EARLY FLIGHTS
1912-1918

Collection of Frank Schober
Courtesy of Margaret Schober Seaman, 3-23-06
Transcribed by Ralph Cooper
 
 
Schober built plane
 
 
Pete McLaughlin's Curtiss Plane - 1910
George Rogers, pilot, and Henry Turner, passenger,
in a plane built by Frank Schober. 1910
Collection of Frank Schober
Courtesy of Margaret Schober Seaman, 3-23-06
 

 
 
Schober built plane
 
 
Pete McLaughlin's Curtiss Plane - 1912
Pete McLaughlin's Curtiss Plane
I built after Henry Turner
cracked up.
. 1912
 

 
 
Capt. Thomas Baldwin
 
 
Captain Tom Baldwin in his "Red Devil" in 1912
Glenn Curtiss in the background
Collection of Walter E. Lees
 
 
AUTOBIOGRAPHY
by Frank Schober
     Then in 1912 while flying my models with Cecil Peoli, Capt. Tom Baldwin approached us one day and said to us both, "I've been watching you boys for weeks. How would you like to fly the real thing." We took him up on it and C. Peoli got the first crack on learning to fly the machine.
 
 
Aviators Inn
 
        We lived at "Pete McLaughlins Aviators Inn" with Capt Baldwin who got us out of bed at daybreak every morning and get to the field before the wind started up make a few runs across the field to get the hang of keeping the machine on a straight run to the other end of the field get out and turn machine around and start back then after a half day such runs we would go back to the hotel and have breakfast. Well Peoli was first in the air and flew very well and after 5 or 6 flights I went along as passneger to get the feel of the plane in the air. But Cap. never let me fly the plane saying I was to reckless and did not want to wreck the plane. Because Peoli and Bud Mars were going to Japan for some exhibition flying in a few weeks, so I quit and went out free lancing again over to Nassau Blvd. (Aerodrome), where I met a very nice bunch of fellows who gave me a chance to show my ability and worked with Pilots as Eugene Ely, Harry Atwood, Theo Russell helped so set up Mme. Helene Dutrieu Plane when she came to Nassau. Also helped Topsy Sherwood , (Oliver Sherwood?), with repairs jobs he had on the field and one day in August he was trying out a Curtiss pusher with a four cyl. motor and run it way down the other end of the field and stopped. I ran out thought he was in trouble, but not the motor just quit so I helped him turn around and start the motor, so he said "Frank, you run it back. I want to watch how she gets so I hopped in took the control gave her the gas and off I went. I though here was chance to see if I could take her off.
 
 
Schober Solos
 
 
Frank Schober Solos - 1912
Plane in which I made my first hop Nassau Blvd. 1912
Collection of Frank Schober
Courtesy of Margaret Schober Seaman, 3-23-06
 
       Nassau Blvd. field had a gully about 3/4 of the field south where a plane could fly down this gully and could not be seen from the Hangers. Well here was a chance fo me to give her the gas and fly over this gully which I did for about thousand yards and at a height of 10 ft. Well this was my solo and had kept it secret up till now as the owner of this plane is an E.B. and does not know about this. Topsy Sherwood with whom I worked on this plane is now in heaven flying around with the other past birds so therefore I have no other witness who saw me and I don't remember the date, but I know it was the first week in August, 1912 for the second week I happened to be at Pete McLaughlin's Hotel. When a man in a checker suit and straw hat walked in and asked Pete if there was any mechanics around looking for a job and he pointed over at me and said see that fellow over there. Well this fellow was Robert Sherry, Playboy son of Louis Sherry the Caterer, he had a monoplane with a special built four cyl motor. He had this machine at Douglaston ... near the shore in a tent, was having pontoons built for it to try it out on the bay. When the day came to try it, he rode out on a throttled motor to where it was free of boats, then he gave it the gun, she picked up speed for about a quarter of a mile when he pulled up the tail too much so that the nose of the pontoons went under the water and went under like a sub and turned a front loop over on his back. I sped out in speed boat and picked him out off the water and towed the machine in on the beach and left it there until low tide and took Sherry to the Hotel and put him to bed and took care of his bruises then went back to the machine on the beach. Souvenier hunters had almost disposed of the machine the the motor which I brought back to the tent where I disassembled and l cleaned it. This is the same motor in the Burnelli Carisi Plane pictured in this last issue of Chirp.
     In 1913, Geo. Page, E.B., Barnaby and Harry Graulich from the N.Y. Model Club asked me to go to Staten Island with them to glide at Witterman Plant in one of their Gliders they used to loan us and that is what I put in my application for membership and accepted in April 23rd, 1930. Was proposed by Louis A. Tenowillet when the E.B.s had a booth at the Grand Central Palace Cars Show that year. To Bud Ernest Jones has past on as he knew more about me than anyone else.
Continued on next page
 
 
Hotel McAlpin
 
 
Hotel McAlpin - 1914
Collection of Frank Schober
Courtesy of Margaret Schober Seaman, 3-23-06
 

 
 
George Beatty - 1912
 
 
George Beatty - 1912
My good friend Geo Beatty in his Wright Model B
at Nassau Boulevard, L.I. 1912

Collection of Frank Schober
Courtesy of Margaret Schober Seaman, 3-23-06
 

 
 
Frank Schober on Kite
 
 
Frank Schober Flies on a Kite
Frank sitting on trapeze on kite cable.
Collection of Frank Schober
Courtesy of Margaret Schober Seaman, 3-23-06
 

 
 
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