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he left to become test pilot for Charles Day at the newly formed Aircraft Company, Incorporated at Bound Brook, New Jersey.

There during the late summer months Blakely conducted the first flight tests of the new Sloane-Day military tractor biplane, powered by a 6-cylinder 130 h.p. Hall-Scott engine. This [[strikethrough]] plane [[/strikethrough]] plane was the forerunner of the famed World War I standard J-1 trainer, and Blakely assisted with the development, part of which was done at Garden City, Long Island.[[strikethrough]] New York [[/strikethrough]] Through Blakely, Cato also joined the firm in December,  [[strikethrough]] and was [[/strikethrough]] He remained there until the end of April, 1916, when both men resigned to join the L. W. F. Company at College Point, Long Island. [[strikethrough]] New York [[/strikethrough]]

In early 1916, Blakely became a [[strikethrough]] L [[/strikethrough]] lieutenant in the 1st Aero Company, New York National Guard, Aviation Reserves at Garden City. The Guard unit arranged for the use of the Sloane-Day plane, and through April Blakely instructed a class of guardsmen with this machine. Later that month the Guard took delivery of a new Sloane-Day [[strikethrough]] ton [[/strikethrough]] tractor. 

[[strikethrough]] As [[/strikethrough]] When Blakely left to go with L. W. F., the Atlantic Aircraft Company engaged DeLoyed Thompson to do some flying for them and for the National Gaurd. Since Thompson was accustomed only to Wright controls, Blakely agreed to make a few flight with him in the Sloane-Day maching for some practice on DEP wheel control. On May 4th Blakely and Thompson took off from Garden City on their first check flight [[strikethrough]] at Garden City [[/strikethrough]] in the new plane and shortly after take-off Blakely turned the controls over to Thompson as previously arranged. He immediately banked too steeply on a climbing turn and, before Blakely could take over and recover, a spin resulted at low altitude. They suffered a bad crash [[strikethrough]] with [[/strikethrough]] Thompson sustained [[strikethrough]] ing [[/strikethrough]] broken ankles and Blakely facial and back injuries [[strikethrough]] that put him in a Nassau [[/strikethrough]] which hospitalized him for some time.

In July Blakely was teaching a class of National Gaurd students at Mineola, and in mid-July he made three flights at Sheepshead Bay for a large gathering of the National Educational Association. Late that month he delivered and demonstrated a new L. W. F. plane [[strikethrough]] to [[/strikethrough]] for the Michigan National Guard a Camp Ferris, Michigan, then through August he taught a class of nine Michigan Guard students. During October and November he taught a large class of New York National Guard students and Mineola and flight tested some new L. W. F. planes. In late November, he flew one of 12

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Transcription Notes:
The strikes through H.P. are editing markups indicating that they should be lower case, otherwise meaning is lost.