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

forest fire spotting and other public services. After completing the Toledo Beach assignment Rodger returned to the Benoist Company at St. Louis where he did some flight testing of new planes, including the large twin-motored Model C Biplane Flying Boat of 65 ft. span using two 100 H.P. Roberts engines. It was flown with seven passengers and had a top speed of about 70 M.P.H. Reportedly this boat was taken to Florida that winter for the passenger carrying season.

During the spring of 1916 Rodger did some more exhibition work with his Benoist Boat and on May 24th had a smashup at Detroit, Michigan when he crashed in the Detroit River carrying D.M. Parker as a passenger, but they were not injured. That summer the war clouds of World War I were thickening in Europe, and American aeroplane manufacturers were finding a market there for their planes, so Rodger went overseas for a time that fall and early winter. After returning to the United States he became an instructor at the Curtiss Flying School at Miami, Florida, where he remained until June, 1917, when he enlisted in the Aviation Section, Signal Corps Reserve and was sent to Ithaca, New York for duty at the Thomas-Morse Aircraft Company. On July 26th, 1917 he was appointed First Lieutenant and on September 4th was detailed to Selfridge Field, Mt. Clemens, Michigan. Remaining there until he was promoted to Captain on March 25th, 1918 he departed for overseas on July 6th. While in Mt. Clemens Rodger was married. In France he was given advance raining on combat planes

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