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W. H. (TURK) MINNERLY
Early Thomas Brothers Pilot

[[stamp]] FROM THE FLYING PIONEERS BIOGRAPHIES OF HAROLD E. MOREHOUSE [[/stamp]]

W. H. Minnerly was born at Helena, Montana, November 18, 1890.  He attended grade schools there until 1904 when the family moved to Missoula, Montana, where he attended high school.

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Following this Minnerly entered the University of Montana but became intensely interested in aviation when he saw Curtiss exhibition aviator Bud Mars fly one of the first Curtiss pusher biplanes with from elevator and a 4-cylinder engine at the Montana State Fair September 26 to October 1, 1910.  Mars made several flights there, the first ever made in the state.  After this event Minnerly lost interest in college completely, and airplanes [[strikethrough]] aeroplanes [[/strikethrough]] and flying were foremost in his mind.  About this time he was offered a scholarship in chemistry at the University of Chicago but turned it down, and a short time later he decided to leave school because he could not apply himself to his studies.

Determined to learn to fly, Minnerly went to East St. Louis, Illinois, and signed up for flying lessons with the United Aviation Company but this firm proved to be a hoax for he received no instruction and lost his advance payment.  Minnerly then went to work as a mechanic with Curtiss exhibition aviator George Underwood and remained with him until Underwood was killed in a crash at Callao,

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