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Staten Island. While there they flew with Ruth Law, carrying passengers over lower New York Bay and the Harbor. On one occasion they followed an ocean liner out to sea, circled it, then flew back. In November MacGordon shipped his flying boat to Palm Beach, Florida, and again Thaw went with him. There they started carrying passengers and promoting interest in water sports flying.

On January 20[[strikethrough]]th[[/strikethrough]], 1914, they flew from Palm Beach to Stuart, Florida, and return. In February Thaw left for France to join the American [[strikethrough]] European Flying Corps [[/strikethrough]] Escadrille Americaine. MacGordon remained at Palm Beach through February and March and that winter he carried over 200 passengers without mishap. He kept his flying boat at Lake Worth and also taught some pupils there during the winter. In April he shipped the [[strikethrough]] boat [[/strikethrough]] airplane north, then in early May sailed for Europe to study aviation abroad and report for the New York [[strikethrough]] SUN [[/strikethrough]] "Sun." While there he took some land flying instruction on fast scout planes at Hendon, England, and obtained a British license flying an 80 hp Gnome-engined Sopwith Scout biplane. He returned to the United States in September and brought back a new Sopwith plane. That fall he did some flying at Garden City, New York, but [[strikethrough]] confined [[/strikethrough]] spent most of his time [[strikethrough]] to [[/strikethrough]] doing aviation writing for newspapers and aviation magazines [[strikethrough]] , pertaining to [[/strikethrough]] about the use of aircraft in the new European conflict.

Early in 1915, MacGordon became connected with Chance M. Vought in the design and development of a new military tractor biplane in New Haven, Connecticut. It was a 38-foot span, 2-place stagger-wing biplane powered by a 90[[strikethrough]] H.P. [[/strikethrough]] hp., Gyro rotary engine. Called the "Mayo" tractor, it was built in the plant of the Mayo Radiator Company at New Haven. MacGordon made the initial 17-minute flight of the new plane at Pratt Field, New Haven, on May 14th.[[strikethrough]] and [[/strikethrough]] It proved to have [[strikethrough]] fine [[/strikethrough]] excellent climb and load-carrying capabilities, with a maximum speed of 82 [[strikethrough]] M.P.H [[/strikethrough]] m.p.h. By June 1st the plane was flying at Garden City, Long Island, [[strikethrough]] New York [[/strikethrough]] where McGordon flew it before American and British military officers and demonstrated it to Leonard Bonney for the Mexican government. It was also flown for Grover Loening who came to witness flights for the signal Corps School at North Island, San Diego, California.

On June 16th MacGordon flew as a passenger with Charles Niles when he looped and flew up-side-down in a 90 hp. Gyro. engined Blerlot-type monoplane made by Harold Kantner. Later that month he did some test flying for the Heinrich Brothers, and on June

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Transcription Notes:
"th" in first line of second paragraph is striked out