May 10, 1912: Southern California aviation pioneer Glenn Luther Martin made history when he flew his "hydro-aeroplane" over the ocean from "the waters of Newport Bay to the shore of Avalon, Catalina Island," The Times reported, under the headline "Most Daring Exhibition Ever Given By Birdman." Martin flew the 33 miles in his Avalon Zipper, the longest flight yet made over water, The Times said. "He landed amid the tooting of horns and the shouts of a multitude of people whom he surprised by swooping down from the clouds," the newspaper reported. On his return flight he carried the day's mail from Catalina — another first. Glenn Luther Martin (1886-1955) began his impressive aviation career in Santa Ana, CA. In the photo above Martin is shown making an aerial delivery of the Fresno Republican newspaper in 1909.
Arthur, I'm betting that the exact placement of a bundle of newspapers or a bag of mail on that aircraft made a huge difference in its flyability, and that Glenn Martin knew it.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think you got that right. This was a period of very risky flying. By the way, here's a very interesting website on early aviation that you might enjoy if you haven't already seen it: http://glennhcurtiss.com/id25.htm (just copy and paste).
ReplyDeleteThanks, Arthur.
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