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the post World War I era and was generally credited with being the definite fore-runner of the Air Service fighter craft that followed.

Although he never became an active pilot, William continued to fly on occasion accompanied by one of the test pilots, until 1918. Evidently Oliver did no flying and confined his activities to engineering and administrative duties.

After the end of World War I the production of military aircraft was quickly brought to a standstill by a general cancellation of Government orders and the only work remaining was the authority to complete planes then under construction, and spare parts. Ralph Brown left to go with Old Town Canoe Company in 1919, then during the ensuing post war period Thomas-Morse did factory conversion of Government owned DH planes, built an experimental airmail plane and continued the steady development of the "S" series famed "Tommies" into both tandem and side-by-side two-seater plans for training and sport flying. About this time the firm also started the study and development of all-metal plan construction methods and di much valuable pioneering work in this field for some time.

In 1921 the firm built two racing type planes which were entered in the National Air Races. Following the metal construction development several experimental all-metal military planes were built, using both the prevailing liquid-cooled and the new radical air-cooled engines, but these craft were never put into production.

After World War I Oliver retired from aviation and devoted his time to his extensive ranch properties near Rosario, Argentina.

In 1922 William resigned his position as Vice President and Consulting Engineer of Thomas-Morse and retired from the firm. Since 1910 he had assisted in the planning and building of 22 different model planes, and during World War I had guided his firm to the fourth largest producer of military aircraft in the United States, certainly a creditable pioneering record. He continued to live in Ithaca for a time but soon purchased a residence property at Daytona Beach, Florida for a winter home. At this time he began private aviation engineering consulting work and later became a Director and Consulting Engineer for the Cunningham Aircraft Corporation, Rochester, New York, a firm closely associated with the James Cunningham, 

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