Viewing page 23 of 34

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

Lawrence as passenger and observer. This work was soon interrupted when the flying boat's hull was badly damaged. The unit was then installed in a land machine and flight tests once again resumed by Lieutenant H. Geiger. On March 23rd and 24th Geiger, carrying Sperry as passenger, demonstrated the stabilizer for over one hour and tried to capsize the plane in flight, but the equipment worked perfectly. Its future success seemed assured. 

The Sperry Company then bought a Curtiss flying boat, and during the summer of 1913 Lawrence was a student at the Curtiss School at Hammondsport, New York, while still working with gyro developments. Apparently he took both land and water instruction and by September was flying very successfully. His instructor on flying boats was Francis "Doc" Wildman. He passed his tests for an F.A.I Hydro Licen [[strikethrough]] c [[/strikethrough]] se and was granted Certificate No. 11, dated October 29, 1913. 

Sperry continued gyro stabilizer tests in California during the fall months with his new Curtiss flying boat, then in mid-January, 1914, he sailed for France with his aircraft to compete in the International Aeroplane Safety Contest. There he established his operations at Bezons, on the Seine River, near Paris, and was flying almost daily in May. On June 21st he astounded the French contest authorities during his magnificent demonstrations. Flying low, and in full view of the judges, Sperry stood up in the machine with his arms upraised, while his mechanic climbed well out on the wings, first one side, then the other, while the machine maintain [[strikethrough]] ing [[/strikethrough]] ed a perfectly even keel at all times. As a result of his demonstrations Sperry won the first prize of $10,000 against many foreign contestants.
 
[[margin]]l. e.^[[/margin]] 

At this time Lawrence had become [[strikethrough]] M[[/strikethrough]]anager of the Aviation Department of the Sperry Gyroscope Company. Returning to the United States he continued work on the stabilizer unit and assisted in other scientific aviation projects. Later in 1914 Lawrence and his father were awarded the distinctive Robert J. 

2