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LIONEL H. DeREMER
Early Wright Exhibition Pilot - Instructor

Lionel M. DeRemer was born in Harrison, Michigan, February 21, 1889, the son of a professional musician.  The family moved to Bay City when Lionel was about one year old.  He attended schools there and during his youth developed natural musical talents, becoming an accomplished pianist, which was to be of continuing service and comfort to his throughout his lifetime.

During this period he joined his father and younger brother as a member of the DeRemer Orchestra.  At age 17 he became a member of a showboat troupe for a time, then became interested in wireless telegraphy and started working for the Clark Wireless Company in the Great Lakes area.  After a short time with them DeRemer returned to Bay City where he and a former pal, George McBride, bought a small movie theater and started in show business together, with DeRemer playing musical accompaniment.

The early development of flying also began interesting him at this time and he studied everything obtainable on the subject.  In late 1910, his interest in aviation reached a new high when he read [[cross out]] of [[/cross out]] about the wonderful exhibition flights of "The Three Musketeers" in Aero magazine.  They were Brookins, Hoxsey, and Johnstone, whose great flights made notable headlines in several public demonstrations that fall.  DeRemer [[cross out]] had [[/cross out]] saw his first [[cross out]] sight of an [[/cross out]] airplane in flight May 29 - 31, 1911, when he, Don McGee and Joe Bazie saw Wright pilot Howard Gill fly at Riverside Park in nearby Saginaw.  Then and there DeRemer was convinced he wanted to learn to fly.  Following this, he visited the Brooks Airplane Company in Saginaw where he was allowed on the field to watch their testing.

Soon afterward DeRemer induced McBride to go in with him to buy a used single-surfaced Curtiss-type biplane, less engine, from the Aeronautic Supply of Company of St. Louis, Mo.  This plane was originally built and flown by Howard Gill, who sold it to Tom Benoist of the St. Louis firm, and with it, Benoist had taught himself to fly.  After the plane arrived, DeRemer and McBride installed