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PAUL D. WILSON

Pioneer Thomas Brothers Pilot

Paul D. Wilson was born at Dryden, New York, September 24, 1892. During his youth he became interested in mechanical things, including motorcycles, automobiles and early airplanes. and succeeded in getting his first plane ride with Francis "Doc" Wildman in a pontoon Curtiss pusher at Hammondsport in 1911. This fired his youthful ambition to learn to fly.

Wilson attended local schools until he was 17 when he left, and opened the first garage in Dryden. He obtained a Ford agency and began selling the famed Model T cars.

He continued in the garage and automobile business for some time, making some money, but the urge to fly kept growing, so in mid-1916 he signed up for instruction at the Thomas Brothers Flying School at Ithaca, New York. The flying field was at the foot of Cayuga Lake and there Wilson learned to fly a single pontoon. Thomas pusher dual-control school biplane, powered by an 8-cylinder type 0 Curtiss engine. His instructor was Thomas pilot Rupe Clark. Wilson completed the course and made his first solo flight on October 19, 1916. A companion student, Early Bird R. C. "Tex" Marshall was also taking flight instruction at that time.

The dark clouds of World War I were gathering and the Thomas company needed additional experienced help so Wilson gave up the garage business and went to work at the Thomas flying field. He continued flying practice and a few months later the company assigned him to experimental test flying. This started a most noteworthy career of several years with the Thomas organization, during which/ed time he acted as company test pilot [[strikethrough]] at intervals [[/strikethrough]] which includ[[strikethrough]]ing[[/strikethrough]]ed demonstration flying of new experimental type planes at Government flying fields before aviation officers, ass assistant production manager at the factory and other staff execu-