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14 GEORGE E."EDDIE" BARNHART Pioneer Plane Builder-Aviator-Aeronautical Engineer George E. Barnhart was born at Pasadena, California, July 31, 1893, son of a forest ranger. He attended local schools and as a boy made kites and model planes, becoming very interested in aeronautical things, an interest to which his parents objected. He was a hustler and to earn money he delivered papers, ran errands and did odd chores. In the spring of 1909, unknown to his parents, Barnhart made a glider in the loft of a neighbor's barn. When the glider was finished, school chums helped him take it to some nearby slopes where he made a few short glides before wrecking it. He then made a larger and more elaborate one with a seat, controls and bicycle wheel landing gear. With this model he made several quite successful glides. After this, aviation was really in his blood and he wanted to build a power machine, but knew this would take money, so, in a hurry to continue his work, he quit school after the eighth grade and got a job in a woodworking shop. With his earnings he started building his first power plane. It was a double-surfaces, pusher biplane with front and rear elevators. He completed this plane, less engine, in December 1911, and had it taken to Dominguez Aviation Field where he hoped to get an engine for it. He was able to house the plane in a shed with planes owned by Frank Stites and Harvey Crawford. At the time Stites was an amateur pilot teamed with a balloonist Charles Broadwick. Broadwick had a contract to make balloon ascensions at Ocean Park for the month of May 1912. To help Barnhart, Broadwick and Stites offered to install a Hall-Scott engine in his plane and take it to Ocean Park where Stites would fly it and give Barnhart a share of the earnings. Barnhart agreed and in February his plane was taken to Griffith Park aviation field where the engine was installed, and Barnhart began making short hops with the machine, assisted by Stites.