Viewing page 4 of 23

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

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

Curtiss, Charles Willard and Bud Mars.

Curtiss was always looking for possible new exhibition flyers and at that event he took quite a liking to Ely and was very impressed with his flying.  As a result he signed Ely on as one of his exhibition men.  On June 29th to July 1st Ely flew at Sioux City, Iowa with Bud Mars, Still flying his own 4 cyl. Curtiss plane, and July 23d to 27th they were at Creighton Field, Omaha, Nebraska.  In August Ely flew at Rochester, New York on the 5th to 7th, then at the Sheepshead Bay Meet, Long Island, New York August 19th to 28th.  There he flew with Curtiss, Mars, Willard and McCurdy and did some wonderful flying, making several cross-country trips, and on the 27th was given a Trophy by the Manhattan Beach Hotel for flying the greatest number of hours and attaining the highest altitude of any aviator at the meet.  To accept this he landed on the beach in front of the hotel, was guest at a luncheon, then returned to the flying field.  In September he flew at Kalamazoo, Michigan on the 5th and 6th, Rock Island, Illinois the 12th to 17th, Roanoke, Virginia on the 21st and 22d, then Poughkeepsie, New York the 27th through the 30th. 
 
October 1st to 7th Ely flew at a meeting in Chicago, Illinois with Curtiss, Willard, McCurdy and Blanche Scott.  This event, at the Hawthorne Race Track, was sponsored by the Chicago Post and was to precede the start of a race from Chicago to New York for a prize of $25,000, put up by the Post and the New York Times.  At this event, on October 5th, 1910 Ely obtained his F.A.I. pilot license, No. 17.  Several aviators entered the Chicago-to-New York race, but Ely was the only one to start on October 9th.  After about 12 miles he was forced to land with engine trouble.  When this was corrected he attempted to take off with the help of bystanders and broke the front wheel.  The next morning the gas line broke on takeoff and he landed in a ditch, which damaged things somewhat.  After making repairs he did get off, but in 25 minutes the motor quit at 2,000 feet and he made a forced landing at East Chicago and broke the front wheel again.  Since the time limit to complete the race was October 16th he gave up, just 19 miles from his starting point. 

2