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FARNUM T. FISH
Early Wright Exhibition Pilot and Instructor

Farnum T. Fish was born in Los Angeles, California, October 3, 1893, the son of a physician. In late 1910, at age 17, he built a glider in which he made some towed flights. Entering the Wright School at Dayton, Ohio, in the fall of 1911, he obtained Pilot License No. 85 on January 10, 1912, flying a Wright machine and immediately purchased a plane and started exhibition flying on his own. 
When he was 18 years old Fish entered and flew in his first air meet at Dominguez Field, Los Angeles, January 20-26, 1912. As an amateur flyer, he made a remarkable showing, specializing in daily endurance flights and carrying passengers. When the event ended, he was second in hours flown during the meet. Following this, February 17th-21st, he flew in an air meet at the Emeryville Race Track at Oakland, California, and again made a good showing. During that meet he also flew the first airmail into Oakland as a stunt. That winter he kept his airplane in a special hangar he had built at the Vernon Race Track near Los Angeles. 
About the first of April, 1912, Fish started flying at the Polo Grounds, Coronado, San Diego, carrying passengers. He also carried mail in a small local meet held there. On April 14th he made a remarkable nonstop flight from San Diego to Dominguez Field, Los Angeles, a total of 130 miles. May 12th he began flying at Cicero Field, Chicago, Illinois, and on May 17th was arrested for landing without sanction in Grant Park, Chicago. On May 26th he flew over water from Chicago to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to take part in a meet there. This was a distance of 80 miles, flown in two hours, carrying fifty pounds of silk from the Boston Store of Chicago. While in Milwaukee, Fish carried authorized airmail from the State of Fairgrounds to West Allis, Wisconsin. On June 1st he flew from Milwaukee to Chicago to enter an air meet being held at Cicero Flying Field. There he took part in the inaugural flights of an airmail service between Cicero-Elmhurst and Wheaton, Illinois.