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335
 Victor Vernon
  Pioneer Curtiss Pilot - Instructor

Victor Vernon was born in Rome, Italy, October 1, 1883, son of a minister who had a church there. During his youth the family moved to the United States and settled in Syracuse, New York, where Vernon attended Madison School, then Syracuse University until 1902 when he enlisted in the Infantry, United States Army, [[Strikethrough]] where he [[/Strikethrough]] serving until 1905.
 Vernon returned to Syracuse where he was an office appliance salesman for the Smith-Premier Typewriter Company in central New York [[ strikethrough]] State [[/strikethrough]]. He remained in this activity through 1910. In 1911 he established an automobile agency which he operated through 1913. 
 That fall while on a short vacation trip, he saw a Burgess-Dunne hydroair-plane in flight at Marblehead, Massachusetts, and became interested in water flying. As a result, Vernon went to Hammondsport, New York, to visit the Curtiss Company and investigate their flying school. He was so impressed that arrangements were made to purchase a Curtiss flying boat and take flying instruction in the early spring of 1914.
 He was a member of the first spring class of 1914 students at Hammondsport and was taught by Francis "Doc" Wildman in May, then took delivery of his new Curtiss flying boat which he named the "Betty-V". Vernon did not obtain his flying license at that time. [[ strikethrough]] and [[/strikethrough]] Wiliam "Gink" Doherty joined him to
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