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TWICE DURING OUR TRIP ACROSS THE COUNTRY WE HAD CONTACTED AVIATION. THE FIRST TIME WAS LATE IN MAY IN DATON, OHIO. WE WERE THEN ON OUR WAY TO THE INDIANAPPOLIS AUTO RACES WHERE WE WERE BOOKED FOR MEMORIAL DAY. AS WE CAME INTO DAYTON FROM THE EAST WE DROVE PAST THE WRIGHT AVIATION FIELD WHERE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN AVIATION HISTORY TWO PLANES WERE IN THE AIR OVER THE SAME FIELD AT THE SAME TIME. THE CROWD WAS ENORMOUS, AT LEAST 10,000 PEOPLE. SO NATURALLY WE STOPPED AND WATCHED THE PLANES TOO. I REMEMBER I SAT THERE IN OUR LITTLE OVERLAND CAR THINKING: "THOSE PEOPLE ARE JUST PLUMB CRAZY: WHY: I WOULDN'T DO A THING LIKE THAT FOR ALL THE TEA IN CHINA."

OUR NEXT MEETING WITH AVIATION CAME AFTER WE HAD OFFICIALLY FINISHED OUR AUTO TRIP AND THE COMPANY DECIDED WE SHOULD CONTINUE DOWN THE CALIFORNIA COAST TO LOS ANGELES AND SAN DIEGO. AT THAT TIME GLENN MARTIN WAS AN OVERLAND DISTRIBUTOR AT SANTA ANNA AND WE WHEN WE MET THE TALL SLENDER YOUTH WHO LOOKED AND ACTED LIKE A DIVINITY STUDENT, HIS LEFT ARM IN A CAST DUE TO A CRACKUP WHILE EXPERIMENTING WITH WHAT I BELIEVE WAS HIS FIRST PLANE. 

NATURALLY LIKE MOST YOUNG PEOPLE WE WERE CALLOUS AND FUN LOVING. WE CALLED HIM "BUGS MARTIN" A TERM THAT AFTERWARDS BECAUSE ALMOST A TERM OF ENDEARMENT FOR ME, FOR I LEARNED LATER NOT ONLY TO RESPECT HIS FINE CHARACTER WHEN I FLEW HIS PLANES, BUT HIS REAL ABILITY AS A PILOT AND PLANE DESIGNER. BUT AT THAT TIME IT WAS ALL FUN FOR BOTH MISS PHIOLIPS AND ME AND WE WERE QUITE MERCILESS IN OUR KIDDING, FOR WE FIRMLY BELIEVED HE, LIKE THE WRIGHT BROTHERS WAS COMPLETELY "GONE."