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passes the boys were allowed on the field where they met Glenn Curtiss, who took them into his camp when he learned they were building a plane, and had them help assemble a new plane being delivered to Frank Johnson. All of this attention naturally helped them acquire a wealth of information and knowledge of planes and their operation which would not have been possible otherwise. Curtiss received something in return, however, asking questions about possible sites for flying grounds in the San Diego area, and Waterman at that time probably sparked the motive for the aviation base Curtiss established at North Island in January, 1911. Following the Dominguez Field event Charles Hamilton flew at the Coronado Polo Grounds at San Diego January 24th and 25th, 1910, the first powered flights ever made in San Diego County.

After the Los Angeles meet Waterman and Kendall completed their plane, which resembled a Curtiss biplane but had a Wright-type landing gear with skids, and retractable wheels, and was powered by a 2-cylinder Speedwell automobile engine. Aeroplane wheels were too expensive so they planned to land on skids, with take-offs only from bicycle wheels, which were too light to withstand landing shocks. Knowing the Wrights obtained their required take-off speed by a catapult from a dropping weight, the boys then turned to automobile towing for straightaway hops. Waterman made several of these hops successfully, then Kendall tried and had a smashup. Repairing the damage, tests were resumed in April and after several additional hops Waterman had a bad smashup when the tow rope became tangled in parts of the plane after releasing, pulling him down in a heap, completely wrecking the machine and badly fracturing both his ankles. During his long recovery Waterman busied himself designing a new plane and planning ahead.

Early in January, 1911 Curtiss established his California experimental base and flying school on North Island, San Diego, and Waterman attached himself to the Curtiss camp. Anxious to learn and willing to work, he made friends quickly and assisted with the historic water flying developments made there that winter. At the school Charles Witmer gave Waterman his first real plane ride and these associations afforded him much valuable experience. When Curtiss broke camp in 

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