1882-1950 |
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Collection of William Burke, Jr. |
Collection of Kansas State Historical Society, 9-28-05 |
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Collection of William Burke, Jr. |
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Collection of William Burke, Jr. |
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Collection of William Burke, Jr. |
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Collection of William Burke, Jr. |
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1916 = 1pOB; 80hp LeRhône rotary. Laminated-wood fuselage; underslung lower wing. POP: 1, Built by A. K. Longren, Topeka, Kans. at Okmulgee Field Built for Oklahoma car dealer William Burt. Collection of William Burke, Jr. Identification by Stephen Allen, 3-22-06 |
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Hello from SkyWorld Aviation This aircraft has the name of Billie Burke on the side Collection of Michael Pacitti, 3-23-05 Identification by Stephen Allen, 3-22-06 |
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This is the fifth plane built by Leonardville native Albin K. Longren, flown by him for one year and then sold to Philip Billard, a Topeka native who was killed in France while testing planes for the Allies in World War I. Longren, with the assistance of his brother, E. J., and William Janicke, built an airplane in Topeka which was taken to a field southeast of the city for testing. On September 2, 1911, with Longren behind the wheel, it became the first Kansas-made plane to successfully take to the air. (Wilbur and Orville Wright's famous flight was on December 17, 1903, at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.) Editor's Note: These three introductory paragraphs were kindly provided by the Kansas State Historical Society. For the rest of the story, and for viewing three photos; the Longren biplane, his Topeka shop and he and his wife, just click on: You may also wish to visit the homepage of the Society by clicking on: |
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AVIATION HISTORY The Dreamers and the Doers by George R. Bauer Product Details Hardcover Publisher: Bauer; (December 1, 1999) List Price: $395 ISBN: 0965876128 |
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From The Early Birds of Aviation ROSTER, 1996 Back 
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