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[[stamp]] FROM THE FLYING PIONEERS BIOGRAPHIES OF HAROLD E. MOREHOUSE [[/stamp]]

CHARLES WALD
Early Wright Pilot - Naval Aircraft Inspector


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Charles Wald was born in Brooklyn, N. Y. October 11, 1881 and attended school there. As a youngster he started working in department stores in 1894. Wanting to learn a trade, and being very interested in mechanical things, he went to Newport News, Virginia in 1898 and started to work in the shipyards.

Wald worked there until 1901 when he joined the Army Transport Service and went to sea on a trip that was to eventually take him around the world. Crossing the Atlantic, through the Mediterranean and Suez Canal, he remained with the Transport Service until reaching the Philippine Islands where he joined the U. S. Customs Service at Manila. While there, in 1905 he saw an article in a magazine with photos showing Wilbur Wright gliding at Kitty Hawk, which aroused his interest.

In 1906 Wald was recalled to the United States and on his way east decided to stop in Dayton and visit the Wright Brothers to learn first hand what he could about their experiments. To his surprise they invited him to their home where he met their father, Bishop Wright, and sister Katherine for a friendly family type visit. From that first meeting came a friendship that lasted through the years and resulted in many meetings of Wald and the Wrights.

While still in government service Wald's interest in aviation grew [[strikethrough]] and he [[/strikethrough]]