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317

W. IRVING TWOMBLY

Pioneer Eastern Aviator - Plane Builder

W. Irving Twombly was born in Portland, Maine, September 9, 1879. Information is lacking concerning his early life and education, but he evidently became a practicing mechanical engineer-inventor and successful New York businessman in the early 1900's later specializing in the development and sale of safety devices for automobiles and airplanes.

He had an early interest in aviation in the New York area, and on May 16, 1911, became a member of the Aero Club of America. In July he brought a self-built copy of a Bleriot monoplane to the Nassau Boulevard Flying Field on Long Island. It was powered by a new 7-cylinder 50 h.p. rotary engine of his own make. At that time he was reportedly the owner of Twombly Motor Company.

He made some attempts to fly this plane during 1911 without success, so early in 1912 he enrolled for flying lessons at the Sloane Flying School at Westbury, Long Island, where he was taught to fly a 35 h.p. Anzani-powered Deperdussin [[strikethrough]] g [[/strikethrough]] Monoplane by Sloane instructor George M. Dyott. There he successfully passed his flying tests and obtained F.A.I. License No. 149, dated July 24, 1912.

Twombly was Chairman of the New York Aero Show Committee for the display at Grand Central Palace May 9 to 18, 1912, and exhibited his plane and engine there. He continued to keep this plane at Nassau Boulevard that summer and worked on further development, but evidently nothing more came out of the project.

At the 1912 Aero Show, Twombly also exhibited his new aviators' safety shoulder harness, probably the first such safety belt. His harness held the aviator firmly in his seat but could be released by a single motion of the hand. The military branches were interested and following actual tests at College Park, Maryland, the Signal Corps ordered fifty of them for the Army's airplanes, Following this Twombly licensed the A.G. Spalding Company to make and market them. This harness continued to be available through World War I. 

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