John had an old Dodge. He used a gunny sack for a signal
fastened to the top of his car. He had hunted rabbits out in the north hills
and knew a good landing place. Errett followed the improvised sock signal and
landed accompanied by Mrs. Williams.
John brought them to town and they registered at the Osage Hotel.
After the finish of World War I the
government sold large wooden hangars for $500 each to help stimulate interest
in aviation.
Pete Hill and Errett Williams put up a
hangar north of the city about 50 yards southeast of what is now Pizza Hut.
Art Guhel???? had won the race from California to Honolulu and his plane
was so large he brought it to the Arkansas City hangar for storage, as most all
other hangars in the area were too small.
The hangar put up south of town was also
a government hangar.
A small hangar was built south of the
Arthur Walker home and was used by Jack Lightstone and others in 1925-6.
Another small hangar was constructed on
the Baird farm west of Arkansas City.
Fostine Moncrief’s 91-year-old mother,
Mrs. W. M. Mullen??? tells of one time when Roy Hume
“captured” her and carried her bodily to his plane, followed by a trip circling
over Arkansas City.
ABOVE COMMENT BY D. ARTHUR
WALKER.....COULD THIS TIE IN WITH THE ARTICLE IN SCRAP BOOK DATED JULY 30,
1971???
Article dated July 30, 1971.
Airplane Ascension
Was Big Event Here For City in 1910.
Airplane Ascension! This was a big event
of 1910 in Arkansas City. It took place in the old Ball Park at Madison and F
Street, and was attended by a great crowd, which was anxious to see the
much-talked about “flying machine” in action. . . .
[BACK TO OLDROYD NOTES]
One time when the fliers north of town
were to hold a flying circus, Errett Williams, who was a close friend of
Major Tinker (for whom the Oklahoma base is now named) wrote to the major
asking him to assist with their show. He came with eight planes. One of the
pilots misjudged the distance while landing and the plane fell over the edge of
the bluff. Major Tinker was so infuriated that he stripped the pilot of his
wings.
[Earlier articles make one big lie of
above.]
Mrs. W. M. Patten of rural Arkansas City,
sister of one of the early fliers, tells the following.
“My brother, Cecil Lucas, leased
the land for the south hangar. The fliers associated with him were Pete
Hill, Errett Williams, and Roy Hume. Roy had a block??? about soloing and Cecil piloted for
him.
Cecil Lucas was with Eddie Rickenbacker’s famous
94th (“Hat in the Ring”) Aero Squadron in World War I. He flew for Cessna in
Wichita and was Governor of Aeronautics at the time he was killed.
Mrs. Dan Stark says that her uncle, Harold
Wooldridge, was a stuntman for these fliers on their barnstorming trips. He
walked on the wings in mid-air.
-0-
SECOND ATTEMPT AT WRITING ARTICLE...BESS
OLDROYD.
Early
Fliers Here And Their Planes
The first airplane hangar in Arkansas
City was erected out on a bluff north of town. It was located west of where the
Methodist Church and the Valley View Manor are now situated.
Walter Beech, Pete Hill, Beachy
Musselman, Dick Phillips, and
John Robson had seven planes stored there in the north hangar. John
Robson had bought his plane, government surplus, for two cents a pound,
crated and sight unseen. It cost him about $400.00. [She also wrote in pencil ... (“one time”)]
[Early articles make no reference to
Musselman, Phillips, Robson having planes stored in the north hangar at time of
fire. MAW]
There was a second flying service south
of town with a hangar on land that Cecil Lucas had leased. Roy Hume,
Jack Lightstone, Irl (“Cactus”) Beach, and Cecil operated the
service and did a lot of barnstorming.
-0-
MORE COMMENTS ABOUT FLIERS...
Bess commented time and again about the
two books written “Between the Rivers” and the problems she had with different
people telling her “after the fact” that there were errors.
She said:
“I think the worst blow came in Wichita.
Dorothy Lord invited me to talk about the books before a group of which she is
a member.
“I said to myself, ‘Wichita, Yes. I’ll
tell them what Dwight Moody’s daughter told me about her father and the man who
became the head of Beech Aircraft.” Veda had said, “Dwight Moody, Roy Hume, and
Ira Beach had been interested in a flying service here. When one of the flyers [this time she wrote
“flyers” instead of “fliers”] was killed, the service broke up and Ira Beach
went to Wichita.
“I had some pleasure in telling Dorothy’s
friends that Arkansas City had once been the residence of Ira Beach—later
president of Beech Aircraft.”
When several women came to speak to me
after I had finished, four or five said, “Was Ira Beach the same as Walter
Beech?” “I don’t know,” I said. “All I know is the information I received at
the time of the interview.”
Well, they all told me that Walter Beech
was the president of the Aircraft Corporation.
Naturally, the first thing I did when I
came home was to begin to check with old timers here.
I wrote Mrs. Beech, Walter’s widow.
Received a nice letter and a fine book:
“History of Beechcraft”. Mrs. Beech said they knew of no Ira Beech, but there
was an EARL BEACH—HE SPELLED HIS NAME WITH AN “A” AND NOT A DOUBLE “E”.
I called Albert Beach of rural Arkansas
City, asking him if he knew Ira Beach. “Yes, he was my father,” he said. “Was
he a flier?” I asked. “No, that was my Uncle Irl (spelled IRL).
So Mrs. Beech’s “Earl Beach” was probably
Albert Beach’s Uncle IRL because Uncle Irl did go to Wichita.
“BUT WALTER BEECH WAS ONE OF THE EARLY
FLIERS HERE ALSO.”
-0-
NEXT BESS OLDROYD HAD AN ARTICLE GIVEN TO
HER BY IRENE SCOTT ARMSTRONG...
It was about the year 1920.
Early one morning, Walter Beech
came to Art Hill’s car repair shop, seeking employment. The shop was located in
the basement of the Dye building at 500 South Summit Street, formerly the Dye
carriage factory.
Clyde Armstrong was working for Art Hill at that time.
He remembered after Beech was hired, he asked Art to advance him money,
that he might go buy his breakfast before starting to work. At that time Beech
didn’t own a car, he didn’t smoke, he only spent money for necessities, nor was
he interested in girls. Clyde owned a Chevie touring car, and he and Beech
took many rides together.
Later Beech bought an old army
surplus biplane that was in need of repairs. Art Hill let him put the plane in
his shop. Beech and others, including Clyde, worked nights repairing the
plane. They were called “rags and sticks” planes, since the wings were a wooden
frame, covered with a canvas-like material. The material was stretched tightly
over the frame, then coated with a shellac-like liquid called “dope.” The
“dope” would shrink the fabric, making it exceedingly tight on the frame. It
also water proofed the fabric.
When Beech was ready to start on
his barnstorming tour of the country, he wanted Clyde to go with him, however
he declined because his mother was in poor health.
Such are some of the remembrances of when
Walter Beech was in Arkansas City, as told to me by my late husband,
Clyde P. Armstrong.
A few notes about Walter Beech.
[Signed] Irene Armstrong.
NOW...VERY ROUGH NOTES BY “BESS”...SOME
SHE CROSSED OUT...PROPER SEQUENCE OF NOTES UNKNOWN...GIVING INFORMATION AS WE
RECEIVED IT. MAW
CROSSED OUT:
“pilots misjudged the distance while
landing and the plane fell over the edge of the bluff. The major was so mad
that he stripped the pilot of his wings.”
LEFT IN:
“Sometime after that the hangar burned
and only one plane was saved. John was getting his plane out when the roof fell
in. The Dope used on the fabric of the planes is very volatile. When the fire reached the barrel of Dope, it
exploded, spreading fire to the whole hill top.
“The hangar was a total loss. Walter
Beech approached businessmen in town for $500.00 to replace the hangar,
saying he wanted to build his own planes there. They laughed at him. He said, “OK” and went to Wichita. He later
founded the Beech Aircraft Corporation.”
[I call the above story
re loss of hangar THE BIG LIE. MAW]
LATER...SMALL NOTE:
“The hangar north of town burned one
night.
“All seven planes were lost.
“After the fire Walter Beech
called on businessmen in town to lend him $500.00 for another hangar. He said
he wanted to build his own planes.
“They laughed at him.
“That is when he went to Wichita.”
“Albert Beach of rural Arkansas
City tells the following:
His father was Ira Beach, a
farmer. The home place is west of Hackney (Tresham?) (Gresham?) [NOT SURE WHAT SHE WROTE...BUT SHE ENDED THIS
WORD WITH THE QUESTION MARK. MAW]
Irl S. Beach, brother of Ira and Uncle of Albert, was
the flyer.
Irl did stunt flying here. When flying over Arkansas City one
time in open cockpit he lost his tool kit. He was horrified for fear someone
would be killed. The kit was later found on the edge of the roof of Newman’s
store. Irl died in 1960.
“The following stories were told by
Albert Beach concerning Irl Beach.
His plane was due in but he kept circling
the city. The ground crew thought it very strange. He was burning his fuel
because he was landing with only one wheel and didn’t want to start a fire.
He took his honeymoon via air. He had a
mail route out of Chicago for a time. He was not a World War I
veteran. He was too young. Born in 1905.”
THE FOLLOWING WAS CROSSED OUT BY BESS
OLDROYD...
Local
Pilots Here
I am indebted to Reede Farrell, John
Robson, Arthur Walker, and (Joe McEwen) for the following.
pilots & planes from pages 2 & 3
(Walker)
TOP OF PAGE SHOWS “WALKER 4, 5, 6, NO
NUMBERING....PAGES 1, 2, AND 3 APPEAR TO BE MISSING” MAW
After the finish of WWI the government
sold large wooden hangars for $500 each to help stimulate interest in aviation.
Pete Hill and Errett Williams put up a
hangar north of the city about 50 yards southeast of what is now the Pizza Hut.
Art [Gabel or Gobel??? NOT SURE...MAW] won the race from California to Honolulu
and his plane was so large he brought it to the Arkansas City hangar for
storage as most all other hangars in the area were too small. The hangar later
was totally destroyed by fire.
The hangar put up south of the city by Lee
Lawson was also a government hangar and located about the same location of
the present hangar. It too was destroyed by fire.
A small hangar was built south of the Arthur
Walker home and used by Jack Lightstone and others in 1925 or 1926.
Another small hangar was constructed on
the Baird farm west of Arkansas City on Madison Avenue.
FROM JERRY CASE:
WALTER BAIRD TOLD ME...
Smyer and Forberger leased Earl Haines’
hangar and field south of Arkansas City (east of IXL) when Earl went to World
War II. They gave flying instructions to cadets [fellow soldiers] at Strother
Field to become pilots...after Earl Haines came home, he wanted his airport
back.
Therefore, Smyer and Forberger “set up
shop” at Walter Baird’s place and commenced to give flying lessons. The hangar
was a building that they bought from someone at IXL...they moved it to Baird’s,
where they were giving lessons.
When Government gave up Strother Field,
Smyer and Forberger began instructions for those interested in learning to fly
at Strother. This business was sold to Dale Current, who is still there.
WALTER BAIRD FARM.
The Walter Baird farm is located three
miles west of Arkansas River Bridge on Madison. Walter uses his hangar for
farm machinery. He had three airplanes in hangar; and had tie-downs for six
airplanes.....WHOOPS! HOLD THE PHONE.
JERRY:
QUESTION......FROM MAW!
SOMETIMES I REALLY DO MISREAD THINGS! PLEASE CORRECT ME. HANGAR...IS IT THE SAME ONE USED BY SMYER AND
FORBERGER?
DOES WALTER BAIRD HAVE ANY PLANES IN IT NOW?
[Note: Failed to write down response from
Jerry Case...now dead. Phone book still shows “Walter H. Baird, Route 1,
Arkansas City, Kansas...Phone: 442-4567.” MAW, May 16, 1997.]
[BACK TO BESS OLDROYD NOTES]
SEQUENCE...???? AT TOP OF PAGE...WALKER
“seemed right to him he would take off
and reach an altitude of three or four hundred feet and make a circular flight
for about three minutes before landing.”
NEXT PAGE....
“I am indebted to John Robson for the
following.
Errett Williams made the first landing in Arkansas City.
John knew that he was looking for a landing when he saw the flier buzzing the
town. John had an old Dodge with tools in it.
He used a gunnysack on top for a sock (signal) and fastened it down with
a wrench. He had hunted rabbits out there and knew a good flat landing place. Errett
followed the signals and landed, accompanied by Mrs. Williams. John brought
them to town and they registered at the Osage Hotel.”
“During the 23 Flood, rising water”
[END OF PAGE...WHAT FOLLOWED THIS IS
UNKNOWN...MAW]
NEXT PAGE...
Following is contributed by D. Arthur
Walker.
I believe the first airplane to fly in
Arkansas City was a frail monoplane that made several exhibition flights from
the old athletic field south of what is now the Groves Oil Company on East
Madison. I do not know the name of the pilot or the make of the aircraft,
however it looked like a Berloit [ABOVE THIS WORD WRITTEN IN DIFFERENT
INSTRUMENT....Bleriot WAS WRITTEN.
MAW] airplane with a rotary engine. The pilot would watch the smoke from
various smokestacks to determine the direction and velocity of the wind, and
when the directions
[ENDED HERE...NO PERIOD FOLLOWED...NEXT
PAGE DOES NOT CONTINUE WITH STORY. MAW]
[BACK TO BESS OLDROYD]
NEXT PAGE...
The first airplane hangar in Arkansas
City was out on a bluff north of town, located about where the Methodist Church
and the Valley View Manor are now situated. Errett Williams was the
first pilot to land here.
QUESTIONS! QUESTIONS!
EARLIER BESS OLDROYD INDICATED THAT JOHN
ROBSON WAS THE ONE WHO HELPED ERRETT WILLIAMS LAND AND TOOK HIM TO OSAGE
HOTEL.....
NOW SHE CREDITS THIS TO ROB JOHNSON...????? WAS SHE CONFUSING JOHN ROBSON WITH “ROB
JOHNSON”????
Rob Johnson, a high school boy, met him and brought
him to town. Rob had a plane....
Errett, Walter Beech, Pete Hill, Beachy
Musselman, Dick Phillips, a Winfield man named DeVore and Rob had their seven
planes stored in the north hangar.
There was a flying service south of town,
also. Roy Hume, Pete Hill, Jack Lightstone, Cecil Lucas, and Irl (Cactus)
Beach operated the service. Roy Hume never soloed. He was a co-pilot, but would
never land a plane or take off.
The boys on the north hill held a flying
circus. Major Tinker was a close friend of Errett Williams. He told the
major about their plans and asked if he would help them out.
ON THE BACK OF THIS PAGE...
Monoplane (south of Groves Oil)
Walter Beech
Pete Hill
Errett Williams
Lee Lawson
Arthur LeSarge
Reede Farrell
Chief Bowhan???
Loyd Pickett
Earl Haines
Jack Lightstone
John Robson
Rae Hudson
Roy Hume
Wayne Richards
Joe McEwen
Beachy Musselman
Irl Beach
Dick Phillips
DeVore
Cecil Lucas
MORE PAGES BY BESS OLDROYD...PAGES 3
THROUGH 11.
PAGES 1 AND 2 ARE MISSING...MAW
It took a World War to make America really
air conscious. Arkansas City was one of the places where Air Force Pilots
congregated.
According to Arthur Walker the first
plane to arrive here was a barnstormer, a fragile monoplane with a rotary
engine. It landed on the old athletic field on East Madison Avenue. There were no “socks” to indicate the
direction of the wind. The pilot on the ground would watch the smoke from
neighboring smoke stacks to determine the direction and velocity of the wind.
When they were right he would take off—altitude 300/400 feet...circle 3 minutes
at trip.
John Robson—
First flier to locate in AC - Errett
Williams
Buzzed city
John...old Dodge...gunney sack...signal
hunt rabbits...north hill
guided pilot...Errett and Mrs.
Williams...to town...registered at Osage.
After the war...government sold large
wooden hangars—$500.00—to stimulate civilian interest in aviation.
Pete Hill
Errett Williams
hangar north of town...southeast of Pizza Hut.
Art Gobel...who won race from California
to Honolulu stored his big plane here.
Seven planes stored north...
Walter Beech
Pete Hill
B. Musselman
Dick Phillips
John Robson
John—government surplus...two cents
pound...crated...sight unseen.
Flying Circus
Er. Williams close friend of Tinker
8 planes...1 misjudged distance...over the
cliff...stripped of his wings.
Hangar burned: saved only one plane.
Walter Beech approached business men
here. $500.00. Wanted to build his own planes...Laughed at him. Wichita.
Lee Lawson - land from Cecil Lucas for
hangar. South of town.
Cecil Lucas and Roy Hume established a
flying service.
Jack Lightstone
“Cactus” Beach (Irl)
They did a lot of barnstorming.
Harold Wooldridge (Andrea’s Uncle)
Stunt man
Walked the wings in mid air.
Fostine’s mother...Mrs. Wm. Mullins
Roy “kidnapped” her.
Over the city.
Mrs. Wm. Patten...sister of Cecil
Lucas.
Cecil leased land south of town for hangar...was with Eddie
Rickenbacker’s 95th air squadron...went to Wichita—Cessna...at the time of his
death he was Governor of Aeronautics.
This hangar was also a government hangar.
It stood about where the present hangar is located. It also was destroyed by
fire.
A small hangar...by Jack Lightstone
in 1925-6 on D. Arthur Walker place.
Also one west of town on the Charley
Baird Farm.
During the 23 Flood.
Big gasoline tank at Kanotex refinery
broke loose outside the valve. Tank floated down the Arkansas River. Landed
against 3 big cottonwoods. Mrs. Ethel Childers called Beech Aircraft to come
down to locate the tank. Only two small boats in town. John Robson had a canoe. Took Mrs. Childers to north airfield. Pilot
intoxicated...Mrs. Childers refused to ride with him. Pilot knew John from
early flying days. “Can you fly her down?” “Yes.” Made map, so it could be
located after water subsided. Gasoline back in tank trucks. Cut empty tank in
two...back to Kanotex.
CROSSED OUT:
later.
When the water receded the company hauled the gasoline back to Arkansas
City in tank trucks. They cut the empty tank in two, brought it back and welded
it together again.
The story is told that when Walter
Beech died, a man in South Texas, a flyer named Walter Beech, read
the notice of the Wichita man’s death. The Texas flyer had a little daughter
named Olive Ann, the same name as the Wichita man’s wife. Little Olive Ann
wrote Mrs. Beech and received a lovely answer. They were not relatives.
Following are the names of the early
pilots here as recalled by persons we interviewed.
Jack Lightstone, Rae Hudson, Roy Hume,
Wayne Richards, Joe McEwen, Beachy Musselman, Irl Beach, Dick Phillips, Cecil Lucas,
John Robson, Walter Beech, Pete Hill, Errett Williams, Lee Lawson, LaSarge
Brothers, Chief Bowden, Reede Farrell, Loyd Pickett, Earl Haines.
Some of the Old Planes...
English De Haviland
Jennys (J N 40) army training plane
Lincoln Standard
Laird-Swallow
Italian SVA
During the 23 flood rising water broke a
big gasoline tank loose at the Kanotex refinery. The break was outside the valve so the tank
with the gasoline floated down the river. It landed against three big
cottonwood trees. Mrs. Ethel Childers called the Beech Aircraft in Wichita to
come take her down to locate the tank. At the time of the flood, there were
only two boats in town. John Robson had a canoe. He took Mrs. Childers to the
north hill. When the Wichita plane arrived, the pilot was intoxicated and Mrs.
Childers refused to ride with him although he assured her he was capable. He
knew John from early flying days. He turned to him and said, “Can you fly her
down?” John said, “Yes.”
They went down, found the tank, and drew
a map so it could be located
Mrs. Ethel Childers, secretary, Kanotex
refinery.
Kanotex Refinery moved to Arkansas City
in 1917.
Refinery plant was located southeast of
Arkansas City on a forty acre tract.
FROM LOIS HINSEY NOTES...PAGE
150-g...ARTICLE RE ONE HUNDRED FORTY FOOT HILL...
The “140 foot hill” was a popular picnic
ground prior to the turn of the century and well into the 1900s. It was located
about two miles southeast of Arkansas City on the Albert F. (Bert and Mary)
Moore and Harry Wallace farms and northwest of the present location of Quaker
Haven.
The place is not now opened to the
public as the river has worn away the bank and washed away the bridge.
Denton bridge crossed the Arkansas River
south of the refinery and from that crossing or the ford not far beyond one
could take the road east or west.
At least once the bridge was
rebuilt after a flood, but in the big flood of 1923 the bridge went out and was
not rebuilt.
The road going west was around the base
of the 140-foot-hill and eventually led to what we now know as Quaker Haven
Road and from there went on to old highway 77.
As the floods came and the Arkansas River
cut a wider channel, the area was made inaccessible.
FLOOD OF 1923...
Early on Sunday, June 10, 1923, warning
signals were blown on the city pump house whistle, giving notice that danger
was near. By the end of the day, waters of the combined rivers (Arkansas River
and Walnut River) had reached unprecedented heights in several parts of the
city and many men, who had rushed to help sandbag the dikes, returned to their
own homes later to find that they were inundated if they were located in low
areas.
Lotus Day, of Day’s Monument Company,
erected an historical marker at 907 South Summit Street showing the point
reached by the waters in the 1923 flood.
BACK TO OLDROYD NOTES...
Walker...page 2
SHE CROSSED THIS OUT! MAW
seemed right to him he would take off and
reach an altitude of three or four hundred feet and make a circular flight for
about three minutes before landing.
Local Pilots
Walter Beech
Pete Hill
Errett Williams
Lee Lawson
The LaSarge brothers
Reede Farrell
Chief Bowhan
Loyd Pickett
Earl Haines
Jack Lighstone [Note: She always wrote
“Lighstone”...corrected earlier references.]
Rae Hudson
Roy Hume
Wayne Richards
Joe McEwen
Gladys Peck mentions LeSarge Brothers,
Reede Farrell, Beacy Mussselman, Irl Beach, Dick Phillips, John Robson, Cecil
Lucas.
END
OF BESS OLDROYD NOTES
Air
Craft and Air Ports
Mary Lucille Neuman published a history
of Strother Field in the Traveler April 30, 1975.
Fred Tupper, the first Airport manager,
who served for twenty-five years and retired in July of 1992 wrote a history of
the field which was published in the book Cowley County Heritage. Mr.
Tupper was succeeded by Mrs. Joe (Donna) Avery of Arkansas City.
After World War I there was a flurry of
excitement over flying by such local enthusiasts as Walter Beech, Pete Hill,
and Cecil Lucas.
A self-taught aeronautical engineer, Irl
Beach (no relation to Walter Beech) designed a number of planes and had his
own airport and hangar in the late 1920s. By the 1930s, many more Arkansas City
citizens had joined in the aerial fun, including Roy Hume, Clyde Dorrance,
Claude “Red” Derry, Earl Haines, and Reede Farrell.
There were several air strips, located
north, south, and west of Arkansas City, but no municipal facility.
Winfield, Kansas, though, in 1940 had
authorized a municipal airport south of Highland Cemetery so that students
taking ground school classes at Southwestern College could qualify for private
pilot licenses.
Jim Smyer, and his brother, Tom Smyer [who
became manager of the Ponca City airport in 1940], were two of the foremost
promoters of private piloting in the late 1930s and 1940s. Jim
Smyer and J. C. Forburger had been instructors at the Lloyd Pickett-Earl
Haines airport south of Arkansas City until they opened their own flying
service on the Baird air strip on Highway 166 west of Arkansas City.
They were there two years before Strother became available, at which time they
severed their partnership. Jim Smyer then began his family’s long-time
association with Strother Field.
-0-
LOIS HINSEY NOTES...INSERTED AFTER PAGE
144.
FROM THE TRAVELER...WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30,
1975.
History of Strother Field
By Mary Lucille Neumann
Because of the vision 35 years ago of
Junior Chamber of Commerce members in Arkansas City and Winfield, Cowley County
has the most modern and finest job-producing airport-industrial park in Kansas.
Approximately 1,300 persons are on the payrolls of 13 industries located at
Strother Field, located midway between the two municipalities.
Many persons believe that the Field was
started by the U.S. Army Air Force as a training center during World War II and
was given to the cities after hostilities ceased.
Not so. Land already had been purchased and work started to
construct a two-city airport before war was declared. When the Army Air Force
needed the site, it was leased in 1942 for $1 a year. At the conclusion of the
conflict, the land was turned back to the Cities, along with all its improvements.
[Continuation Neumann article]
The actual birth of Strother Field
occurred early in 1940, although Arkansas City long had been aviation-minded.
After World War I there was a flurry of excitement over flying by such local
enthusiasts as Walter Beech, Pete Hill, and Cecil Lucas. A
self-taught aeronautical engineer, Irl Beach (no relation to Walter
Beech) designed a number of planes and had his own airport and hangar in
the late 1920s.
By the 1930s, many more Ark Cityans had
joined in the aerial fun, including Roy Hume, Clyde Dorrance, Claude “Red”
Derry, Earl Haines, and Reede Farrell.
There were several air strips located
north, south, and west of the city, but no municipal facility.
Winfield, though, in 1940, had authorized
a municipal airport south of Highland Cemetery so that students taking ground
school classes at Southwestern College could qualify for private pilot’s
licenses.
This same year, 1940, Civil Aeronautics
Authority officials (CAA) advised that, if Arkansas City and Winfield together
could establish a good-sized airport, there was a possibility the Army Air
Force might locate a training installation. Officials and civic groups from
both communities studied the feasibility of the suggestion. There was much
enthusiasm and, also, opposition. A referendum vote was held in Arkansas City
in August, 1940, to determine approval of a bond issue for establishment of
such an airport. The vote carried.
The CAA assisted in determining location,
size, runways, hangars, and other facilities necessary, concluding that
$210,000 would build a [equipment a]...?? does not make sense....
THINK IT SHOULD BE...would build the
field and equip a facility for the required airport.
The CAA agreed to furnish $30,000 in
federal aid if each city would provide $90,000.
This proposition was approved when submitted to election in both towns.
At that time Harry Oldroyd was mayor,
with Harry Long and George Wylie as commissioners.
Several locations were discussed with the
final choice a 480-acre site in what is now the southwest corner of Strother
Field. Contracts drawn had the signature of Clyde King as city manager and
Harry V. Howard as city attorney. This was December 30, 1941.
Runway grading was underway in April,
1942, when the Air Force asked the Cities to use their money to purchase an
additional 920 acres, less tracts occupied by Hackney. This brought the
airport holdings to 1,356 acres, which the Cities leased to the Air Force for
$1 a year for 25 years.
Within the year, the Air Force also
selected four auxiliary fields: 480 acres five miles southeast of Strother, 640
acres six miles northwest of Winfield, 654 acres six miles west of Arkansas
City, and 640 acres five miles northwest of Geuda Springs.
[Continuation Neumann article]
Work was rushed to complete Strother as a
basic training field with the first class of cadets arriving December 14, 1942,
for nine weeks of intensive schooling. At the peak of operation, there were
approximately 3,400 air force personnel and 400 civilian employees at the
field, with married officers and their families residing in both Arkansas City
and Winfield and USO and Cadet Clubs maintained in both communities.
It was on November 13, 1942, that
“Strother Army Air Field” became the officially designated title for the base.
It was named in honor of Donald Root Strother of Winfield, the first Cowley
County Army Air Force pilot to lose his life in World War II action (February
13, 1942). He was the youngest of four brothers, all of whom were involved in
this country’s war service: Dean, eventually a four-star Air Force general;
Kenneth, who retired as an infantry captain; and Robert, who served in the
Office of War Information.
The Air Force used Strother for about
three years, deactivating it in 1945 and turning it over to the Army Engineers,
later to the War Assets Administration.
When the Cities’ officials were
approached to terminate the lease and regain possession of the Field, it didn’t
automatically become an airport-industrial park. The city fathers delayed a
decision until tenants could be found so that rental and job income could
justify the expense of maintaining a large airport.
The first commercial venture on the Field
was Smyer Flying Service, owned and operated by the late James Smyer and
his wife, Iona Smyer Plamer. CHECK ON
THIS...PLAMER OR PALMER. They began operations in February, 1946, with a PT-19
surplus Air Force plane, a Cessna 120, and a Piper Cub to provide charter and
instruction services and crop dusting. Their offices were in the hangar now
occupied by Smith-Moon. Ernie McCoy (of C&M Engine Service) was head
of maintenance from 1946-49.
When Central Airlines began daily stops
here, Smyer’s office was moved to the old terminal building and eventually to
the new terminal building when it was erected in 1969. The operation was taken over by Melvin and
Donna Current after the death of Norman Smyer (Jim’s son) in 1972.
One innovation that made history was
started by Jim Smyer shortly after he began the Strother operation.
Every afternoon he delivered the Winfield Daily Courier to nearby
communities. This was the first air delivery of a newspaper anywhere in the
United States. This was continued for
nearly 25 years.
Jim Smyer and his brother, the late Tom Smyer,
who became manager of the Ponca City airport in 1940, were two of the foremost
promoters of private piloting in the late 1930s and 1940s.
Jim Smyer and the late J. C. Forburger had
been instructors at the Lloyd Pickett-Earl Haines airport south of town
until they opened their own flying service on the Baird air strip on
west Highway 166. They were there two years before Strother became available at
which time they severed their partnership and Smyer began his family’s
longtime association with the Field.
Current Aircraft, Inc., with offices in the Terminal Building,
had two storage hangars and T hangars in 1975. It employed at that time eleven
people and offered charter, instruction, sales and rental of airplanes,
fueling, maintenance, a courtesy car, and rental cars. Melvin Current,
president, soloed 28 years ago [in 1947] as a 16-year-old but he did not become
commercially active for 10 years, establishing Current Aircraft at Strother
Field on May 1, 1969.
Fairchild Engine and Airplane Co. was the
first industry to come to the rescue of the fledgling industrial park. Harry
M. McKay, formerly of Winfield and then head of the Fairchild Personal Planes
Division, was impressed with the facilities and signed a 3-year-lease for
$51,000, providing jobs for 200 to produce an experimental plane.
[The availability of Strother Field for
industrial use was brought to Mr. McKay’s attention by his sister, Mrs. Harold
Wortman of Winfield, Secretary-Treasurer of the Sonner Burner Company in that
city. Her son, Richard Kay Wortman, resides in Arkansas City.]
Unfortunately, by the time Fairchild had
completed building and testing its new aircraft, the personal plane market
appeared to be glutted and directors decided to discontinue this division—and
the Strother lease—on July 1, 1949.
This was a blow. Yet the two city governments
realized that this industry had given them an opportunity to have first-hand
knowledge of the Field potential. An evaluation revealed that when the Air
Force left, the cities not only regained their farm land but also had 23
buildings, a sewage disposal plant, utilities, a railway spur, and various
equipment, such as tractors, trucks, mowers, asphalt distributor, fire trucks,
etc. There were more than 3½ miles of hard surface blacktop runways 150 feet
wide, plus taxi strips, large concrete ramp, runway lighting, fencing, paved
roads, etc.
The cities were generating revenue to
operate the field. In 1947 they had levied a 1/2 mill tax in each city for
airport maintenance fund. They also were realizing income from crops on land
not used for airport or business purposes. Then oil was discovered under the
west auxiliary field. The 1/2 mill levy was discontinued in 1952. Before the
oil play ended, approximately a million dollars was received and designated as
a revolving fund to use in updating the Field and to build manufacturing facilities
which are sold or rented on long-term leases.
As the Field and its operations grew, so
did the need become apparent for a quasi-governmental unit to conduct the
complex business of the airport-industrial complex.
In September, 1966, the two cities
entered into a Mutual Contract for the management and operation of Strother
Field Airport-Industrial Park. Among other things, the contract named the
governing body “The Strother Field Commission,” the membership to be composed
of three members of the Governing Body of each city and each City Manager as an
ex-officio member. An additional article called for the appointment of an
Airport Manager.
As a consequence, Fred A. Tupper, a
native of New York, was employed as the first (and only) Airport Manager. He
was a retired Army lieutenant-colonel who was then studying for a master’s
degree in municipal administration at the University of Oklahoma. In the past
nine years he has seen the Field expand from five industries to the present 13.
All but four of the old frame GI buildings have been torn down or were
destroyed by fire or were moved to other locations.
The sage of Strother Field aviation
history is Charles M. Loomis, currently president of Western Industries, Inc.,
with office and warehouse at Strother Field.
Loomis came flying into Strother in
October, 1946, in his own Ryan monoplane. He had been a pilot since 1933 and,
in the succeeding 40 years, has owned nine planes. He came here from Detroit as
Fairchild works manager and decided to remain when Fairchild departed, forming
Western Manufacturing, Inc., fabricators of handling equipment, on April 1,
1949. He began his proprietorship in his
Crestwood garage, moving to Strother that fall when he rented the old café
building for $10 a month. His first Strother Field production was aluminum
Christmas tree street decorations for downtown Arkansas City.
“At the time I moved onto Strother
Field,” Loomis remarks, “every building was available, with the exception of
the hangar occupied by Smyer. Look at it now—13 industries and a 10 million
dollar annual payroll. It is the best navigationally equipped
non-scheduled-airline airport in the state.”
For the past five years Strother has
operated a VOR (very high frequency omini-range) and a non-directional beacon.
It now has pending an application with the FAA for an ILS (instrument landing
system) for which an airport is eligible if more than 800 planes a year use its
approaches. In the fall of 1974 the main runways and roads were resurfaced in a
$275,000 project. Presently the railway spur is being renovated with a new
roadbed.
Loomis has continued a staunch supporter
of Strother Field through his 29 years’ association. He accredits the success
of his parent company to his airplane. He was able to come to his Strother
office in the morning, board his nearby plane and, within a brief time, be in a
distant city to personally laud his wares and services, and be back in his
office by evening. When he sold Western Manufacturing to Montgomery Elevator
Company of Moline, Illinois, in 1972, they were encouraged to establish this as
a division primarily because of its location and availability to fly-in.
Western Manufacturing presently has 25
employees and Bud Seaholm is manager. The company has purchased a 20-acre tract
in the center of the Field and is contemplating construction of complete new
facilities.
The five major companies who located at
Strother Field in the “early days” are still the backbone of the Field. Peabody
Gordon-Piatt began operations September 1949; Western Manufacturing in
November 1949; General Electric in May 1951; Smith-Moon Steel Corp. in December
1951; and Greif Bros in July 1955. Cessna came onto the scene in 1967.
Gordon-Piatt, Inc. was formed by M. K.
(Kern) Gordon and W. R. (Bill) Piatt, both of whom had worked for Sullivan
Valve and Engineering Co. of Butte, Montana. In 1949 they decided to go into
partnership and move to Kansas to establish a burner business closer to oil
and natural gas supplies and a centrally located transportation network. They
occupied the old parachute packing building (which structure later housed
Mossman guitar factory and burned three months ago).
They first manufactured two atmospheric
gas burners. The company expanded, incorporated in 1955, and constructed new
facilities in 1958.
A highly reliable packaged forced draft
combination gas-oil burner, trade-named “Turbo-Ring,” with stainless steel
combustion head, was patented and provided the impetus for further expansion
into light and heavy oil systems, industrial register type burners, and newer
systems which burn pulverized waste wood and other solid fuel combustible
products. Divisions were established in
Canada, England, Holland, and Australia, plus regional offices in Chicago, New
York, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Atlanta, and Stamford.
The company merged in 1971 with
Peabody-Galion Corp., headquartered in New York and Galion, Ohio, and the
present name of Peabody Gordon-Piatt, Inc. was adopted. Kern Gordon is
president and employment here is around 200.
General Electric located at Strother
Field in 1951 and started with the production of the J47 military engines. The
facility, at that time, consisted of merely the current hangar facility. During the period 1951 to 1955, approximately
3,000 J47 engines were shipped from the Strother facility.
At the end of the Korean War, General
Electric phased out its J47 engine business and concentrated on the overhaul of
aircraft engine starters, power units, and other aircraft engine accessories.
It remained in the field of endeavor until 1962.
In 1962, General Electric ventured back
into the engine overhaul and repair business and was heavily involved with both
the J73 and J85 military engines and components. Approximately 6,000 military engines have been
processed through the GE facility from 1962 until the present time.
GE’s focus again changed in the mid-60s
with the advent of the commercial business jet.
GE began to service engines for the Learjet, Commodore Jet, Falcon Jet,
and Hansa Jet. This business has continued to grow throughout the years and in
1974 approximately 450 business jets flew in to Strother Field for servicing.
In total, over 6,000 commercial engines have been processed through the
GE-Strother facility.
As the business grew, so did the General
Electric facility. Today, it occupies 125,000 square feet of floor space.
In 1972, General Electric secured a
contract to overhaul and repair the J33 military engine. This work is
continuing at the present time. In 1973 as the J85 military engine business
phased out, GE began work on the repair of components for the CF6 engine used
in the DC 10 wide bodied commercial airliner used by many domestic and overseas
airlines.
In addition, GE is now involved in the
repair of components for electric power generating gas turbines as well as the
new manufacturer of components for several other General Electric aircraft jet
engines. GE currently employs approximately 400 people with an annual payroll
in excess of four million dollars.
Adjacent to GE is Executive Jet Aviation,
a satellite station of Executive Jet Aviation of Columbus, Ohio. A facility was
established here in September 1973 to do airframe maintenance. There are six
employees with George Salmon as manager.
Another “pioneer” at Strother Field is
Smith-Moon Corp., which began operations in December, 1951, occupying a larger
hangar at the north end of the ramp. In 1965 it became a wholly owned
subsidiary of Struthers Thermo-Flood Corp., of Warren, Pa, which was organized
to acquire the parent Struther Wells Corp., designers, manufacturers and
distributors of Thermo-Flood equipment for secondary oil recovery by steam and
hot water injection methods and steam and hot water extraction of sulphur and
other methods.
The manufacturing operations are
performed by Smith-Moon, which fabricates certain process equipment, such as
fired heaters, waste heat boilers, and other products for the process and
petrochemical industries. The marketing and distribution of Struthers
Thermo-Flood products also are handled principally from the Strother Field
office, with service and sales personnel located at Bakersfield, California.
The 1974 oil embargo and energy crisis,
which brought demands for increased domestic oil production, had an immediate
effect at the local plant as it spurred an influx of new orders for
Thermo-Flood equipment. By the end of 1974 fiscal year, the company had an
aggregate of $9,209,000 in unfilled orders, up four million dollars from the
previous year.
Underway at this time is a building program
which is adding 2,000 square feet to the office, 3,000 square feet to the manufacturing
area for a machine shop addition, plus additional concrete aprons for
installation purposes. There are 114 employees with Charles F. Woollen as
general manager and Ted Jones as works manager.
The 20th anniversary of their operation
at Strother Field is being observed by Greif Bros. Corp., a subsidiary of the
century-old Greif Bros. Corp. of Delaware, Ohio, makers of steel containers of
every description, mainly nine to sixty-five gallon in size. These are shipped
from the local plant to customers in Nebraska, Missouri, Arkansas, Texas,
Oklahoma, Colorado, and Kansas. Harry Golway is manager with 54 employees on
the payroll.
The Cessna Strother Field plant first opened
in September 1967 with Ralph Golden as Plant Manager. The first Model 150 was
delivered from Strother Field Delivery Center on October 16, 1967.
Delivery of the 10,000th Cessna Model 150
was made from Strother Field Delivery Center to the world’s largest flying
club, Longhorn Aero Club, Inc., based in Austin, Texas, on December 22, 1967.
By March 1968, one thousand Model 150s had been produced at Cessna. Strother
Open House of the new production facility was held Sunday, April 21,
1968. In August, 1968, C. G. “Chief”
Wood became Plant Manager here.
A shortage of propellers, resulting from
a strike at Cessna’s McCauley Division in Dayton, Ohio, forced Cessna to close
its Strother assembly plant in mid-December, 1970.
Cessna reopened its Strother Field plant
March 19, 1973, with Virgil Liby as Plant Manager, announcing in October plans
to construct a 56,000 square foot addition to assemble, flight test, paint, and
deliver the Model 172-Skyhawk, a four-place single engine model.
Approval of a Cessna request for issuance
of $925,000 in Industrial Revenue Bonds as announced at a Strother Field Commission
meeting in May precipitated the construction. The result was the addition of
the attractive physical plant structure and employment has more than doubled.
The new addition increased the total
space under roof at the Strother Field complex by 67 per cent to a total of
139,999 square feet. Production of the Model 172-Skyhawk joined that of the
two-place Model 152 line, the most widely used airplanes in the world
today. Cessna has produced more than
40,000 of these aircraft. The 172-Skyhawk line was moved from the Pawnee plant,
Wichita, to begin operation Jan. 2, 1975.
S. L. Mossman, Inc., started custom
guitar manufacture in November 1969 and moved to larger quarters at the Field
in February 1970. The firm had attained an international reputation with
steadily increasing sales when its main wood-frame building was destroyed by
fire in February 1974. A new metal building under construction will nearly
double its space, employment, and production.
Morton Buildings, Inc. of Morton, Ill.,
selected Strother Field for the opening of their fourth manufacturing outlet in
1974. They have sales offices in 60 cities. Three large buildings have been
erected, along with a material yard, on their 30-acre site here. Their 30
employees sell, fabricate, and erect pole-metal skin buildings in all colors
and act as a distribution center for a four-state area from this plant. Ivan
Perry is sales manager and Elmer Moore is plant manager.
In addition to those who have come and
stayed, there have been many who have come and gone, including Pomona Tile,
which was here 17½ years and closed just six months prior to fire which leveled
the hangar where they had turned out millions of ceramic tiles. Other transient
occupants have included a hatchery, a sash and door company, a fertilizer
spreader manufacturer, a fiber glass door company, a wood working shop, an oil
field equipment distributor, several cafes, and flying services.
The growth at the field has been quietly
unobtrusive. The future looks bright. Scores of Cessna 150s and 172s dot the
south ramp awaiting testing and delivery. Aircraft of every description, from
speedy jets to lumbering transports, arrive daily from all parts of the United
States and foreign countries for repair and modification at GE’s modern
facilities. Many patrons of the airways drop down to park their private and
company planes right outside the restaurant entrance where they relish a tasty
meal prepared by Jodi Aguilar and Lee Bender and their crew while the airplanes
can be serviced from Current’s gasoline trucks. Movie and TV personalities,
recording artists, and others fly or drive to Strother to personally pick up
Mossman guitars. Greif’s, Smith-Moon’s, and Peabody Gordon-Piatt’s trucks and
rail cars constantly move their merchandise, and receive materials.
Many organizations also use Field
facilities. Numerous groups, such as Boy Scouts, Antique Auto Club, Corvette
Club, labor unions, and church organizations, meet regularly in the conference
room at the Terminal Building and in the large nearby Cafeteria room.
A busy, busy place—that’s Strother Field
1975. But, as the old adage quotes, “there’s always room for more.” Visitors
are welcome to tour the Field and, of course, to encourage business
acquaintances to become familiar with the possibilities of locating here.
-0-
LOIS HINSEY NOTES...PAGES 143 AND 144.
STROTHER
FIELD
World War II saw Arkansas City booming
with the activation of Strother Field, an Air Base. The air base, now occupied
by a municipal airport and energetic industries, compels favorable attention
from firms seeking new industrial sites.
Strother Army Air Field, located midway
between Arkansas City and Winfield, Kansas, was activated September 19, 1942,
and served as a basic training school for Cadets during World War II.
Colonel Joseph F. Carroll, West Point
graduate, served as the first commander. The initial group of enlisted men
arrived October 14, 1942, and by December 15 of that year the first class, 43rd
D, had arrived.
On January 24, 1943, Governor Andrew C.
Schoeppal dedicated the new base to the memory of Captain Donald Root Strother,
a native of Cowley County, who was the first Army Air Corps hero of World War
II. Captain Strother was killed in Java, February 13, 1942, while leading a
squadron of “Flying Fortresses.” At the time of the dedication his small son,
Colbert Strother, received by order of General Douglas McArthur the Distinguished
Service Cross and the Award of the Orgar [?Order?] of the Purple Heart.
Following the close of the war, the field
was inactivated and is now an industrial center under guidance and joint ownership
of the two cities.
-0-
ARTICLE THAT APPEARED IN COURIER, I
BELIEVE, FEBRUARY 22, 1938...
ARTICLE FOUND IN WINFIELD MUSEUM
SCRAPBOOK.
House on
Eleventh Once Home of Judge
One of the old houses associated with the
beginnings of families in Winfield, is that at the southeast corner, 403, of
Eleventh and Fuller. The older part of it was built before 1879. It was the
home of Judge Colbert Coldwell, a grandfather of Mrs. J. O. Strother.
Judge and Mrs. Coldwell came to Winfield
in the early 1870s. With them were their daughters, Nora, Jennie, and Mattie;
and their son, Nathaniel. Nathaniel, like his father, was a lawyer.
Nora Coldwell became Mrs. W. C. Root in
May, 1879. To them were born a son, Colbert, and a daughter, Anne.
Anne Root married Dr. J. O. Strother, a
son of a pioneer of the north part of the county, Robert Strother, onetime
register of deeds.
Children of Dr. and Mrs. Strother are:
Kenneth, captain in the U.S. army; Robert, with N. W. Ayer Newspaper
Advertising Company, Detroit; Dean, lieutenant, U.S.A.; Marjorie, Mrs. Carlos
Fetty, Haven; and Donald, with United Air lines.
ARTICLE FOUND IN SCRAP BOOK AT WINFIELD
MUSEUM...
ARTICLE IS UNDATED AND SOURCE IS UNKNOWN.
ON OPPOSITE PAGE WAS ANOTHER ITEM DATED
FRIDAY, JULY 20, 1973.
Little Stories
Karl Conner states that he was present
when the first airplane landed in Winfield. The location was between 9th and
14th streets east of the Country Club road on the Hiatt place. There were no buildings there then, Conner
states.
The plane was built by Alvin K. Longren
of Rago, Kansas, north of Harper. It was shipped in and reassembled, as it only
had a2 ½ gallon gas tank.
The plane was patterned after those made
by the Glen Martin Co. They charged 50 cents just to go in to watch the plane
fly.
-0-
FROM THE “BOOK OF KNOWLEDGE”...VOLUME
I...OLD BOOK THAT I HAVE...MAW
Orville and Wilbur Wright had a shop for the
repair of bicycles in Dayton, Ohio, and had had experience with motor cycles.
They began in 1900 by experimenting with gliders in order to learn the best
shape and size for the wings. In order that they might not be disturbed, they
went to a lonely place on the seacoast of North Carolina. Finally, December 17,
1903, a machine rose carrying a man, and stayed in the air for fifty-nine
seconds. The problem was solved, but they kept their success secret. After this
there were many improvements, but they were improvements only. A man had flown
in the air.
The Wright brothers kept on trying, and
in 1905 made a flight of twenty-four miles, and returned to the starting-point.
Longer and longer flights were made, and in 1908 Wilbur Wright made, at Le
Mans, France, the longest flights ever made up to that time. In one he covered
fifty-six miles, and in another he remained in the air two hours and twenty
minutes.
Monoplanes.
Airplanes with one pair of wings, called
monoplanes.
Biplanes.
The Wright machines were called biplanes
because they had two pairs of wings.
The First Flights for Long Distances.
At first the French took the lead.
Santos-Dumont abandoned balloons and built several airplanes, and in 1909 a
daring Frenchman named Blériot flew across the English Channel from Calais to
Dover, a distance of twenty-one miles. Then the enthusiasm of the English was
awakened and Henry Farman, an Englishman, distinguished himself for his daring
flights. Glenn H. Curtiss, an American,
was another of the pioneer aviators who astonished multi-tudes by their
exhibitions of daring and skill in Europe and in America. There were many
others.
Mr. Curtiss also built a hydro-airplane,
or hydroplane, as it is sometimes called, though other men had been working on
the same idea. This is a powerful airplane which has light boats firmly
attached. It is able to rise from water and to alight without danger. It is, in
fact, a sort of flying boat.
Little was known of the science of
flight. The designers of planes had to learn by experiment the best way to
build them to stand the great strains of flight. Engines were not always
reliable. The aviators had to acquire skill by themselves and learn the tricks
of the treacherous air currents. It required many accidents to teach them that
the higher they went the less was the danger; for in falling there was more
time in which to regain control of the machine. The most serious cause of possible
mishap was the sudden stoppage of the motor, which might happen through the
breakage of any one of its many delicate parts. This would cause the airplane
to slacken speed; then, suddenly, it would tilt backward and fall, just as you
have seen a kite throw up its tail and swoop downward. Many of the early fliers
lost their lives because of the faulty construction of their machines as well
as their own lack of skill and knowledge.
How the Aviators Keep from Falling.
Today the experienced aviator knows what
to do in such a case. By means of the lever in his hands he throws down the
elevator, as the rudder that raises or lowers his machine is called, and the
front of the airplane dips, almost straight downward. To the spectators it
appears that it is dropping sheer to destruction, but just before it reaches
the ground, the aviator gives his lever another turn; rights his machine dexterously
and alights safely. This method of landing is known as the volplane, and is
now practiced even for pleasure. A safer
way to volplane is to make the machine circle as it falls, which enables the
aviator to choose his landing-place.
For years no aviator would venture up if
more than a breeze was blowing. Then in 1909 an Englishman, Hubert Latham,
forced his machine up into a fierce gale of wind. For a few minutes it
fluttered dangerously against the gusts, then turned and sped down wind at the
rate of ninety miles an hour. Back again came the daring aviator, making
scarcely any progress against the fierce air currrents. After ten minutes he
alighted safely, having proved that the airplane is a good weather craft. In
those days, however, forty or fifty miles an hour was considered high speed.
An Aviator Flies Above the High Alps.
The following year (1910) Chavez, a
Peruvian, astonished the world by flying over the Alps, and though he was
killed by a bad landing on the other side, he had demonstrated that the
mightiest strongholds of the air could be conquered.
The Influence of the World War on Flight.
The performances of some of the early
fliers seem almost trifling now. Some of us can remember when the news of a
flight of less than a hundred and fifty miles was sent around the world. Now a
trip ten times as long attracts little notice. For this rapid progress the
World War is chiefly responsible. The leading nations recognized the value of
airplanes in war, and built great fleets of many different types. The most
skillful designers were given unlimited money to make experiments. Schools to
train fliers were established, and thousands of young men flocked to them. The
qualities of a good flier are much the same as those required of an expert
driver of a motor car. He must be quick-witted, his muscles must respond
instantly to the orders of the mind, so that he seems to guide his plane almost
unconsciously.
Presence of mind is the most necessary
quality for one who wishes to fly. If only the aviator does not become
frightened, an accident rarely happens.
An airplane will fly upside down as well
as in an upright position. Years ago a Frenchman was flying on a windy day when
his machine was overturned by a sudden gust. He continued his flight for some
three hundred yards, upside down. Fortunately he was at a good height and
strapped in. Finally he righted his machine and landed safely.
A few months later another Frenchman,
Adolphe Pegoud, overturned his machine deliberately and flew in circles,
looping the loop. Now that is quite a common trick. One aviator who has
performed it repeatedly says: “In looping the loop, when you start the turn,
you seem to sit still and the whole world revolves around you. The horizon
disappears under your feet and next you see it coming back over your head. The
whole thing is done so quickly that you don’t realize for a moment what has
happened. There is no unpleasant sensation except a rushing of the blood to the
eyes.”
The Great
Importance of Airplanes in War.
[During World War I]...
Every army had attached to it what is
known as the flying corps, hundreds of skilled aviators. Some of these daring
scouts were the same men that gave exhibitions of skill in the early days, but
special schools were maintained by the military authorities in which to train
aviators.
War planes were divided into three
classes: combat planes, observation planes, and bombing planes. The combat
planes were small and very swift, generally carrying only one person but
sometimes two. The machine gun was often arranged to shoot between the blades
of the propeller as it revolved. The aviator attacked other planes, or
attempted to shoot down the observation balloons of the enemy. Of course he
made observations as well. The observa-tion plane usually carried an observer
as well as a pilot. It was slower and steadier and carried cameras with which
photographs of the enemy’s position might be made. Such planes also carried
machine guns for defense. The largest bombing planes can carry tons of bombs to
be dropped upon forts, camps, railway stations, or ammunition depots. Often
several of these went out together.
In the World War, workshops to repair
airplanes usually accompanied the armies.
Flight
and Flying Since the World War.
Since the end of the war progress in the
navigation of the air has continued. The aero-engine has been improved.
Lighter, more powerful and more reliable engines have been built both for
airships and for airplanes. The most thrilling accomplishment was the crossing
of the Atlantic four times within the short space of two months during 1919,
once by a seaplane, once by an airplane, and a round trip by a British airship.
-0-
SOURCE:
ARKANSAS CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY
BOOK ENTITLED THE HISTORY OF THE US
AIR FORCE by Bill Yenne...1984.
The United States Air Force was
officially created in September 18, 1947, but had existed as an air arm of the
US Army since August 1, 1907, when the Aeronautical Division of the US Army
Signal Corps was established.
In 1982 on the 75th anniversary of the
establishment of the Aeronautical Division and the 35th anniversary of the US
Air Force, chief of Staff General Charles Gabriel recalled that:
In August 1907 the Army Signal Corps
assigned an officer, two enlisted men, and a civilian clerk to its new Aeronautical
Division. In the summers of 1908 and 1909, the Wright Flyer thrilled thousands
of spectators who watched at Fort Myer as Wilbur and Orville Wright
flight-tested improved versions of their 1905 model. It was not until August
1909 that the Army finally accepted “Aeroplane Number 1.” Three months later,
the nation temporarily lost its total air strength when the plane crashed.
As the only officer on flying duty in
early 1910, Lieutenant Benjamin Foulois taught himself how to fly in the only
plane the Army had. Foulois received instruction from the Wrights by mail,
becoming the first correspondence-school pilot in history. The Wrights later
sent him an instructor to help with the hardest part...landing. Over the next
months and years, the young air pioneers trained hard and developed tactics to
turn the airplane into an effective military weapon. Foulois, who as a Major
General, was Chief of the Air Corps for four years in the mid-thirties, did not
remain the only pilot for long.
Though the Aeronautical Division started
with three uniformed personnel in 1907, there was an average of 25 people in
the division between 1908 and 1912; in 1913 that number was up to 114.
Nevertheless, despite its invention in the United States, heavier-than-air
aviation was growing much faster in Europe than in America. The fledgling
birdmen in the US Army petitioned hard for an expanded service and were
rewarded by an Act of Congress (March 2, 1913) that authorized the Signal Corps
to add pilots and to pay them at a higher scale for their time aloft. On July
18, 1914, the Aeronautical Division officially became the Aviation Section of
the Signal Corps.
The First Aero Squadron was established
at the air field near Texas City, Texas, on Galveston Bay under Captain Charles
Chandler. The early Wright Pusher was soon joined in the First’s inventory by
the Curtiss D, the Burgess H, and the Martin TT seaplane.
At the onset of World War I the Aviation
Section had fewer than 20 planes. On March 8, 1916, Pancho Villa came north
from Mexico on a raid against the town of Columbus, New Mexico, in which 17
Americans were killed. The War Department promptly ordered General John J.
“Blackjack” Pershing, commanding the Presidio of San Franciso, to proceed south
and form a military expedition to capture the legendary bandito. Among
the forces placed at Pershing’s disposal was the First Aero Squadron, back in
Texas at Fort Sam Houston and commanded by Major Benny Foulois. America’s first
air squadron was going into its first conflict, albeit in an observatory role.
The eight Curtiss JN-2s and JN-3s of the First arrived in Columbus three days
after the Villa raid and were ordered south into Mexico. On the flight to Casas
Grandes, about a hundred miles south of the border, two of the “Jennys” crashed
and the others, already the worse for wear, ran afoul of sandstorms that
seriously jeopardized their airworthiness. Moreover, the Villa gang was holed
up in the 12,000-foot mountains of the high Sonora desert plateau country, an
altitude at which the JN-3s could not function. When the Pershing expedition
ended five months later, the results of America’s first “air war” were
disappointing. Pancho Villa was still at large, and the only two JN-3s to come
out of Mexico were written off as no longer safe. Nevertheless, the First Aero
Squadron had logged 346 hours on 540 courier and reconnaissance missions.
Less than a year later the United States
was pulled into the Great War in Europe—World War I. While air combat over the
Continental trenches and steppes had developed into something of an art, the
Aviation Section was scarcely better equipped than it had been a year earlier
for the foray into Mexico. Of more than 1100 men in the section, only 35 were
pilots. The inventory of fewer than 300
planes did not include a single combat aircraft. The United States faced the
reality of going to war with an enemy far superior in aviation technology, and
changes would have to be made quickly. From the creation of the Aeronautical
Division in 1907 through the time of the Mexican incursion, the US Army had
spent a little more than half a million dollars on aviation. On July 24, 1917,
three and a half months after the declaration of war, President Woodrow Wilson
signed the Aviation Act of 1917, which budgeted over six hundred million
dollars for military aviation.
This huge increase in spending bolstered
not only the Aviation Section, but the American aircraft industry as well.
While manufacturers geared up, the Army sent Colonel Raynal Bolling to Europe
for a first-hand look at what would be required of the air units joining the
American forces. What he saw was American pilots flying French and British
planes of a type superior to what American industry could design and produce in
the limited time available.
Thus it was decided that the United
States would not build pursuit aircraft, but would concentrate on trainers and
reconnaissance planes while American fighter pilots flew SPADS and Nieuports.
The principal aircraft produced in the US during this period were the Curtiss
JN-4, a descendant of the planes Foulois had flown into the Sonora Desert, and
the British-designed de Havilland DH-4, built in America by license.
On May 24, 1918, six weeks after American
pilots shot down their first enemy aircraft in combat, the Army decided to take
its air arm out from under the wing of the Signal Corps and make it a new unit
equal in importance in the military organization. The US Army Air Service was
born.
In 1918 American pilots rode the crest of
the battle tide now running in favor of the Allies. In all, American aviators
shot down only 781 enemy aircraft and 73 balloons, but among them were some
standouts. Twenty-two of the 71 American aces had more than ten victories, and Captain
Eddie Rickenbacker of the famous 94th (“Hat in the Ring”) Aero Squadron scored
26. By the end of the war, November 11, 1918, the personnel strength of
America’s air arm had increased from 311 two years before to 195,023—an
increase of over 6000%!
The halcyon days of 1918 were not to
last. America was determined that the Great War was indeed to be the “war to
end all wars” and disarmed accordingly. The isolationists pre-vailed. The
League of Nations, an idea carefully conceived and nurtured by President
Wilson, was embraced by the world but rejected by Congress at home.
The domestic aircraft industry went into
a tail-spin, as vast quantities of surplus Army “Jennys” were dumped on the
civilian market. The Air Service remained intact, but its strength in 1919 had
fallen to only 13% of its wartime peak, though it was still considerably ahead
of prewar levels.
Note: In December 1931 Major General
Benjamin Foulois, the Army’s first pilot and a long-time advocate of air power,
became Chief of the Air Corps.
-0-
JANE’S ALL THE WORLD AIRCRAFT, 1919,
reported the following under U. S. A. AEROPLANES.
CURTISS AEROPLANE AND MOTORS CORPORATION.
The largest American aeronautical
construction firm; their activity ranges from the smallest to the largest
aeroplanes and seaplanes, and from aero engines to airship cars. Contractors to the U.S. Army and Navy.
Glenn H. Curtiss in 1907 and 1908 was a
member of the Aerial Experiment Association, formed by Dr. and Mrs. Alexander
Graham Bell. This Association built four machines, each along the lines of
Baldwin, Lieut. T. E. Selfridge, G. H. Curtiss and J. A. D. McCurdy. The last
built was the June Bug, designed by Curtiss and was the most successful.
In the spring of 1908, the Association was disbanded and The Aeronautical
Society gave Curtiss an order for an aeroplane with carte blanche as to
design. He produced a 4-cyl. machine, with a Curtiss engine, and flew it.
A duplicate was hurriedly built, an
8-cyl. engine installed, and taken to Europe for the first Gordon Bennett,
which he won. Returning, the same type was continued with minor improve-ments.
Later the front elevator was brought closer in, finally discarded, and the fan
tail adopted. In April, 1913, a military tractor was built and flown.
Many school biplanes of the “J.N.” type
were supplied to the belligerent powers, and did remarkably well for their
purpose.
CURTISS
MODEL J.N. 4D.2 TRACTOR
[Commonly
called a “Jenny” or “Jennie”]
Specification.
General Dimensions.
Wing span, upper plane
.................... 43 ft., 7-3/8 in.
Wing span, lower plane ....................
33 ft., 11-1/4 in.
Depth of wing chord
....................... 59-1/2 in.
Gap between wings
......................... 61-1/4 in.
Stagger
................................... 16 in.
Length of machine overall
................. 27 ft., 4 in.
Angle of incidence
........................ 2 degrees.
Dihedral angle
............................ 1 degree.
Sweepback
................................. 0 degrees.
Wing curve
................................ Eiffel No. 6.
Horizontal stabilizer—angle of incidence
.. 0 degrees.
Areas.
Wings, upper
.............................. 167.94 sq. ft.
Wings, lower
.............................. 149.42 sq. ft.
Ailerons, upper
........................... 35.2 sq. ft.
Horizontal stabilizer
..................... 28.7 sq. ft.
Vertical stabilizer
....................... 3.8 sq. ft.
Elevators (each 11 sq. ft.)
............... 22 sq. ft.
Rudder
.................................... 12 sq. ft.
Total supporting surface
.................. 352.56 sq. ft.
Loading (weight carried per sq. ft.
of
supporting surface) .................. 6.04 lbs.
Loading (per r.h.p.)
...................... 23.65 lbs.
Weights.
Net weight, machine empty
................. 1,580 lbs.
Gross weight, machine and load
............ 2,130 lbs.
Useful load ...............................
550 lbs.
Fuel ........................ 130 lbs.
Oil ......................... 38
lbs.
Pilot ....................... 165 lbs.
Passenger and other load .... 217 lbs.
Total: 550
lbs.
Performance.
Speed, max. (horizontal flight)
........... 75 m.p.h.
Speed, min. (horizontal flight)
........... 45 m.p.h.
Climbing speed
............................ 3,000 ft. in 10 mins.
Motor.
Model O.X. 8-cylinder, Vee,
four-stroke cycle ....................... Water cooled.
Horse power (rated) at 1400 r.p.m.
........ 90
Weight per rated h.p.
..................... 4.33 lbs.
Bore and stroke
........................... 4 in. x 5 in.
Fuel consumption per hour
................. 9 galls.
Fuel tank capacity
........................ 21 galls.
Oil capacity provided (crankcase)
......... 4 galls.
Fuel consumption per b.h.p.
............... 0.60 lbs. per hour.
Oil consumption per b.h.p.
................ 0.030 lbs. per hour.
Propeller.
Material.—Wood.
Pitch.—According to requirements of
performance.
Diameter.—According to requirements of
performance.
Direction of rotation, viewed from
pilot’s seat.—Clockwise.
Details.
One gasoline tank located in fuselage.
Tail skid independent of tail post.
Landing gear wheel, size 26 in. x 4 in.
Standard Equipment.—Tachometer, oil
gauge, gasoline gauge,
complete set of tools.
Other equipment on special order.
Maximum Range.
At economic speed, about 250 miles.
Shipping Data.
Fuselage Box.—Dimensions: 24 ft. 6 in. X 5 ft. 3 in. X
3
ft. 1 in.; gross weight, 2,380 lbs.
Panel Box.—Dimensions: 20 ft. 9 in. X 5 ft. 8 in. X 3 ft.;
gross weight, 1,450 lbs.
ARTICLE THAT APPEARED IN BETWEEN THE
RIVERS, VOLUME 2, PAGE 63.
Dexter
Dewey W. Brown
Back in 1919, just three years after
William E. Boeing built his stick-and-wire seaplane at Seattle, a 20-year-old
Dexter youth completed his homemade monoplane and tested it in an alfalfa
field. This was one of the first amateur models built in this region and one of
the first of this type ever built. It was made by Dewey W. Brown. He did it
alone in his spare time, and not even his best friend knew of the project until
Brown asked him to help him tow it out for a trial.
Brown got the idea from an article in Popular
Mechanics. The plane was powered by an old four-cylinder engine taken from
a Saxon, and the propeller was hand-carved from wood. The total cost was less than $125, but the
biggest single cost was for the purchase of fabric and dope from a Chicago
firm.
The engine was not strong enough for the
plane, but before Brown could get around to replacing it with a larger one, he
was caught up in commercial airplane manufacturing. Swallow hired him immediately and put him to
work on the Laird Swallow, which was the most famous airplane of the day and
the first commercial model built.
NOTES FROM VOLUME 2, BETWEEN THE
RIVERS...
PAGE 53:
[The Hill-Howard Agency formed in
1916...AUTOS]
From 1916 to 1918 Dwight Moody was
Sergeant Aviation Mechanic and according to Grant Gribble, Dwight was the
first man in the service to fly a plane.
PAGE 59:
Dwight Moody, in service in World War I,
was stationed at Kelly Field.
Roy Hume was stationed at the same place
[Kelly Field].
Dwight and Roy were close friends.
PAGE 60:
Upon returning home after the war, Ira
Beach, Roy Hume, and Pete Hill organized a flying service. While Dwight Moody
was not actually involved in the organization, he was always interested in
flying and airplanes, and he hung around a great deal. Pete Hill, a flying ace
in the war, was killed in a civilian crash, and the flying service was
dissolved.
[Hill a flying ace! Unbelievable. MAW]
The building at 122 North Summit, where
Mr. Moody had the first garage in Arkansas City, was one of three built by
local men who had connections with an eastern syndicate interested in investing
money in the little town that was expected to become the “Chicago of the West.”
The building at 122 North Summit had an
entirely new front a few years ago [book printed 1975], but in the back there
is a cement floor and ramp to the basement, a relic of Moody’s occupancy.
[QUESTION: DID MOODY HAVE THE FIRST GARAGE IN ARKANSAS
CITY?]
I DO NOT THINK THIS IS
CORRECT! MAW
The first of these Syndicate buildings
was on Fifth Avenue and was razed to make room for a parking lot.
The second, now occupied by Osage
Cleaners, was the Moody garage.
The third is at 427 South Summit, now
occupied by Shanks Grocery, and known as the Syndicate Building.
All three buildings had one
distinguishing feature—a black brick trim over the windows.
ARKANSAS CITY DIRECTORY...1908
GRANT E. MOODY (IDA M.) KIMBALL &
MOODY
KIMBALL & MOODY AUTOMOBILES, 118
NORTH SUMMIT
[NO MENTION OF CHILDREN]
ONLY TWO AUTOMOBILE REPAIR PLACES...
C. S. BEARD, 110 WEST CENTRAL
KIMBALL & MOODY, 118 NORTH SUMMIT
ARKANSAS CITY DIRECTORY...1922.
LUCAS-HUME AIRPLANE CO., 902 1/2 SOUTH A
C. J. LUCAS (NELLIE G.) AIRLINE GARAGE,
RES. 703 NORTH B
AIRLINE GARAGE (C. J. LUCAS)
THE ONLY HUME...
ROY D. HUME [NO WIFE]...TELLER, SECURITY
NATIONAL BANK
ARKANSAS CITY DIRECTORY...1943
JACK L. PICKETT, USA, STROTHER FIELD
ARKANSAS CITY DIRECTORY...1946
LLOYD E. PICKETT (LOUISE), MANAGER,
AIRPORT
QUESTION....IS DATA BELOW ALREADY
COVERED????
[TAKEN FROM PREVIOUS PAGE NUMBER
27.]
NOTE:
The principal aircraft produced in the US
during World War I were the Curtiss JN-4, a descendant of the planes Foulois
had flown into the Sonora Desert, and the British-designed de Havilland DH-4,
built in America by license.
Curtiss Aeroplane and Motors Corporation
was the largest American aeronautical construction firm at the onset of World
War I. Many school biplanes of the “J.N.” type were supplied to the belligerent
powers, and did remarkably well as training aircraft. The most popular,
J.N.4D.2 Tractor (the “Jenny” or “Jennie”).
SOURCE: COURIER, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY
6, 1920.
PLAN
MANY AIRPLANE FIELDS
Landing Fields For Cross
Country Fliers Being Established
NEW YORK, Feb. 6.—Plans for the
establishment of a chain of airplane landing fields have been worked out by
officers of the Army Air Service and the Manufacturer’s Aircraft Association,
it was announced here today. Army flyers have covered more than 300,000 miles
in an aerial survey of the country and made exhaustive reports on the
facilities offered to cross-country flyers.
Representatives of the large Southern
cities already have been invited to establish landing fields under army
direction. Many others will receive like invitations during the next few
months. These must be laid out according to specifications given by the army
and in return the government gives steel hangars to the municipalities.
Operation of the “air harbor” is assumed by the municipality. Since the
armistice the number of army fields has been reduced from 50 to 16 and the
naval air stations from 17 to 9.
“The landing field,” says the aircraft
association, “is to the airplane what the harbor is to the ocean liner and the
railroad terminal is to the train. It is not merely a flat piece of land on
which the flyer can bring his craft to earth. Such a piece of ground bears the
same relation to a real landing field as an unimproved water inlet bears to a
harbor like New York or Liverpool.
“A landing field should have, first of
all, dimensions which fit it to handle all forms of aircraft. It should be
drained so as to permit its use in the wettest weather. It should have shelter
and supplies for flyers and their crafts and should be accessible to the trade
center it is meant to serve. This feature is of supreme importance because
commercial aerial navigation will develop only in proportion to its commercial
value.
“The field should be identified with
markings visible from great heights and with radio apparatus so the flyers may
be aided in finding their way in spite of the fog or failure to identify the
country over which they are passing.
“Fields at frequent intervals mean that
cross country flyers can come to the earth for rest, replenishment of supplies
and adjustments to their machines without inconvenience or unnecessary delay.
In the event of a mishap in the air, such as a stalled motor, the nearby
landing field permits the pilot to glide to it without damage to the machine or
to himself.”
-0-