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finished his course about April 15th but did not obtain a pilot license at that time. He then returned to Philadelphia to prepare for the delivery of his plane. [[strikethrough]]There[[/strikethrough]] He established a flying field and built a hangar at the Bergdell country place at Manoa, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. He called this Eagle Field and later carried on most of his operations from there. He was then 19 years old and still a law student. As soon as his new plane arrived, Bergdell began making regular daily flights and carried social and student friends as passengers.

About July 15th he made his first flight over Philadelphia, and on August 6th flew to an altitude of 6,200 feet at Eagle Field[[strikethrough]],[[/strikethrough]]. On August 16th Bergdell made the first flight ever flown between Philadelphia and Atlantic City, New Jersey. Leaving Eagle Field, carrying his mechanic Charles Krouse, he [[strikethrough]]passed[[/strikethrough]]flew over downtown Philadelphia and made the nonstop flight of 70 miles in 1 hour, 20 minutes, landing at The Meadows near Atlantic City. About this time Bergdell also purchased a hotair balloon [[strikethrough]]and mad[[/strikethrough]] frequent ascensions and parachute drops [[strikethrough]]were made[[/strikethrough]] at Eagle Field.

Using his Wright plane[[strikethrough]].[[/strikethrough]], Bergdell flew the tests for a pilot license at Eagle Field on September 16th and received FAI License No. 169 on September 25th, 1912. On September 28th he flew at a Horse Show at Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, in mid-October he was learning to make balloon ascensions from [[strikethrough]]his[[/strikethrough]] balloonist Charles G. Clark. On October 20th he flew his plane and Clark made balloon ascensions for the day at nearby Llanerch, Pennsylvania, and on October 28th he made a number of flights and carried passengers at West Chester, Pennsylvania. He kept flying actively until the late 1912 fall season [[strikethrough]]and made[[/strikethrough]] making nearly 200 flights that year, including some cross-country jaunts, all without a single accident.

In the spring of 1913 Bergdell reopened his hangar and prepared for another season of flying, and there is evidence that the was quite active again that season. On August 15th he made another flight from Philadelphia to Atlantic City, New Jersey,[[strikethrough]] his second,[[/strikethrough]] this time alone, and landed on the surf in front of the famed Boardwalk. About mid-August he left for Europe to try to buy a European high-speed plane to enter in the International Coupe d' Aviation Race at Reims, France

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