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enter amateur events at the San Francisco Aviation Meet held at Selfridge Field January 7th to 25th, 1911.  A number of other amateurs also entered, competing for the prizes offered for each event.
The professional aviators entered were: Phil Parmlee and Walter Brookings flying Wright biplanes, Glenn Curtiss, Charles Willard and Eugene Ely with Curtiss machines and Hubert Latham and James Radley from Europe.  There on January 18th history was made when Eugene Ely made his historic flight from the field to a platform on the deck of the battleship Pennsylvania in San Francisco Bay, then an hour later took off and flew back to the Air Meet.  This flight was a prediction of the practicality of the aircraft carrier. During the meet Kerns made several short straightaway hops, then on his last attempt had a bad smashup, wrecking his machine, but was unhurt. While he did not earn any prize money he had undoubtedly gained much valuable firsthand experience through his association with professional aviators.
Following his return home Kerns set about rebuilding his plane, then on July 3d, 1911 Eugene Ely made exhibition flights at Chico and raced an automobile driven by E. R. Stevens. After completing the repairs Kerns started a cautious effort to teach himself to fly, and even though a persistent jinx seemed to pursue him he determinedly stuck to his task and gradually began to make some short flights.  On October 25th he made a fine flight of over five miles, including two large circles and landed in front of his home on the Warm Springs Road. He continued his practice and on December 25th made an eighteen-minute flight, reaching an altitude of 1500 feet.
Kerns continued his flying practice and the improvement of his plane in 1912, then toward late summer started making parts for a new airplane.  This was completed in Berkeley and assembled at Sunset Flying Field, Alameda, California in early September.  It was another Curtiss-type pusher biplane of improved construction, using a 50 hp. 4 cylinder Roberts two-cycle aviation engine.  Kerns started flying this new plane at Sunset Field on September 22d.  First trials were successful and he announced his intention to continue his 

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