Viewing page 34 of 52

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

About this time the Thomas Brothers moved their operations from Hornell to Bath, New York, as the Kirkham engine was made there. Following their exhibition engagement at Bingham[[crossed-out]]p[[/crossed-out]]ton [[Binghamton]] they arranged to make flights at the Broome County Fair in Rochester, New York. Since this was Johnson's hometown he wanted to make a flight over the city, but did not succeed in doing so. However, he did make a number of successful flights from Genesee Valley Park. After this they returned to Bath where the plane was rebuilt into a headless type without the front elevator and a new Kirkham engine was installed. Then test flying was resumed. In December, with runners on the plane, Johnson began flying from the ice on nearby Lake Salubria. 

Tests continued through the winter months and on March 6, 1911, Johnson took a local young lady, Miss Florence Scrafford, for two flights from the ice, to become quite possibly the first lady passenger to make a flight in New York State. Miss Scrafford later became Mrs. Johnson. In March, Johnson and the Thomas Brothers left Bath for New Orleans, Louisiana, [[left-margin]] checkmark [[/left-margin]] for a two months exhibition [[crossed-out]]f[[/crossed-out]] tour of Louisiana and Mississippi. There Johnson made many successful flights at fairs and carnivals, but soon learned that more power was needed to operate out of small fields under adverse conditions. 

As a result the Thomas Brothers returned to Bath and started the [[left-margin]] checkmark [[/left-margin]] construction of an all-new plane with a 6-cylinder Kirkham engine. Johnson completed the southern contracts and returned to Bath on May 11, 1911. Following test flights of the new plane later that month Johnson made the very first successful airplane flights in the vicinity of Buffalo, New York, when he flew at Fort Erie Beach during the week of June 7th and then for the week of June 19th at Ontario Beach Park. Johnson returned to Bath for more test flights, then gave an exhibition at Warren, Pennsylvania, on July 4th. August 6th he flew from Savona, New York, to Hammonsport to pay Glenn Curtiss a visit, then returned to Savona. On August 7th Johnson started a week's exhibition engagement at Dansville, New York; August 19th he was at Lake Lodore, Pennsylvania; and 

2.