CARL STERLING BATES His Aeroplanes

"WILD" BOB BURMAN & CARL BATES, 1909 ""Wild" Bob Burman racing a stripped-down Buick took on an early biplane at Daytona in 1909. The Buick reportedly won handily. The Buick factory team won more than 500 trophies during the 1908-1912 period, competing in vitrtually every form of racing." from Cars & Parts magazine, February, 2004 Coutesy of Larry Blyly, 2-18-04

 

AND MORE YET!      Since the last Chirp 11 more have entered the sacred portals and still others are suffering microscopic examination by the membership committee. Messrs. Kabitzke, Upson and Wood were on hand at the air race reunion and dinner. The following were endorsed by the committee and approved by the trustees as of August 24, 1938;      Carl S. Bates, engineer and engine manufacturer, owns Bates Midget Motors. He lays claim to glider flights as far back as August 12, 1905. Then there was a 10-horsepower or so Bates biplane in 1908-1909. Seems to the writer he built another 10-horsepower engine which was flown about this same time by Matthew B. Sellers in his quadruplane. from CHIRP - MARCH 1,, 1939 - DEARBORN, MICHIGAN. - NUMBER 23. courtesy of Steve Remington - CollectAir

 

Possible Replica Monoplane, 1912 Courtesy of AeroFiles

 

ONLINE RESOURCES      If you search for "Carl Bates" +aviation using Google, (6-15-06), you will find about 57 links. Several of the most valuable are the following:   Famous Pioneers in Iowa's Transportation History      This article, which is found on the Iowa DOT'S website for young Iowans, has a very nice summary of his life and career and includes a little picture of him with his glider.. To access the site, click on the title above.

 

BATES AEROPLANE CO. 1907: (Carl) Bates Aeroplane Co, Chicago IL. 1912: Acquired by Heath Aircraft Co, Chicago IL. Biplane I, II 1908-09 = 1pOB; 20hp Bates pusher; span: 42'0". Boxkite-type construction had interwingtip ailerons, front elevator, and a tricycle landing gear modified from, of all things, a baby buggy, as well as "McAdamite patent castings for quick stowage." II was an improved 2p version with 40hp Bates pusher, a "secret steering features," and brakes. Bates possible replica Monoplane 1911 = 1pOmwM; 30hp Bates. Damaged in taxi tests on July 3, 1911; rebuilt 1912 with 3-cyl Poyer by Heath Co, but there was no recorded flight data found. Courtesy of AeroFiles website. I highly recommend the AeroFiles website to you as the The Internet's most comprehensive American aviation history reference site and research site.

 

CARL S. BATES      This page on Carroll Gray's Early Birds site offers several anecdotes regarding his career, including a reference to his competition with "Wild" Bob Burman at Daytona in 1909. It also includes the "much -reproduced photo" of the event. To access the site, click on the title above.

 

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