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FROM THE
FLYING PIONEERS BIOGRAPHIES
OF HAROLD E. MOREHOUSE


After Havana McCurdy flew at Colon, Cuba, then on February 19th at Tampa, Florida with Beachey, and February 24th to March 6th at Palm Beach, Florida. While there McCurdy again engaged in some wireless experiments with DeForrest engineer Percy G.B. Morriss. McCurdy carried Morriss as a passenger to receive messages from a station on the ground and from vessels off shore.

March 9th to 11th McCurdy flew at Wilmington, North Carolina with Beachey, then on the 17th he was at Washington, D.C. where before a large assembly of Government officials he demonstrated the first Curtiss plane sold to the Army. On March 25th he flew at Pinehurst, North Carolina with Beachey and the 26th to 30th at Daytona Beach, Florida, then on April 2d he was at St. Augustine, Florida. April 12th and 13th he flew at Knoxville, Tennessee, 27th to 29th at Nashville, Tennessee with Ward and Beachey, then at Washington, D.C. May 4th to 7th with Beachey and Robinson, and May 11th to 14th he and Beachey flew at Bridgeport, Connecticut. There on the 14th McCurdy assisted with further wireless experiments from his plane in flight. These tests were conducted and supervised by Lt. Fickel of the U.S. Army. During the tests McCurdy's signals were received at the World Building in New York City, 55 miles away.

May 19th and 20th McCurdy and Beachey flew at New Haven. Connecticut for the Yale Aero Club and May 29th to June 2d McCurdy flew at Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania with Beachey and Ward. June 8th and 9th he was at Springfield, Massachusetts and June 15th to 20th at Buffalo, New York with Beachey and Witmer.

Just before that time McCurdy announced that he was leaving Curtiss to build a new plane and go into business with Charles Willard. June 25th he was flying at Mineola, New York and his first new plane was under construction by the Queen Aeroplane Company of New York. There is evidence that early Curtiss mechanic and student pilot F.A. "Doc" Wildman was supervising this work and later did some flying of these machines.

The McCurdy-Willard Aeroplane Company of New York was forced to build and market the new plane and give cohibitions. The machine was a headless pusher biplane with Farman-type landing gear and powered by a 50 H.P. 7-cylinder Gnome engine. McCurdy conducted first flight tests of the new plane at Nassau Boule-