JOHN LEWIS LONGSTAFF 1887-1912 aka John Longstaffe

The Daily Journal and Tribune, Knoxville, Tennessee: September 29, 1912, Transcribed by Bob Davis - 6-11-04 "Mortally Injured in Aeroplane Mishap. Wire Became Jammed and the Farman Biplane Overturned. Hempstead, N. Y. Sept. 28. - John L. Longstaff, a former English army officer, probably was mortally injured this evening while flying in a Farman biplane with his mechanician, Pierre Chavellier. When only seventy feet in the air, a wire became jammed and the machine instantly overturned and fell.      Longstaff's skull was fractured and he is seriously injured internally. Chavellier is seriously, but not mortally injured. Longstaff holds a public license from the Royal Aero Club of England. He had been flying as a scout with the insurgent army in Mexico until recently."

 

ONLINE RESOURCES      If you search for "John L. Longstaff", using the Google search engine, (10-24-06), you will find about 9 links, one of which is especially informative

 

FUERZA AEREA MEXICANA. Historia. Inicios      This page on the Fuerza Aérea Mexicana - Sitio Extra Oficial website, offers, in Spanish, a summary of the beginnings of aviation in Mexico. It has a brief reference to John L. Longstaff, which I have translated below.        "During the rebellion of General Pascual Orozco (1912), two Moisant Bleriot 2 airplanes of the Federal Army participated, flown by the North American Héctor Worden and the Mexican Francisco Alvarez. During this year the first instance of the contraband of arms by air by the English pilot John L. Longstaff. Flying a Farman biplane, he established a sort of mail service and he also transported arms to the rebels from Laredo (Texas) during the night."

 

John L. Longstaff died in 1912   Editor's Note: If you have any more information on this Early Bird, please contact me. E-mail to Ralph Cooper   Back