-1983 |
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Taken in the 60's or 70's Collection of Nicholas Rippen Abberly Courtesy of Calvin Spinka, 7-4-05 |
via email from Calvin Spinka, 7-7-05 I had never heard of the Early Birds until my dad showed me these pictures and told me Nick's story. We would like pay tribute to a pioneer in aviation as well as quite an accomplished inventor. I know Nick had several things patented at one time or another and my dad claims that Nick invented the trampoline as well as some kind of rivet used on boats for joining wood and steel. One of the only other references to Nick that I found on the web was an auction site selling historical documents that listed Nicholas Rippen Abberly as an inventor who patented ailerons. I'll have to do some digging, but I might even have photocopies of technical patent drawings of those ailerons! Also, I found a reference to Nick in the special Collections at the Iowa State University. ISU apparently has possession of Ann Pellegreno's research files that she used to write books about early aviation especially in Iowa. That research includes a file on Nick. My dad and I may take a trip there sometime since we are fairly close to ISU, and we really don't know too much about him. Calvin |
via email from Calvin Spinka, 7-8-05 My dad is the maintenance manager at a low/fixed income apartment complex in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Nicholas lived there several years until he was moved to more of a nursing home shortly before he passed away. According to my dad, Nicholas had been an inventor and worked most of his life for corporations that patented his inventions, According to my dad, Nicholas was moved to a nursing home, and after he died, his apartment sat for several months full of his stuff. My dad said finally the Red Cross or something, at the request of Nicholas's family, went through the stuff, boxed up some of it and threw out all of his literature. My dad pulled some of it out of the trash, including 15 pictures from 1912 or earlier, most of which have hand written dates and or places on the back or in a few cases on the front. My dad also saved a couple of other pictures he found of Nicholas when he was older. We also found what look like photocopies of technical drawings for patents for a couple of different items. We found a laminated picture of the Early Birds plaque also ( this is how I first heard of such a thing). Curiosly enough, my dad also salvaged a "drawing" that had been framed. Many years later I was in college studying printmaking artists and found out that the "drawing" my dad found was actually a copper plate print from a well known artist named Kathe Kollowitz. The print was a restrike done from the original plates after her death, and therefore not really valuable. The subject matter of the print was a rebellion and my dad theorizes that the people who threw it out probabaly thought it was "communist" depicting the Russian revolution or something. So that's the gist of the story from what I know.. It's kind of interesting, and kind of sad. I haven't been able to find out much about him online, One site mentioned him as an inventor who patented ailerons that didn't infringe on the Wright bros. patents. |
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To Nick from Sam Nov 18th, 1911 Collection of Nicholas Rippen Abberly Courtesy of Calvin Spinka, 7-4-05 |
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I'm curious who this Sam person is also because the two were apparently close. We have part of a
post card that says "to Nick, from Sam" on the back dated nov 18, 1911, as well as in air flight pictures from 1912. Also we found a
picture from the 1950's or 60's with a "Jenny" pictured at an air field. The plane appears to have signatures all over the fusalage. to me
these pictures are mysteries waiting to be solved. There seems to be a lot of history in them and I'm glad my dad had the presence of
mind to save them. Calvin |
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Mineola, L.I., N.Y. September, 1910 Collection of Nicholas Rippen Abberly Courtesy of Calvin Spinka, 7-4-05 |
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Mineola, L.I., N.Y. September, 1910 Soloed by him, October, 1910 Rippen's Mechanic in View Collection of Nicholas Rippen Abberly Courtesy of Calvin Spinka, 7-4-05 |
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Mineola, L.I., N.Y. September, 1910 Rippen soloed in it in October, 1910 Collection of Nicholas Rippen Abberly Courtesy of Calvin Spinka, 7-4-05 |
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Collection of Nicholas Rippen Abberly Courtesy of Calvin Spinka, 7-4-05 |
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(Rockford, Ill., Register-Republican, August 4, 1961 But Hartman soloed in a balloon, while Wright's first solo was also the first successful flight of a powered, heavier-than-air-craft. Hartman's still flying, and he'll prove it tonight at 7:30 over Greater Rockford Airport by demonstrating the World War I-type Curtiss OX5-powered Jenny he built himself. He may be the nation's only pilot still flying actively after 57 years. Hartman will mark his 58th year of flying next month. He soloed in a balloon Sept. 6, 1903. Why does he continue to fly? "I got tired of looking at four walls. I told my wife I'd either go crazy or start knocking the walls down." Hartman Says. That was after he sold his old Bleriot-type monoplane in 1956 to a museum. Hartman built that plane himself in 1910. He barnstormed in it from 1939 until he sold it. If you think piloting a Jenny is a rather strenuous hobby for a senior citizen, you'd probably think flying a Bleriot-type plane is too strenuous for any age. Some who have tried it agree. The Bleriot has the appearance, but not the maneuverability, of a prehistoric flying lizard. When inactivity got too grinding, Hartman started the Jenny project. He located a number of plans, but they didn't jibe, so he actually built most of the plane from memory. He says he told Mrs. Hartman he had two main reasons for the project. First, he considers it the most important plane of all, since it was the one used to train hundreds of World War I pilots, some of whom are among the nation's most noted fliers. "And I wanted to recognize my early flying friends," Hartman states. The Jenny is virtually a flying honor roll of aviation. Its fuselage bears the names of dozens of famous fliers. A random sampling includes Gen. Frank P. Lahm, Jimmy Doolittle, Clyde V. Cessna, Jack Knight, Benny Howard, L. D. Rockwell, Glenn L. Martin, Jimmy Mattern, Col. Roscoe Turner, Arthur Godfrey, Ruth Law, Blanche C. Scott, and Roy Knabenshue The plane is destined for a museum when Hartman is through with it. "I started in the 'starvation days' of flying," he reminisces. |
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From The Early Birds of Aviation Roster of Members, 1996 |
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