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Mortimer F. Bates
Early Moisant Monoplane Pilot

Mortimer F. Bates was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 24, 1883.  He attended local schools, then Beloit Wisconsin Academy [[strikethrough]]in [[/strikethrough]] of Mechanical Engineering.  He [[strikethrough]] then [[/strikethrough]] entered Alexander Hamilton Institute [[strikethrough]] in [[/strikethrough]] of Business Management, then Brooklyn College of Commerce in Industrial Management.

Becoming interested in aviation in 1909, he started to help[[strikethrough]]ed[[/strikethrough]] assemble and test aircraft engines for the Wright Brothers in Dayton [[strikethrough]] starting in 1909 [[/strikethrough]].  Later, he was determined to fly, and joined the Moisant Flying School at Garden City, Long Island, New York, about September 1st, 1911.  [[strikethrough]] There he learned [[/strikethrough]] At the school, instructor Andre Haupert taught him to fly a Moisant Bleriot-type monoplane, with a 35 h.p. Anzani engine [[strikethrough]] from company instructor Andre Haupert[[/strikethrough]].  Bates flew his tests for pilot license on October 15th and obtained F.A.I. Certificate No. 66, dated October 18, 1911.

He continued flying practice and remained with the Moisant Company through 1912.  That year he was Chief Instructor at their school and reportedly flew some exhibition dates.

In the spring of 1913 Bates joined the Curtiss School at Hammondsport, New York, where he took a course of flying boat instruction from instructor Wildman.

In 1914 Bates designed, built, and flew an experimental parasol monoplane for Alex Laughlin of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

In early 1915 he was employed by the Sperry Gyroscope Company of Brooklyn,

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[[image: photo of Mortimer Bates]]