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95 (circled)5

Richard (DICK) DePew
Pioneer Aviator- Instructor- Salesman- Test Pilot

Richard H. DePew was born at Plainfield, New Jersey, May 20, 1892, son of a prominent New York stock broker he attended local garde and Taft Prep schools. 

During 1909-1910 he became interested in aviation and was determined to learn to fly, so during the 1911 summer vacation period he went to Europe and enrolled for instruction at the Maurice Farman Flying School at Buc, France. There he was taught to fly on a Farman Pusher biplane using a Renault engine, and made his first solo flight on August 13, 1911. He passed his tests for flying license on August 22nd and received French F.A.I. Certificate No. 641 on October 6, 1911. at age 19.

Upon his return to the Untied States he entered Sibley College of Engineering, Cornell University, at Ithaca, New York, and joined the Cornell Aero Club which was actively engaged in building and flying gliders. There DePew served as a glider flying instructor and was treasurer of the club in early 1913. On May 26, 1913, the Cornell Aero Club held a plane and glider exhibition at the Ithaca Fairgrounds. Walter Johnson made three fine flights with a Thomas biplane and the club exhibited two gliders in auto towed flight. One was a large two-passenger biplane, the other a single seat monoplane. Club members made glider flights of up to five laps of the race track.

While continuing in college, during 1916 DePew was at intervals employed by the Engineering Department of the Curtiss Company at Buffalo, and took some additional flying instruction at the Curtiss Buffalo School, then he reportedly served as instructor at the Curtiss Newport News, Virginia, Flying School in early 1917.

From late 1917 to July, 1918, DePew was flying instructor at the Plattsburg, New York, Aviation Training Camp for young Reserve Officers, and there was commissioned. From July to December, 1918, he was a test pilot at McCook Field, Dayton, Ohio, and in September flew his test for expert license and was granted Certificate No. 203 on October 30, 1918. During that time he also flight tested the first six