FAMILY FLYING - 1913

HE FLEW ONE OF FIRST PLANES - AND NOW FLIES LATEST

PUSHER TYPE PLANE OF 1913 - John A. Bixler, early day flyer, at controls of pusher type plane of 1913. At his side is his daughter Helen and standing is his wife Mattie. In front, his sons John, left, and Dallas.

Veteran of Bamboo Planes Flies Modern Craft at 54 John Bixler Works for Transport License; Piloted Pusher-Type Ships Back in 1913 from the L.A. Times, June 15, 1940 Collection of Beverly Bixler-Ashworth, 4-25-04      Young men of the United States who seek to become ace flyers had better look to their laurels, for they have a competitor--a man who flew the old pusher-type planes in 1918 and now is working his way back for a transport license.      The pilot is John A. Bixler, 54, of Kansas City and 1292 Muirfield Road, Los Angeles.      Bixler, in fact, flew airplanes in 1911, but he did not obtain his license until 1913. He entered the profession by working for Tom Benoist, by building planes for him in St. Louis. Finally on July 16, 1913, he was given a pilot's license by the Aeo Club of America. IN BAMBOO PLANES      Until 1915 he flew all over the East in the early bamboo model planes, barsntorming with many famous pilots such as Lincoln Beachy, Tony Janis, Jimmie Ward, Horse Kearney, Cal Rogers and Art Smith. In that time he had but three crashes and only one was serious, because he walked away from the other two.      Then the time came when Bixler found that he must settle down and support a growing family. He chose Hutchinson, Kansas as the site of a grocery story which he still operates.      But in 1925 the old wings itched again. Since then Bixler has been taking his regular hours in the air. Now that the national defense program calls for more flyers, Bixler has intensified his training, comtemplates buying a plane of his own and is back in harness. WIFE DOESN'T WORRY      His wife, Mattie, who married him during his barnstorming days, is wise enough not to object because she knows there is much less to worry about now, with modern planes, than in the old days and that you can't take the fly out of a flyer.      Bixler has four children living in Los Angeles County. They are John Bixler Jr., 1927 Cogswell Road, El Monte; Dallas Bixler, 900 S. Lucerne Blvd; Mrs. Dorothy Moores, 2916 W. 79th St., and Mrs. Helen Severen of Venice.      Every year Bixler closes his story for the summer and comes to visit his children, then returns to Kansas to take charge of the establishment for the winter season.      Many an oldtime flyer has lunched from Bixler's cracker barrel while he discussed the days when Curtiss and Wright pusher planes were first touted as having blitzkrieg possibilities.

 

PUSHER TYPE PLANE OF 1913 - John A. Bixler, early day flyer, at controls of pusher type plane of 1913. At his side is his wife Mattie. In front, left to right, is his daughter Helen, his sons John and Dallas. Collection of Beverly Bixler-Ashworth, 4-25-04

 

BIXLER FAMILY - 1913 - John A. Bixler, early day flyer, at controls of pusher type plane of 1913. At his side is his daughter Helen and standing is his wife Mattie. In front, his sons John, left, and Dallas. Collection of Beverly Bixler-Ashworth, 4-25-04

 

JOHN & MATTIE BIXLER Collection of Beverly Bixler-Ashworth, 4-25-04

 

JOHN & THURMAN BIXLER - 1913 Collection of Beverly Bixler-Ashworth, 4-25-04

 

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