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[[stamp]]
FROM THE 
FLYING PIONEERS BIOGRAPHIES
OF HAROLD E. MOREHOUSE
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chine. He evidently went on with the project through the late summer months, trying to fly the plane and develop its possibilities.
Not yet knowing how to fly, Kearney entered this machine in the amateur events of the Harvard-Boston Aviation Meet held September 3d to 13th, 1910. While doing taxying practice on September 4th he ran into a fence and wrecked the front controls. Persistently trying to fly after repairing the damage, he did succeed in making a short straightaway flight on September 6th. Following this he evidently continued his experiments with the Pfitzner machine that fall and made some additional short hops, the apparently gave up and returned to the mid-west for the winter.
Kearney was in St. Louis, Missouri in the early spring of 1911, where he bough a second-hand Farman biplane, without engine. Obtaining a Hall-Scott 60 H.P. engine, he startled every one at Kinloch Field on April 17th by immediately talding off and going into a series of steep banks, then landed with a terrific bump, breaking a number of wires. He continued to practice at Kinloch Field, then decided to undertake exhibition work. His first engagement was at Bartlesville, Oklahoma on May 27th where he had a minor smashup. He then contracted to fly every Sunday afternoon for the El Dorado Resort Hotel at Creve Coeur Lake, Missouri during the summer months. On June 26th he had a bad smashup, completely wrecking his plane, which resulted in his being on crutches for about three months.
As soon as he was able he started flying for Tom Benoist, using a Benoist Curtiss pusher copy, using his Hall-Scott engine, and flew at the State Fair grounds, St. Louis, on October 6th. Karney continued his practice at Kinloch that late fall and reportedly received some instructions from Benoist. October 28th he tried to fly his license tests but failed as he did not follow the prescribed course. Flying actively through November, he then exhibited at Alton, Illinois in early December, then on December 26th he qualified for his license with ease at Kinloch, obtaining Certificate No. 83, which was granted January 10, 1912. A.B. Lambert and Thomas Benoist officially observed his tests and
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