boataeroplane

Villas & his boat-aeroplane (LOC)

from The Library of Congress

• Kees Kort said:

  Picture shows Jack Vilas standing proudly for an early Curtiss Flying Boat. Remark that the caption of Bain News Service is Vilas and the LC has made Villas of it =:). There is beautiful reprint of an original book written by Jack Villas for his children in 1929, edited and augmented by Rustic Books www.rusticbooks.net/rustic_reflections.htm#aviator . It is ISBN 978-09771137-2-9 Cheers Kees

• TVL1970 said:

  The hull of this very aircraft still exists. It is a part of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum collection (Inventory Number: A19490022000). Jack Vilas donated the hull of his Curtiss Model E Flying Boat to the museum in 1949.

• Kees Kort said:

  Great that Vilas preserved this early flying boat hull during all these years. So it still exists. It must be one of the few original flying boat hulls from the period. Pity that it is far away from the public, in storage. Have you ever seen a picture of it, so the condition and / or the markings of the hull can be seen? Cheers Kees

• TVL1970 said:

  Here's a link to a recent photo of the hull. Vilas apparently painted the hull green sometime after this flight. No markings are visible in the photo posted by the Smithsonian. collections.nasm.si.edu/code/emuseum.asp?profile=objects&...

• Kees Kort said:

  Thanks for the information. The hull looks good for a piece dating from 1913 and having been stored in a barn or something during 36 years (!) Cheers Kees