Viewing page 11 of 28

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

at the Atlantic Aviation, Field, Boston, Mass., and on October 18th flew a Sturtevant plane on an extended test flight which took him over Quincy, North Weymouth, Nantasket Beach, Boston and Jamaica Plain, at times reaching 12,000 ft. altitude.

Remaining with Sturtevant until World War I in 1917, he offered his services to the Government, first as a civilian instructor, then later was assigned as experimental test pilot at Langley Field, Va., where he remained for the duration of the war period. After that followed several years of instructing, barnstorming and passenger service work, with some testing with various small Companies, including the Hurst Airplane and Motor Company of Evansville, Ind. in 1921. Wright also managed the Graham Bros. Flying Field at Evansville for a time, and later became production test pilot for the Stinson Co. at Wayne, Mich. in 1929-1930, working for his good friend and former pupil, Eddie Stinson. There he conducted initial flying tests on many of their new models, and delivered new planes to customers about the country on occasion. Later, in 1930-1932, he became transport pilot for the Ford Motor Co. on their early airlines using Ford Tri-motored planes. While there he obtained Transport Pilot License No 4528. Following this, Wright was pilot for the Hudson Motor Co. for a time in 1932.

After twenty years of active flying, in 1933 Wright decided to return to the family farm. There he prepared his private airstrip, erected a hangar, procured a family aeroplane and continued to enjoy flying for pleasure. He taught his children and grandchildren to fly and kept his original Pilot License No. 254 valid for nearly fifty years. Occasionally he took on flying contract work, and during World War II conducted parachute drop tests for The Reliance Mfg. Co. In 1952 he as elected to the State Legislature and was re-elected for a second term in 1954. 

On October 13, 1960, Roderick Wright passed away unexpectedly at Washington, Indiana, after several months of failing health. He was buried in Oak Grove Cemetery near his farm home. Surviving were Mrs. Wright, three children and six grandchildren.

An active Early Bird and true flying pioneer, it would have been difficult to equal his lifetime record in aviation, having flown scores of different types of land and water planes, large and small, and not long ago even a jet. During his long active flying career he experienced five major smash-ups, but walked away from all of them. He never used a parachute,