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

JOHN J. FRISBIE
Pioneer Aeronaut and Exhibition ..viator

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John J. Frisbie was born at Oswego, New York in February, 1886.

In the early 1900's he was a well known hot air balloonist and chute jumper, one of the leading professionals in this field, and followed the Fair Circuits both in the United States and Europe.

As the aeroplane became a threat to the balloon exhibition business in 1909 Frisbie became interested and built his first plane in July, 1910. It was [[strikethrough]]This was built[[/strikethrough]]constructed at Garden City, Long Island, New York, with the help of his old ballooning friend Captain Thomas S. Baldwin. It was a Curtiss-type pusher biplane using a 40-50 4-cylinder Elbridge engine.[[sgrikethrough]]and[[/strikethrough]] The parts for the plane were made by the C. and A. Whitteman Company of Staten Island, New York.

As soon as the plane was completed Frisbie displayed his usual air courage and on his first try proceeded to take the machine off the ground. He did a series of up and down hard bumps, due to overcontrolling, but did not wreck the plane. Baldwin then calmed him down and limited the throttle control, enabling him to make five successful straightaway extended hops. He made several more the next day and took his sixteen year old son along on one of the hops. Daily practice was continued and he was soon flying quite well under Captain Baldwin's watchful eye. He made over 50 hops and short flights in two weeks.

During August he was making cross-country flights over neighboring towns and

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This page is duplicate of page 14