Cecil Peoli

Cecil Peoli attended Townsend Harris Hall (then a preparatory school of City College of New York) and was active in sports there, particularly gymnastics and diving.

[10][11] In April 1914, he became the first pilot to fly over the Andes from Caracas to La Guaira, completing the first air mail service delivery during the flight, delivering five letters.

[8] In January 1915, he formed the Peoli Aeroplane Company with a group of investors and bid successfully on a U.S. Navy contract to supply nine hydro-aeroplanes.

Company directors included bankers and real estate developers Joseph P. Day, Hugh L. Cooper, Nicholas F. Brady, and Harold Roberts.

During its first test flight at the U.S. Army Aviation Field in College Park, Maryland on April 12, 1915, the biplane crashed at the edge of the airfield, killing Peoli.