curtissox

"The bottle was wired tightly between two horseshoes to facilitate its breakage while also symbolizing good luck." After four failed swings (two by Masson, two by Porte) the bottle slipped out of its horseshoe sling and rolled on the ground..."As a last resort, the bottle was trussed to the prow and Porte grimly assaulted it with a sledgehammer. Both the hull and Porte's wearing apparel were doused with foaming champagne, to the 'considerable merriment' of the onlookers." from "Glenn Curtiss, Pioneer of Flight," by C.R. Roseberry. Syracuse University Press, 1972. p.373-74

In contrast to Porte's overkill sledgehammer, Glenn Curtiss appears to be holding a small ball-peen hammer. The right tool for the job, as always.

Frank Herbert Burnside (1888-1935): earlyaviators.com/eburnsid.htm

Though the caption on the slide says "Veck," the British aviation journal Flight, using this very photo (in better shape), identifies this aviator as Hugh Peck, with a "P." See: www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1915/1915%20-%200635... Also, read here of the third reunion of most of these and other Canadian ex-Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) aviators at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Montreal on December 10, 1922 (once more, Hugh Peck is among those listed as attending): www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1922/1922%20-%200059... See also: Frank McGill en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_McGill George Hodgson en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Hodgson

pennylrichardsca and TVL 1970: Thanks for the information on these aviators and for the correction in Hugh Peck' s name. We will update the description.

The journal cited by TVL1970 is now only available by subscription. See www.flightglobal.com/flight-international/digital-issues-...

Page 668 of Flying, Volume 4, September 1915
www.google.com/books/edition/Flying/st1LAAAAYAAJ?gbpv=1&a...
shows that the four men other than Frank Burnside were awarded pilot certificates for a hydro-aeroplane.

Frank Burnside was chief test pilot for Thomas Brothers, according to
www.mccarran.com/NVAHOF/BiosTouchScreen/Burnside
See also www.earlyaviators.com/eburnsid.htm and

@swanq Thanks for adding new links to info now that the other has a paywall.

Other Bain/LOC photos of the flying boat, "America": and another Curtiss boat:

A later Bain photo shows "America" with a third engine added: