He was born in New York City on May 25, 1891, to Royal Cooper Vilas and Carrie Logan Ward.

In the spring of 1913, Vilas visited Glenn Curtiss in Hammondsport, New York, and made a down payment on his Hydro-Aeroplane and enrolled in the Curtiss Flying School.

[3] He graduated in four weeks becoming a certificated pilot, holding U.S. Hydro-License No.

He became the first person to fly across Lake Michigan when he completed a 64 mile over-the-water flight from Silver Beach Amusement Park in St. Joseph, Michigan, to Chicago on July 1, 1913.

[5][6] On June 29, 1915, at Trout Lake, Wisconsin, Vilas made what is believed to be the world’s first forest patrol flight.