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from September 15th to 18th at a County Fair at Gorham, Main, and September 29th and 30th at Concord, New Hampshire.  That Fall the Thomas Brothers Company moved from Bath to Ithaca, New York, and as soon as they were reorganized a flying school was started, with Burnside as instructor. 

In March, 1915, he conducted the initial flight tests on a new Thomas Military Tractor Biplane of very advanced design.  In May hydro instruction was started on Lake Cayuga, with Burnside still in charge of the school. On May 22nd, he and Charles Fay made flights during a ball game and at the Harvard-Cornell Boat Races at Ithaca. That Spring the company sold some of their new Military Tractors to the British Government, and in July Burnside began conducting acceptance flight tests of these planes.  The school was active that Summer and many Canadians were trained who later went into active flight service in World War I.  
 
Burnside left the Thomas Brothers in October, 1915, and joined the Curtiss Company staff at Buffalo, New York, as a test pilot.  That Fall he also did some flying on Long Island for the Curtiss Company and while there took Rear Admiral Robert E. Perry for his first airplane flight. He also piloted the internationally renowned pioneer aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont of Brazil for rides.

In January, 1916, Burnside was back with the Thomas Brothers at Ithaca.  At that time they were beginning to flight-test the first Thomas engines in their Military Tractors, and Burnside conducted these tests.  In January and February he flight-tested some these before a Russian Military Commission here to purchase planes.  In the spring of 1916 Burnside entered the Curtiss Marine Trophy contest representing the Aero Club of Buffalo, New York, with a Curtiss Flying Boat.  That season the Thomas Brothers Company offered the services of Burnside to the New York National Guard which was organizing an Aviation detachment at Garden City, Long Island.  The Guard purchased a Model T-2 Thomas Tractor with Curtiss OX engine, and Burnside did some flying for them at the Hempstead Aviation Field, Long Island.  On May 29th, he made a duration flight of three hours at an average speed of 85 m.p.h. in a D-2 Military

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