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CHARLES A. HERRMAN
Thomas Brothers Aviator - Boat Builder

Charles A. Herrman was born in Stuttgart, Germany, June 12, 1877. Well educated and an excellent mechanic, he became interested in aviation and joined the first 1913 spring class of students at the Thomas Brothers Flying School. ALong with Frank Burnside, Earl Fritts, Wilson Minnerly, Arthur Blasiar and Percy Van Ness, he learned to fly from instructor Walter Johnson. Both land and water instructions were given and by June Herrman was flying a hydro at their Lake Conesus school and taking more water flying instruction from Fred Eells.
About that time Herrman bought a Thomas hydro, using a sheet metal covered pontoon. He also spent some time at Hammondsport that summer where he was interested in observing the rapidly expanding developments in water flying equipment of the Curtiss Company.
Hermann continued his practice at Lake Conesus and in late July was flying at Glen Haven, New York, with Walter Johnson, carrying passengers. He evidently continued flying at Bath and Lake Conesus that year and occasionally did some exhibition work with the assistance of W.S. Minnerly. In December he and Walter Johnson were flying water craft at Louisville, Kentucky, on an extended engagement for the Apollo Club. Their flying attracted crowds and passengers were carried.
As the year ended Herrman and Johnson went to Florida and started some winter water flying operations at Jacksonville. Minnerly assisted in this work and some flying was done along the eastern Florida coast towns south of Jacksonville. In the spring of 1914 the group returned north and in June, Herrman and Walter Johnson started the Walter Johnson School of Aviation at Livonia, New York, with Minnerly as assistant instructor. Their water flying base was at the Livingston, Conesus Lake, using a Thomas hydro and flying