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[[stamped]] FROM THE FLYING PIONEERS BIOGRAPHIES OF HAROLD E. MOREHOUSE [[/stamped]]

a very poor field, but was not injured.  September 26th and 27th he flew at Trinidad, Colorado.  In late October he was at Hammondsport where instructor Widman gave him some instruction on hydros and flying boats.

When the Curtiss activities moved to North Island, San Diego, California for the winter of 1912-1913 Cooper was sent there and in February he conducted first flight tests of the new Curtiss military tractor biplane.  It was a two-seat side-by-side fuselage machine, with a geared down propeller driven by an 80 H.P. Curtiss engine.  After completing these tests Cooper became Chief Instructor at North Island until June, some of the time on flying boats.  In June he conducted the final official acceptance tests of the new military tractor at North Island which included carrying 600 pounds to an altitude of 2,280 feet in ten minutes, then landing on plowed ground.

Returning Hammondsport later that month he spent some time in the Curtiss factory to become acquainted with latest developments, then the last week in August he sailed for Russia to set up and demonstrate a shipment of Curtiss planes sold to that government.  On October 4th Curtiss arrived at Sevastopol where Cooper was instructing Russian officials on Curtiss flying boats.  After completing his assignment Cooper went to London where he demonstrated a flying boat at Shoreham, near Brighton, being delivered Captain Ernest Bass.  Cooper was Curtiss Representative at the Paris Aero Show starting December 5th, 1913.

After the Show, Cooper went to Italy with Curtiss for demonstration work there.  He left Italy in early March, 1914 and then demonstrated a Curtiss flying boat before Navel officers at Trieste, Hungary.  On March 22d he went to Constantinople, Turkey for demonstrations.  While there Cooper put on a great show before huge crowds which included civilians, military personnel and royalty.  At that time he was head of the Curtiss Foreign Department.  He and his able assistant and mechanic, Byron Purinton, were back in Hammondsport in late July after several months in Europe.

Cooper remained with Curtiss through the fall of 1914, then early in 1915 he formed the Cooper Aircraft Company in Bridgeport, Connecticut to manufacture planes, conduct a flying school and deal in aircraft equipment.  Officers of

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