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GROVER LOENING

Pioneer Aero Engineer - Aviator - Plane Manufacturer

Grover Loening was born September 12, 1888, at the United States Consulate, in Bremen, Germany, where his father was Consul General. Returning to the United States, the family resumed their residence in New York City. Loening spent his boyhood there. He attended Cutler School in New York and Lawrenceville School in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Following this he entered Columbia University.

As a boy Loening had been interested in aeronautical things, making kites and model airplanes. During 1908-1909 he frequented the Aeronautical Society's aviation activities at the Morris Park racetrack where he made up his mind to follow aviation as his life work. He read and studied everything he could find on the subject, and while in college founded the Columbia University Aero Club to promote interest in aeronautics, the first such student activity in America. The Club members made a 24-foot-span biplane flying boat glider to be towed by a motor boat. Built in Jay Gould's boathouse on the Hudson River, it was completed in April, 1909, but was not a success as it was unable to leave the water.

From September 29 to October 4, 1909, Loening saw Wilbur Wright fly from Governors Island, New York during the Hudson-Fulton Celebration. Loening's mother secured a pass for him to see the Wright plane in its hangar as well as a letter of introduction to Mr. Wright.

In 1910 Loening wrote two noteworthy articles for "Aeronautics" magazine, "Brief Descriptions of all Types of Successful Aeroplanes" with 3-view sketches, and "The Comparison of Successful Types of Aeroplanes." His thesis for his Master of Arts degree in Aeronautics (the first in the United States) at Columbia