GLENN HAMMOND CURTISS.
Glenn Hammond Curtiss was born at Hammondsport, N. Y., on the shore of Lake Keuka, in 1878. From boyhood he was a competitor and winner in all sorts of races where speed was the supreme test. By nature a mechanic, he became noted for his ingenious contrivances in this line, and built a series of extremely fast motor-cycles, with one of which he made the record of one mile in 26⅖ seconds, which still stands as the fastest mile ever made by man with any form of mechanism.
Through the purchasing of one of his light engines by Captain Baldwin for his dirigible, Curtiss became interested in aeronautical matters, and soon built a glider with which he sailed down from the Hammondsport hills. The combination of his motor and the glider was the next step, and on July 4, 1908, he flew 1½ miles with the June Bug, winning the Scientific American trophy.
Learning that the United States was not to be represented at the Rheims meet in August, 1909, he hastily built a biplane and went there. He won the first prize for the course of 30 kilometres (18.6 miles), second prize for the course of 10 kilometres, the James Gordon Bennett cup, and the tenth prize in the contest for distance. From Rheims he went to Brescia, Italy, and there won the first prize for speed. In all these contests he was matching his biplane against monoplanes which were acknowledged to be a faster type than the biplane.
On May 29, 1910, Mr. Curtiss made the first stated aeroplane tour to take place in this country, travelling from Albany to New York City, 137 miles, with but one stop for fuel. With this flight he won a prize of $10,000.
He has made many other notable flights and stands in the foremost rank of the active aviators. At the same time he is busily engaged in the manufacture of the Curtiss biplane and the Curtiss engine, both staple productions in their line.