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[[stamped]] FROM HE FLYING POINEERS BIOGRAPHIES OF HAROLD E. MOREHOUSE [[/stamped]]

JAMES B. McCALLEY

Early Curtiss Exhibition Aviator

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James B. McCalley was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, October 6, 1885, son of a career military officer. He attended local schools, the University of Pennsylvania, a Duquesne University. 

McCalley entered aviation when he became a student at the Curtiss Flying School at Hammondsport, New York during the late fall of 1911. Before he could complete his course the school moved to San Diego, California, at North Island, where he completed instruction along with William Atwater, Rutherford Page, S. C. Lewis, William Hoff, and Julia Clarke. His instructor was J. W. McClaskey. McCalley flew his tests for a pilot license there on January 2, [[strikethrough]] d [[/strikethrough]] 1912, and obtained F.A.I. Certificate No. 94 on January 17th.

At that time Curtiss was preparing to send his entire group of pilots and students to the 1912 Los Angeles Meet at Dominguez Field, held January 19th to 28th. McCalley was entered as a contestant at this event, one of fourteen flyers sent there with seven planes. This was a large meet with sixteen of the leading United States pilots competing for honors and prizes. There McCalley engaged in his first public exhibition flying. Following the meet he returned to San Diego to continue [[strikethrough]] his [[/strikethrough]] practicing [[strikethrough]] e [[/strikethrough]] before returning east in the spring to start flying exhibitions.

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