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ARTHUR P. WARNER
Pioneer Curtiss Pilot

Arthur P. Warner was born in Jacksonville, Florida, April 18, 1870. During his youth the family moved to Wisconsin, where he later received some electrical education at Beloit College, followed by an International Correspondence course in Electrical Engineering between 1895-1897.
     During the early period of the motor car industry he formed the Warner Instrument Company at Beloit, where in due course he developed and marketed the first magnetic speedometers for automobiles.  This grew into a substantial business and he invented and marketed other instrument accessories for cars. 
     In the early era of aviation development he became interested in airplanes and the possibility of making air-speed measuring instrument for flying.  As a result he place an order for an airplane with Glenn Curtiss in July, 1909, the first individual in the United States to purchase an airplane for private use.  His was the third plane built by Curtiss and was sold in sections.  Warner went to Hammondsport and assembled the plane himself, starting grass cutting practice and made several straightaway extended hops there in November, 1909. He had a minor smashup or two, then as the fall weather became suitable for further practice, he shipped the plane to his home in Wisconsin. 
     The plane was a standard Curtiss pusher biplane of that period, with front elevator, and was powered by a 4-cylinder Curtiss engine.  Warner was very proud of his plane and exhibited it at the Iowa Corn Show at Des Moines in early February, 1910.  It was on exhibition at the Buffalo, New York, automobile show with his instrument exhibits February 14th to 19th, then at the Cleveland, Ohio, Auto Show in March 26th to April 2nd. Warner then shipped his plane back to Beloit, where later that spring he did more practice flying and work on the airspeed measuring device.  After he completed his experiments he sold the plane to Joe Seymour of Long Island, during the latter part of June 1910.