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Harold D. Kantner
Early Moisant Pilot - Aeronautical Engineer
Harold D. Kantner was born at Meadville, Pennsylvania, February 23, 1886. Mechanically inclined, he loved automobiles and did considerable race driving. He later became interested in aviation and in 1911 joined the Moisant Flying School at Mineola, Long Island, New York, where he learned to fly on a Moisant-Bleriot type monoplane. Kantner's instructor was Andre Houpert. Also in the early summer class [[strikethrough ]] there [[/strikethrough]] that year were Harriet Quimby, T. H. Worden, Matilda Moisant, Capt. George MacKay, M. F. Bates, and J. Seligman. Kantner obtained Pilot License No. 65, dated September 6, 1911, at Mineola on a Moisant monoplane with a 50 h.p. Gnome rotary engine.

At that time the Moisant Company had a small factory at Winfield, Long Island, and Kantner assisted there on the design and construction of planes. That summer they reportedly built a biplane quite similar to the French Farman and made some monoplanes for both school and exhibition work. After completing his flight instruction Kantner became an instructor at the Moisant School for a time, then that winter started flying exhibitions in the South with a 50 h.p. Gnome Moisant monoplane.

While flying an exhibition engagement at Jacksonville, Florida, on February 12, 1912; Kantner and Max Lillie flew out to meet Robert Fowler as he completed his historical first west to east flight across the continent. After meeting Fowler they escorted him to the field where their exhibitions were being held. March 4th-9th Kantner flew at an air meet at Montgomery, Alabama, along with Oscar Brindley, Eugene Heth, Louis Mitchell, Paul Peck and Fred Schneider. There Kantner met with an accident when he was forced to land outside the enclosure to avoid crowds surging onto the field. He went over an embankmebt and smashed up but was not injured. Following the meet Kantner flew at Donaldsville,