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James E. Plew. Plew was Chicago distributor for White automobiles and trucks, was Vice-President of the newly formed Aero Club of Illionois and in 1909 took the agency for Curtiss planes in that area. During 1909 Victor published two books on aviation and late that year he returned to San Francisco on a business trip for Plew to negotiate for the manufacturing and distribution rights for John Montgomery's gliders. Plew planned to install a small engine in one of these gliders to make a powered plane. 

Malcolm and Allan had become interested in Montgomery's glider experiments and when Victor made arrangements to experiment with powered gliders in Chicago Allan obtained employment in the deal as a mechanic for Plew and moved there. 

By May 15th, 1910 a Montgomery glider had been equipped with a 2-cylinder 12 h.p. engine and Allan assisted with this project, with Victor acting as engineer. This work was done in the shop portion of Plew's sales office and garage building. Nothing of note appears to have come of the Montgomery venture in Chicago, however Allan gained considerable aviation experience as mechanic on a Curtiss biplane. Without any flying experience Allan soloed this plane on a dare at the Hawthorne Race Track in December, 1910. 

That fall Allan assisted in building a second Curtiss-type biplane for Plew which Allan test hopped in January, 1911. During the winter Allan worked as an automobile mechanic, then went to work for Plew again in the spring of 1911. Plew sold one of the Curtiss machines to novice flyer Dan Kramer and intended to start Kramer and Allan on exhibition work. Almost at once Kramer was killed in a crash, Plew sold the other plane and withdrew from aviation. Allan then obtained a job as an automobile mechanic but aviation was still in his blood. 

In mid-summer with only one and one-half hours of flying time, he became employed by the International Aeroplane Company of Chicago as instructor. The company built and sold planes, ran a flying school, engaged in exhibitions and had some Curtiss-type pusher biplanes powered by Roberts engines. Allan taught three or four students and flew a few exhibitions, the last one on September 18 at Hoopeston, Illinois. There he had a bad smashup when the engine faltered on take-off, letting him down into a maze of telegraph wires. The 

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