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FROM THE FLYING PIONEERS BIOGRAPHIES OF HAROLD E. MOREHOUSE

LOUIS MITCHELL
Early Wright - Wealthy Sportsman Exhibition Pilot

Louis Mitchell was reportedly from Camden, Arkansas. Developing an early enterprising business ability, he settled in Memphis, Tennessee about 1902. There he started a motion picture film agency and made a small fortune from this business.

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Mitchell saw his first [[strikethrough]]flying[[/strikethrough]] airplane when the Moisant International Aviators flew an extended exhibition engagement at Memphis December 1-17, 1910. This event was sponsored by the local newspaper, the Commercial-Appeal, [[strikethrough]]and[[/strikethrough]] The pilots were John Moisant, Charles Hamilton, John Frisbie and French aviator Barrier, Simon, Garros and Audemars. At that event Moisant raced auto [[strikethrough]]race[[/strikethrough]] driver Joe Seymour in a Fiat [[strikethrough]]racing car[[/strikethrough]]. Also at Memphis, on April 6, 1911 Mitchell saw Glenn Curtiss, Charles Willard and Bud Mars flying as part of a four-day engagement.
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He became very interested and started to investigate the exhibition-flying business which appeared to be flourishing. Aviators and exhibition flights were in great demand.Mitchell [[strikethrough]] was reportedly heard to remark[[/strikethrough]] believed that there was [[strikethrough]]undoubtly[[/strikethrough]] "big money to be made" in the flying game and he [[strikethrough]]had[[/strikethrough]] made up his mind to cash in on it. September 22-28, 1910 he saw flight by Phil Parmelee, a Wright Company Aviator, that further stimulated his interest. As a result he contacted some of the early flying schools about instruction, but they tended to discourage him [[strikethrough]]due to the fact that[[/strikethrough]] because he was a large man weighing over two hundred pounds. This did not alter Mitchell's intense interest however, and in the early Spring of 1911 he formed a company known as American Aviators, to give flight exhibitions about the country. His new firm was