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As a result of the extensive test work Morris had conducted on the Curtiss Tractor and his showing in the competition, the Curtiss Company was awarded an initial order for eight of these planes from the government, to be built at once. 
 
That winter Morris also became an instructor at the North Island Curtiss winter school and in the spring of 1915 was made Chief Pilot and General Manager of the Curtiss Company's California school. During this time he also had his own mono-boat at the North Island and was doing considerable sport flying with it. At that time Morris was living at the Coronado Hotel where he became very popular by carrying many notable civilian and military passengers. On March 30th Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Astor visited the North Island Flying Field and Morris returned them, one at a time, to their yacht, the NOMA, in his Flying Boat. About that same time he was invited to pay a flying visit to the Flagship Colorado to meet Admiral T.B. Howard, Commander of the Pacific Fleet. After circling the Flagship three times he landed alongside and went to meet Vice President and Mrs. T.R. Marshall and Assistant Secretary of the Navy F.D. Roosevelt. After a brief chat he flew back to North Island. 

Morris was the first to make formal entry for the Curtiss Marine Endurance Trophy Race for 1915. June 12th he married Miss Grace Gibson of Coronado, California and they left for New York to spend their honeymoon. Following this they went to Hammondsport where Morris put six new Hydros and six special Flying Boats through their tests for the Spanish government. The initial tests were then made of the new Curtiss Model R land tractors, with V-8 160 H.P. engines for the British government. There on August 10th Morris set two new records with the R-2 tractor, first for pilot and two passengers to 8,024 feet, then for pilot and three passengers to 8,105 feet. In September he completed tests in Buffalo on new planes to be delivered to the Aero Squadron at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, then returned to California to prepare for the Curtiss Marine Trophy Race. 

Entered as a representative of the Aero Club of America, Morris first started on October 27th, using his own mono-boat, converted to a biplane, for the contest.  

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