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

JOHM B. MOISANT                        
Early Bleriot Exhibition Pilot  

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John B. Moisant was born in Chicago, Illinois April 25, 1873, of French-Canadian parentage, one of five children, with two brothers and two sisters.  He attended local schools, then at age 15 the family moved to Alameda, California where he completed high school. Moisant then attended the San Francisco School of Architecture and Healds Business College.

About 1896 John and his brother Alfred went to Central America and settled in San Salvador, Capitol of Salvador, where they started to establish business interests.  They worked very hard and in ten years had acquired extensive land, sugar, salt and hotel holdings.  They were also involved in banking and became eminently influential in business circles.

John had always loved to watch the great soaring birds of California and Central America, and with the advent of flying he became very interested in aviation.  As a result he traveled to Europe and saw some of the flying done by Wilbur Wright there in the fall of 1908, then many of the French experiments in 1909.

That year John designed and built an odd-metal plane constructed entirely of steel and aluminum.  It had a forward elevator, rather conventional tail surfaces, and 3-wheel landing gear, two in front and one at the rear.

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