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FRANK M. STITES
Pioneer West Coast Plane Builder-Aviator

Frank M. Stites was born in Los Angeles, California, February 28, 1882. Information concerning his early life and education is lacking, but he evidently developed an early interest in flying.
He was one of several local amateur experimenters who had homemade planes of varying types at the first Los Angeles aviation meet at Dominguez Field on January 10 to 20, 1910, but none of them were able to fly. Stites' plane was badly damaged during the event by gale-strength winds. He rebuilt his plane and continued his efforts to learn to fly. Handicapped by inexperience, smashups, and a multitude of mechanical troubles, he doggedly kept up his efforts through 1910.
That year he built a Curtiss-type biplane, powered by a Macomber rotary engine, and entered it in the amateur events of the second Los Angeles meet at Dominguez Field held December 24, 1910 to January 2, 1911. There Stites was making straightaway hops but still had so much engine trouble he failed to do any actual flying. Continuing his experiments, he flew in an all-amateur flying meet at Dominguez Field held June 10th and 11th with Beryl Williams, Jack Cannon, Jay Gage, and C.M. Crosson. Stites and Crosson were stars of the event, and although Stites had two minor smashups, he was flying circles at low altitudes. On June 28th he had another smashup at Dominguez Field, but by September and October his plane and engine were repaired and he was flying quite capably. He flew his license tests there on December 23rd, still using his Macomber-powered Curtiss-type plane, and was granted F.A.I. Certificate No. 88 on January 10, 1912.
There is evidence that Stites was also associated with Charles Broadwick in his balloon business at that time. During December 1911 Stites kept his plane at Dominguez Field, sharing a shed with Harvey