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showing at the meet and surprised himself with flight of over [[strikethrough]] 12 [[/strikethrough]] twelve minutes, and went home with $450 prize money.  His success attracted attention and he was soon approached by sportsmen who wanted to know if he would build a plane for them. However, he lacked the capital to undertake such a venture, so decided to try flying exhibitions to raise money.  This proved successful, and early in 1911 Martin told Beall and Day to prepare to build planes, with Day as chief engineer and Beall as shop man.  An old canning factory in Los Angeles was rented, they moved out of the church, and the Glenn L. Martin Company was started. 

Martin kept the money coming through his exhibitions, Day re-engineered the Martin Curtiss-type machine, with many changes and improvements, and by June, 1911, they had a new plane finished, with an 8-cylinder Vee-type √ 60 [[strikethrough]] horsepower [[/strikethrough]] h.p. Hall-Scott engine, and Martin started flying it at once.  He continued exhibition flying actively that season at West Coast fairs and √ carnivals, and obtained Pilot License No. 56 on August 9, 1911, at Santa Ana.  √ About this time he also became a member of the California Aero Club which granted him State Pilot License No. 2. 

Martin supervised the growth of his small company with much pride that year, more workmen were added and by late fall their shop became so crowded they moved to a larger building near Griffith Park in Los Angeles.  He then began to think about selling planes to the United States Army.  At about this time Lawrence Bell joined the small Martin group as shop foreman. (He later formed the Bell Aircraft Corporation.) 

During the winter of 1911-1912 the shop built a new plane on floats with  √ a 75 [[strikethrough]] horsepower [[/strikethrough]] h.p. Curtiss engine, the first Martin [[strikethrough]] hydroplane [[/strikethrough]] hydroaeroplane, which he started to fly during the spring months.  Martin was a contestant in the 1912 Los Angeles Aviation Meet, held January 19th to 28th, a large event with a long list of leading aviators competing.  There Martin was up in the top "headline group," and on the 25th staged an aerial extravaganza of his own when he bombed

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