Viewing page 376 of 459
This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.
[[magazine clipping]] August 26, 1911. AERO 457 [[image - photograph of 3 men] [[caption]] WARD LISTENS TO THE WARNINGS OF MAJ. REBER AND G. H. CURTISS [[/caption]] up with McCurdy, who had started before him, as they reached the finishing line, giving the crowd a thrill. Ten aviators competed in the quick-starting event in the following order, each contestant having two trials: Mestach (Morane), Turpin (Wright), Coffyn (Wright), Beachey (Curtiss), Hammond (Baldwin), Gill (Wright), Martin (Grahame-White), Sopwith (Bleriot), Ovington (Bleriot), Frisbie (Baysdorfer). Some of the contestants made the mistake of elevation too soon, others too hard, judgment of speed counting much in the results. Frisbie won with 131 feet 9 inches. So close to him that many thought him the winner was Gill (Wright), who got off the ground in 139 feet 2 inches, Sopwith with 151 feet 2 inches being the next best contender. While the event was in progress Robinson in the Curtiss hydro, who had flown off the water, circled the field to the delight of the crowd. Each contestant was given four bombs in the bomb-throwing event. They aimed them at circular targets of seven divisions, providing a possible 6 points. McCurdy won with 3 points of the total 24 possible, Parmelee (Wright), Frisbie and Beachey tying for second place with 2 points each; Coffyn, Hammond, Turpin and Welsh each earned 1 point. Sopwith was the only contender left in the field for the monoplanes with a passenger when Ovington (Bleriot) withdrew. He made the 12 miles around the pylons in 13:44.8. [[image - photograph of plane in the air and plane on the ground]] [[caption]] M'CURDY IN HIS GNOME-MOTORED PLANE [[/caption]] Thursday was a great day. Fifteen men flew nearly a half hour or much more. Twelve were in the air at one time. FRIDAY, AUGUST 18. Friday will go down in the annals of Chicago aviation as an unfortunate day – unfortunate for Brindley and for Lieut. Clarence Culver – neither of whom was to blame; for on this day it was announced to the world that Brindley had set up a new altitude mark of 11,726 feet, and before Saturday morning dawned it was known that there had ben a mistake. Somebody said that Brindley should have known, but it would probably have been hard for any aviator to convince himself that he had not broken a record when official informed that he had done so. [[image - photograph of plane flying above building]] [[caption]] BEACHEY ABOVE, BLACKSTONE HOTEL BELOW [[/caption]] Ward, Rodgers and Beatty were the first out after the starting time began, followed by Simon and Beachey and soon after by the other endurance men. It was a great day for altitude, nevertheless. Parmelee (Wright) climbed to an actual height fo 10,838 feet. Gill [[/magazine clipping]]
