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and he attended major flying events wherever and whenever possible. He was present and saw Wilbur Wright make the flight from Govenors Island to Grants Tomb and return in late September, 1909. He also attended the FIRST air meet of public exhibitions by the Wright Team of Aviators at Indianapolis, Indiana June 13th through 18th, 1920. At that event were Brookins, Welsh, Hoxsey, Johnstone and LaChappelle, and there on June 14th Frank Coffyn made his first solo flight. Orville Wright also flew, carrying Carl Fisher and A. B. Lambert as passengers. During this time furthered his education by taking an engineering night school course at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn. In the fall of 1910 he became one of the founder members of the Brooklyn Aero Club and remained an officer of this organization through 1912.

In the spring of 1912 Wald decided to learn to fly and enrolled in the Wright Flying School at Dayton about April 1st. There he had his first flying lesson on April 12th from Instructor Al Welsh. In the same class were William Kabitsky, Grover Bergdoll and John Klockler. Wald continued instruction through May, weather permitting, and made his first solo flight on June 27th. The next day Orville Wright rode with him on two flights as a passenger to check him out "as a graduate student". While in Dayton as a student Wald attended the funeral of Wilbur Wright as a member of the group of close personal friends. After completing instruction Wald remained on at Dayton and continued to practice into July when the Wright Company decided to take him into the organization and place him in charge of a company demonstration agency at Glen Head, Long Island, using a Wright Model C on floats, with 6-cyl. Wright engine. The branch was established to promote interest in water flying among Long Island yachtsmen. Demonstrations were arranged at various yacht clubs and passengers carried in a general plan to sell water flying to wealthy sportsmen. A hanger was built at water's edge, complete with launching ramp, and flight operations started in August with Wald as Pilot-in-Charge of operations. During this time he made several notable flights including one from Glen Head to New Rochelle and return on September 21st. On

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