1865-1926 |
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Collection of Jean-Pierre Lauwers |
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The story of Augustus Herring's role in Octave Chanutes Glider Flights of 1896, including his brief biography, by Steve Spicer, may be accessed by clicking on: Augustus Herring I heartily recommend that you read the whole story on this wonderful site. |
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Email reply from Steve Spicer, (2-1-01) Author of Wings Off The Dunes. Don't overlook Augustus Herring with your "other pioneers". He was a strange one, but there are several people that claim he flew before the Wright brothers. He did make a 'flight' up in St. Joseph, Michigan, but for a lot of reasons nothing ever came of it. I've always felt that the biplane glider that he and Chanute developed here was Herring's idea all along. He and Chanute argued that point in years subsequent, but Herring, along with Avery, did most of the flying and testing. Butusov was the other character in the cast of characters down here on the beach! Email reply from Steve Spicer, (2-4-01) Author of Wings Off The Dunes. Strange thing about Herring. He was a very interesting character. Simine Short, who I collaborated with on my Chanute research, was writing about him, but I don't know how far she got. Of course, he, and a small handful of followers, some of whom are alive today, maintain that he was the true inventor of heavier than air flight, and flew before the Wright Brothers. Dr. Crouch of the Air and Space Museum, bristles at this suggestion, no doubt with good reason, but to me, nonetheless, Herring is an intriguing subject. If you haven't read Tom Crouch's "A Dream of Wings" or "The Bishop's Boy's", I'm sure you would enjoy them. |
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of First Flight Aren't 'Wright' You can read this fascinating article by Lou Mumford, which appears in the October 11, 1998 online edition of the South Bend Tribune. It may be accessed by clicking on: Augustus Herring |
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From Wings of the Dunes Back 
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