Viewing page 11 of 20

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

GEORGE W. BEATTY
Early Wright Exhibition Pilot - Instructor

George W. Beatty was born at Stevensburg, New Jersey, August 28, 1887.  He graduated from high school in 1904 and then started to work in the printing business, later becoming a linotype operator in New York. There he became interested in a gliding club, and in 1909-1910 assisted in the construction of a homemade Santos-Dumont Demoiselle using a 3-cylinder Anzani engine. Flight attempts were not successful and the project was abandoned, nevertheless, Beatty became seriously interested in aviation as a result of this experience.

In 1910, after seeing the flying at various New York airfields and meets, the flying bug really bit him and he entered the Wright School at Nassau Boulevard, Long Island, in 1911, and was taught to fly by Wright instructor Al Welsh. He started his instruction on June 24th and soloed July 23, 1911, and that same day flew as a passenger with Welsh to establish a new American 2-man altitude record of 1,860 feet. Then, on August 5th, Beatty broke that record, flying to 3,080 feet with Dr. Percy Reynolds as passenger and also winning a cup given by the Farman Company for duration on the same flight. August 6th he flew for his license, No. 41, and also flew with a passenger from Nassau Boulevard to Long Beach and return, using the Wright plane owned by Walter B. Davis.

Following this, he entered the famed Chicago Meet at Grant Park August 12th through 20th. There, on the first day, Beatty established a new American [[strikethrough]] 2 [[/strikethrough]] two-man endurance record when he flew for [[strikethrough]] 2 [[/strikethrough]] two hours, [[strikethrough]] 4 [[/strikethrough]]four minutes. On August 13th he set up a new world's [[strikethrough]] 3 [[/strikethrough]] three-man record of [[strikethrough]] 1 [[/strikethrough]]one hour, [[strikethrough]] 18 [[/strikethrough]]eighteen minutes, and August 19th broke his own [[strikethrough]] 2 [[/strikethrough]] two-man record when he flew for [[strikethrough]] 3 [[/strikethrough]] three hours, [[strikethrough]] 19 [[/strikethrough]] nineteen minutes, carrying Fred Wagner, a Chicago Tribune News photographer. Beatty was one of the bright stars of the Meet, flying a total of [[strikethrough]] 24 [[/strikethrough]] twenty-four hours, [[strikethrough]] 21 [[/strikethrough]] twenty-one minutes, during the event to win second place for total duration, exceeded only by Cal Rodgers.