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Redwood City Airport History: Early Fliers Are Named In Aviation Review SPANGLER By RAY SPANGLER Funny thing happened to me at, a Kiwanis Club meeting recently. The scheduled speaker didn't show up. * if * I had been invited to hear him, and as time went on my host became more and more nervous in absence of the speaker, and suddenly turned to me and asked me if I could substitute. * if if Since I have been making a fairly standard speech about this Free Press and Fair Trial issue, I agreed. * * if ^ It soon became apparent; however, that nothing could be less appropriate than that particular subject since the meeting was devoted to the old time days in the aviation industry. * if if The chairman asked a show of hands of those who had flown acrdss the United States. How many had flown to Europe? How many were aviators in their own right? When it came time for me to make a few remarks to cover the embarrassment of my host I recalled the time that the historical association gathered at the old terminal building at San Francisco Airport and some of the old touches cut up there. it if if In connection with this, JLlearned that Charles Anderson^Ampex: &gineer^is._ undertaking to write a history of the Redwood City„ ;airport, which was one of the early ones. it it a One of the very good sources of information about the old airport is Will D; Parker* who wrote recently from Sedona, Arizona: it it * "I did not iearn to fly at Redwood but went to California from Colorado to take my Aero Club license from the school. Then they hired me as an instructor. * * * "The Christofferson School was first located at Seal Beach near the Cliff House in San Francisco. Then they moved to the Alameda marsh and eventually to Redwood City. After Silas Christofferson was killed the name of the school was changed to the Redwood School of Aviation. *' it it- "Frank Bryant was always chief instructor — and a good one. At one time he was given an award by the Aviation Section of the Signal Corps for having taught more people to fly than anyotheroneman. it it it "I married Eleanor Ruth Read, who was born in Redwood City at Five Points — in an.old home that has long since been removed and destroyed. Her father, John J. Read was one of the first realtors on the Peninsula..." * * if Parker enclosed the list of Early Bird pilots at Redwood City who learned to fly at the Redwood School of Aviation. * * * He recalled that Bob Fowler of San Jose, who died recently, sent his tractor bi-plane to the Smithsonian Institution sometime ago. That is the plane he flew in Panama. it it it Mr. Paul Garber of the Smithsonian could tell us all about that. The Wright engine that followed Fowler, till his death was the original four cylinder job he flew across the United States. it it it Harry Christofferson is still alive and Parker still corresponds with Mrs. Frank Bryant who lives in Morro Bay. it if it Parker recalled a Gus Jameson who was killed in Redwood City after the war. He was riding as a reluctant passenger with Cliff Prodge who was flying a Bristol Fighter and needed ballast in the back seat. Gus used to go with a girl named Angel Shaw who was a reporter on the Redwood City Standard. Parker has lost track of her, but he would like to know where she is. * it it Incidentally, hejays, Mr. Guy Slaughter who lived in Oakland used to take the ferry and train to Redwood City to observe all the Aero Club of America license tests. He was regarded as a grand man dedicated to aviation who spent much of his time this way without any remuneration. it it it Happy Bryant died several years ago in Arizona. He was a product of the Christofferson school and soloed first on May 19,1914. it it it One of his students was the son of a Finnish born tannery worker, Victor Gustave Johnson, never known otherwise than Speed Johnson. if if if Speed had been a classmate of Paul Mantz, another Redwood City boy whose father was a school principal. Speed was 17, had a job at Young's Drug Store, but just couldn't resist the flying machines. He went to work at the Redwood City Airport as soon as there was a job open, and it was Speed Johnson who gave Paul Mantz, the late famous movie stunt flyer, his first ride in an airplane at the old Redwood City airport. if if if On June 25, Silas Christofferson broke the American altitude record when he flew over Mt. Whitney. His machine went 15,837 feet into the air. if if if When Christofferson was killed, Redwood City closed up in mourning. Flags were half staffed, and everyone in town mourned the passing of this great pioneer in aviation.
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Title | Page 1 |
Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
Filename | KADA-subjfile003-002~1.tiff |
Full text | Redwood City Airport History: Early Fliers Are Named In Aviation Review SPANGLER By RAY SPANGLER Funny thing happened to me at, a Kiwanis Club meeting recently. The scheduled speaker didn't show up. * if * I had been invited to hear him, and as time went on my host became more and more nervous in absence of the speaker, and suddenly turned to me and asked me if I could substitute. * if if Since I have been making a fairly standard speech about this Free Press and Fair Trial issue, I agreed. * * if ^ It soon became apparent; however, that nothing could be less appropriate than that particular subject since the meeting was devoted to the old time days in the aviation industry. * if if The chairman asked a show of hands of those who had flown acrdss the United States. How many had flown to Europe? How many were aviators in their own right? When it came time for me to make a few remarks to cover the embarrassment of my host I recalled the time that the historical association gathered at the old terminal building at San Francisco Airport and some of the old touches cut up there. it if if In connection with this, JLlearned that Charles Anderson^Ampex: &gineer^is._ undertaking to write a history of the Redwood City„ ;airport, which was one of the early ones. it it a One of the very good sources of information about the old airport is Will D; Parker* who wrote recently from Sedona, Arizona: it it * "I did not iearn to fly at Redwood but went to California from Colorado to take my Aero Club license from the school. Then they hired me as an instructor. * * * "The Christofferson School was first located at Seal Beach near the Cliff House in San Francisco. Then they moved to the Alameda marsh and eventually to Redwood City. After Silas Christofferson was killed the name of the school was changed to the Redwood School of Aviation. *' it it- "Frank Bryant was always chief instructor — and a good one. At one time he was given an award by the Aviation Section of the Signal Corps for having taught more people to fly than anyotheroneman. it it it "I married Eleanor Ruth Read, who was born in Redwood City at Five Points — in an.old home that has long since been removed and destroyed. Her father, John J. Read was one of the first realtors on the Peninsula..." * * if Parker enclosed the list of Early Bird pilots at Redwood City who learned to fly at the Redwood School of Aviation. * * * He recalled that Bob Fowler of San Jose, who died recently, sent his tractor bi-plane to the Smithsonian Institution sometime ago. That is the plane he flew in Panama. it it it Mr. Paul Garber of the Smithsonian could tell us all about that. The Wright engine that followed Fowler, till his death was the original four cylinder job he flew across the United States. it it it Harry Christofferson is still alive and Parker still corresponds with Mrs. Frank Bryant who lives in Morro Bay. it if it Parker recalled a Gus Jameson who was killed in Redwood City after the war. He was riding as a reluctant passenger with Cliff Prodge who was flying a Bristol Fighter and needed ballast in the back seat. Gus used to go with a girl named Angel Shaw who was a reporter on the Redwood City Standard. Parker has lost track of her, but he would like to know where she is. * it it Incidentally, hejays, Mr. Guy Slaughter who lived in Oakland used to take the ferry and train to Redwood City to observe all the Aero Club of America license tests. He was regarded as a grand man dedicated to aviation who spent much of his time this way without any remuneration. it it it Happy Bryant died several years ago in Arizona. He was a product of the Christofferson school and soloed first on May 19,1914. it it it One of his students was the son of a Finnish born tannery worker, Victor Gustave Johnson, never known otherwise than Speed Johnson. if if if Speed had been a classmate of Paul Mantz, another Redwood City boy whose father was a school principal. Speed was 17, had a job at Young's Drug Store, but just couldn't resist the flying machines. He went to work at the Redwood City Airport as soon as there was a job open, and it was Speed Johnson who gave Paul Mantz, the late famous movie stunt flyer, his first ride in an airplane at the old Redwood City airport. if if if On June 25, Silas Christofferson broke the American altitude record when he flew over Mt. Whitney. His machine went 15,837 feet into the air. if if if When Christofferson was killed, Redwood City closed up in mourning. Flags were half staffed, and everyone in town mourned the passing of this great pioneer in aviation. |
Archival file | kada_Volume4/KADA-subjfile003-002~1.tiff |