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flying there were American pilots Harold Kantner, J. Lansing Callan and Charles Fay. McCulloch returned to the United States in June, 1916, and became an instructor for the Eastern Seaboard Aerial Coast Patrol unit at Port Washington, Long Island, using a Curtiss flying boat donated by Rodman Wanamaker of the of the Trans-Oceanic Company of America. There McCulloch instructed Yale Unit No. 1 students for U.S. Coast Patrol service. During that summer he conducted the test flights for the Gallaudet Company of the experimental Gallaudet hydro with the propeller in the fuselage. On September 8th McCulloch flew into a bad storm while flying with student Trubee Davidson, but made a landing and rode out the storm near Oak Island.
During the fall of 1916 McCulloch became Chief Pilot and General Manager for the Trans-Oceanic Company of America. This comapny had been organized earlier that year by Rodman Wanamaker, the original backer of the proposed trans-Atlantic flight of the "America" flying boat built by the Curtiss Company in 1914. Wanamkaer was still interest in an Atlantic flight and had ordered another large Curtiss flying boat. Trans-Oceanic was formed to carry out the venture and set up flying boat stations at Port Washington, Long Island, and West Palm Beach, Florida. They also planned to conduct charter and repair service and became agents for Curtiss aircraft. Their large 75 foot span "Super-America" passenger-carrying flying boat, powered by two Curtiss 0XX2 100 hp., engines, was completed and flight tested at Hammondsport in October and later at Port Washington in November. That month Trans-Oceanic planned to start a flying boat service between New York and Boston via Long Island Sound, Newport, Rhode Island and other points. 
McCulloch was still serving as instructor for the Coast Patrol Unit and in January, 1917, the entire group offered their services to the Navy. Because the United States was accelerating its preparations for war, Wanamaker closed the Trans-Oceanic operations and offered his plans and facilities to the government to use as they saw fit. McCulloch joined the Naval 
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