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FROM THE FLYING PIONEERS BIOGRAPHIES OF HAROLD E. MOREHOUSE

JOHN B. R. VERPLANCK
Pioneer Curtiss Flying Boat Sportsman Pilot

John B. R. Verplanck was born of wealthy parents at Stony Kill Farms, Fishkill, New York, October 8th, 1881. He attended DeGarmo Institute, Cornwall Heights, and Hotchkiss Schools, then graduated from Columbia University with a B.A. degree in 1904. This was followed by agricultural work at Cornell and Rutgers which he completed in 1908.
 
He became intensely interested in flying when he saw Glenn Curtiss fly down the Hudson River in May, 1910 and as a result enrolled in the first spring class of students at the Curtiss Flying School at Hammondsport, New York on April 15th, 1913. There he ordered a Curtiss flying boat and learned to fly one from instructor Francis "Doc" Wildman. He was one of a large class of students and by late May was flying [[strikethrough]]well[[/strikethrough]] very capably. 

His new flying boat was completed about that time and taken to the lake for trials. Several other boats were made by Curtiss Company that spring, but Verplanck's was somewhat different. It was arranged for pilot and three passengers, had dual controls, embodied a special type of hull, and was powered by the latest 80-100 [[strikethrough]]H P[[/strikethrough]] hp., Curtiss engine. Wildman was in Europe at that time, so veteran Curtiss pilot Beckwith Havens conducted the flight tests of the craft in early June, with Verplanck as passenger and student pilot.