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ARMOND W. CLAVERIE
Pioneer West Coast Aviator - Word War I Instructor

Armond W. Claverie was born in Los Angeles, California March 10th, 1896, and attended grade and high schools in Pasadena, California.

Mechanically inclined he developed an early interest in flying and attached himself to the Curtiss Aviation Camp at North Island, San Diego. There, later in the spring of 1912, he obtained flying instruction from Lansing Callan and made his first solo flight in April that year. Later he successfully passed his license tests before official observer H. L. Twining on June 15th, 1912. However, the Certificate was withheld as he was under the minimum age of 18, although he was qualified to handle Curtiss planes in every way. He continued flying at the Curtiss North Island field, then became an instructor there through 1915-1917 under Chief Instructor R. V. Morriss.

Early in 1917 Claverie was employed by the Hercules Powder Company and stayed with them until September of that year when he became a civilian World War I flying instructor for the United States Army, Signal Corps, at Selfridge Field, Mount Clemens, Michigan. In December 1917, he was transferred to Rich Field, Waco, Texas, as instructor in acrobatic accuracy, as a member of student review, and was a special instructor for backward cadets.