RARE Early Aviation RPPC - Aviator Charles Hamilton- Los Angeles meet 1910 RPPC

Description: RARE Real Photo Postcard Aviator Charles Hamilton Early Airplane - Show at Los Angeles, CA 1910 For offer - a very nice Real Photo Postcard! Vintage, Old, antique, Original - NOT a Reproduction - Guaranteed !! Great image - probably one of a kind. Sender writes message : "Hamilton up in the air with his Curtiss Biplane, the world record machine. The fastest, highest and most powerful in the world." On back says "will send you a few postals of the meet". Pretty cool. Postally unused VELOX back. In very good condition. Please see photos. If you collect postcards, 20th century history, advertising, airplane, occupation / occupational, postal, photography, flying, biplane, etc., this is a nice one for your paper or ephemera collection. Combine shipping on multiple bid wins! 3028 Charles Keeney Hamilton (May 30, 1885[1][2][3][4] – January 22, 1914) was an American pioneer aviator nicknamed the "crazy man of the air".[5][6][7] He was, in the words of the U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission, "known for his dangerous dives, spectacular crashes, extensive reconstructive surgeries, and ever present cigarette"[8] and was "frequently drunk".[9] He survived more than 60 crashes.[8][10][11] Biography Hamilton, c. June 13, 1910Hamilton was born in New Britain, Connecticut,[4] to Joseph Delliber Hamilton and Nellie Keeney Hamilton. His parents split up by the time he was six. Hamilton – who described himself as an "aeronaut" – was a hot air balloonist and parachute jumper at fairs and circuses at the age of 18.[4][10] Three years later, he became friends with aeronautical engineer and aviator A. Roy Knabenshue and began piloting dirigibles.[4][10] On the day Louis Bleriot flew the English Channel, July 25, 1909, Hamilton was sailing his own airship across the Bay of Osaka in Japan.[12] In late 1909, he started taking flying lessons from Glenn Curtiss.[2][10] He joined Curtiss's exhibition team and quickly acquired fame and a nationwide reputation as a daredevil flyer.[2][6] In December, he flew at St. Joseph and outside St. Louis, Missouri, and in Overland Park, Kansas, before participating in the 1910 Los Angeles International Air Meet at Dominguez Field, the first major airshow in the United States, which ran from January 10–20, 1910.[5] He then embarked on an 11-city, two-month exhibition tour across the American Southwest, starting at Phoenix, Arizona, and ending in San Diego, California.[5] On February 19, Hamilton became the first to fly an airplane in Tucson, Arizona.[13] In San Diego, he became just the third American flier to remain aloft for at least an hour, crossing the ocean to Mexico and back.[5] Hamilton became the first to fly in the state of Washington, when he piloted the Reims Racer over Seattle on March 11.[6][14] The very next day, he went up again, drunk, and "Swooping like a rapacious bird from a height of 500 feet [150 m], the Curtiss biplane, with Charles K. Hamilton, dived into the newly formed lake at The Meadows".[6] He had to be fished out of the lake, but suffered only minor injuries.[6] One of Hamilton's many crashes, on March 12, 1910, in Washington stateUndaunted, he flew at Tacoma, Washington, and crossed the border to become the "First Air Visitor to Vancouver, B.C."[15] on March 25.[5][16] The next day, he flew to New Westminster and back, covering 20 miles (32 km) in 30 minutes.[17] He participated in an air meet in Spokane, Washington between April 1–3.[2] On April 9, he flew over Mercer Island and Lake Washington.[6] In San Antonio, Texas, he set a record for the quickest takeoff: 79 feet (24 m) in 3.8 seconds, breaking Glenn Curtiss's mark of 95 feet (29 m) in 5.25 seconds.[5] In May, he performed in Atlanta and Augusta, Georgia, before heading to Mineola, New York, Curtiss's headquarters.[5] On June 13, 1910, Hamilton won a prize of $10,000, sponsored by The New York Times and the Philadelphia Public Ledger, for being the first to fly from New York City to Philadelphia and back,[5] the first flight between two major US cities.[18] He departed from Governors Island in New York harbor at 7:30 am and reached Philadelphia at 9:26 am.[19] With a stopover in Philadelphia, the round trip took a little over 11 hours, at an average speed of nearly 51 miles per hour (82 km/h).[5] He received a hero's welcome in his hometown of New Britain,[20] and, on July 2, 1910, made "the first public flight in the State" there.[21] It was also the first in New England.[20][22] Between June and August, he performed at Knoxville, Nashville and Atlantic City.[5] In Nashville, he made the first night flight in America, remaining aloft 25 minutes before developing engine trouble.[5] When Hamilton fell behind on pay, Glenn Curtiss repossessed the Reims Racer.[5] Hamilton then had a new airplane built by Walter Christie, who had a car and engine factory in Manhattan.[5] Finished on August 31, it was reputed to have the most powerful airplane engine yet, boasting 110 hp.[5] Hamilton named his new airplane the "Hamiltonian".[5] In September, however, the Hamiltonian stalled and crashed during a demonstration flight outside Sacramento, California; Hamilton was "badly cut, bruised and burned", but was flying again in a week.[5] "On September 28, he was issued American pilot license no. 12."[5] He then joined John Moisant's exhibition team, performing with them in Richmond, Chattanooga and Memphis. In Memphis, he broke his own speed record of 64.6 miles per hour (104.0 km/h) by going 79.2 miles per hour (127.5 km/h).[5] On February 2, 1911, the team was in El Paso, Texas. Hamilton flew over nearby Ciudad Juárez and performed the first wartime aerial reconnaissance, looking for rebel forces of the Mexican Revolution.[23][24] That same month, he and Moisant parted company, with Moisant keeping his airplane.[5] He pioneered flying in Cleveland, Tennessee, in October 1911, piloting a Curtiss biplane.[25] It was the first plane landing ever in Cleveland and the local newspaper called it at the time "The greatest event in the history of Bradley Country."[26] Hamilton died of tuberculosis[10] or "a lung hemorrhage after a long bout with tuberculosis"[4][25] on January 22, 1914. He was buried in Hartford, Connecticut, on January 26.[27] Those familiar with his short career claimed he had earned a quarter of a million dollars, but he died almost broke.[27] Hamilton married twice. He was divorced by his first wife and was survived by his second, Gussie, whom he had married the summer before his death.[11] The Los Angeles International Air Meet (January 10 to January 20, 1910) was among the earliest airshows in the world and the first major airshow in the United States.[1] It was held in Los Angeles County, California, at Dominguez Field, southwest of the Dominguez Rancho Adobe in present-day Rancho Dominguez, California. Spectator turnout numbered approximately 254,000 over 11 days of ticket sales.[2] The Los Angeles Times called it "one of the greatest public events in the history of the West."[3] While it is well documented that Wilbur and Orville Wright first flew on December 17, 1903, the early 1900s saw several competing claims to have made the first practical airplane. The Wrights filed for a patent on their flying machine on March 23, 1903, and Patent Number 821393 is dated May 22, 1906.[4] They moved their flying north east of Dayton to a 100-acre field called Huffman Prairie and continued to develop their aircraft design. The year 1908 saw the Wrights' first publicized demonstration flights. On August 8, 1908, at the Hunaudières track near Le Mans, France, the Wrights silenced European doubters. In a first demonstration lasting only one minute 45 seconds, Wilbur Wright's effortless banking turns and ability to fly in a circle amazed[5] and stunned[6] onlookers, including several French aviation pioneers, among them Louis Blériot. Several airshows featuring competitions, aircraft makers, and pilots were held in 1909, including ones at Frankfurt in Germany and Reims, France. The Frankfurt airshow, which began in July 1909 (now named Internationale Luft- und Raumfahrtausstellung (ILA)) claims to be the world's first such multi-participant show. The Grande Semaine d'Aviation in Reims took place during August 1909, and attracted by over half a million spectators. Shortly after the Reims airshow, Charles Willard and A. Roy Knabenshue resolved to stage the first such show in the United States, targeting the winter of 1909 - 1910 for its occurrence. Los Angeles preparations Promoter Dick FerrisKnabenshue and Willard selected the Los Angeles, California, area for its favorable winter weather. After receiving a promise of participation from Glenn Curtiss, Knabenshue contacted Los Angeles promoter Dick Ferris, who in turn mobilized local businesses and formed an organizing committee. A field near Santa Anita Park was considered, but physical obstructions such as tall trees led the aviators to search elsewhere. By December 1909, they selected Dominguez Field atop a small hill that had been developed by Manuel Dominguez on land once part of Rancho San Pedro, an early Spanish land grant. Once the site was finalised, promotion of the meet began and grandstands with a capacity of between 50,000 and 60,000[7] were erected. An aviators' camp was also constructed nearby. The passenger platform at the local Pacific Electric Railway station was expanded to accommodate visitors to the rural site who might travel from downtown Los Angeles. Organizers invited pilots of monoplanes, biplanes, balloons, and dirigibles. To reinforce the event's "international" billing, French aviator Louis Paulhan, a notable from the 1909 Reims meet, was invited. Paulhan was guaranteed a small sum of money as encouragement to attend. Cash prizes were allotted for competitive events in altitude, speed, and endurance. The eventParticipants The aviators who took part in the events. Glenn Curtiss and Louis Paulhan can be seen towards the right side.The 1910 Air Meet drew many famous aviators, most of whom were American. Glenn Curtiss, American aviation pioneer and founder of the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company was the most famous. Other participants included Roy Knabenshue, Charles Willard, Lincoln Beachey and Charles K. Hamilton, Howard Warfield Gill, and Clifford B. Harmon, many of whom are listed among the Early Birds of Aviation. French aviators at the event included Louis Paulhan and Didier Masson.[8] The Wright brothers did not take part in the event, but were there with their lawyers in an attempt to prevent Paulhan and Curtiss from flying. The Wrights claimed that the ailerons on their aircraft infringed patents. Notwithstanding their allegations, Paulhan and Curtis still made flights. Paulhan gave William Randolph Hearst his first experience of flight. However, William Boeing, who had been enthused by the new invention of the airplane, was unable to get a ride on any aircraft at the air meet: While attending the first American Air Meet in Los Angeles, Boeing asked nearly every aviator for a ride, but no one said yes except Louis Paulhan. For three days Boeing waited, but on the 4th day he discovered Paulhan had already left the meet. Possibly, one of the biggest missed opportunities in Paulhan's life was the ride he never gave Boeing.[9] As part of the larger Wright brothers' patent cases, the Wrights actually won monetary damages in U.S. courts for Paulhan's public performances that day.

Price: 195 USD

Location: Rochester, New York

End Time: 2024-08-29T14:51:55.000Z

Shipping Cost: 3.95 USD