Aero Club of America

Thirty-nine delegates, representing constituencies from Pasadena, California, to Boston, met at the Aero Club and formed the parent organization of various state chapters.

[2] At the International Aviation Meet at Belmont Park in October 1910, a considerable controversy arose between the Englishman Claude Graham-White and the American J.

It was a spectacular event with prominent speakers, and an enthusiastic large crowd that would gaze upon a full-size airplane for the first time.

[5] In 1919, the secretary of the club, Augustus Post organized and drew up the rules for a transatlantic flight competition between New York and Paris.

[6] Some of the later licenses issued by the Aero Club of America bore the printed signature of Orville Wright.

Contrary to popular myth, the Wright brothers were not issued licenses number 4 and 5 for malicious reasons.

The ACA was also notorious for the inflexibility of its licensing process, which prescribed, among other items, a letter of application, a photograph of a candidate, appointment of an ACA examiner, and his report of examination, all of which had to be submitted in the correct form and sequence for a license to be issued, whether the candidate passed the flight test or not.

The National Aeroplane Fund was sanctioned by the Aero Club of America in response to perceived military and political disinterest in aeronautics.

The National Aero Fund provided the airplane and pilot for the experiment, early bird aviator George A.

Only half a dozen of the licensed aviators of the United States have made flights of more than fifty miles, and none even know the rudiments of aeronautical requirements.

The public interest created by the subscription was tremendous and led to the immediate consideration of the aeronautical needs of France by the Government.

The developments due to the efforts of the Aerial League led to Reichstag to pass a plan providing for an expenditure of $35,000,000 for military aeronautics in the following five years.

During the first month of 1914 the inducements offered by the Aerial League of Germany led to the breaking, by German aviators, of all the world records.

Just as the people in every part of France and Germany-men and women, rich and poor, young and old, and of all beliefs and factions, united their efforts with the Press and political, social, professional and sporting organizations-we here in America can do the same.