thomasdewittmilling

texashistory.unt.edu/data/SUM2006/MMPL/box4_us_army/meta-...

"Pilot and co-pilot seated in biplane on an airfield....after breaking American duration and distance record by flying from Texas City to San Antonio on March 28th and back to Texas City on March 31, 1913." texashistory.unt.edu/data/SUM2006/MMPL/box4_us_army/meta-...

Quite possibly seated in a Wright B Flyer. Control stick and cross wire supports similar. Pilot and co-pilot sits side by side. Wrights were marketing their Wright B Flyer at this time. See www.wright-b-flyer.org for reblica pics

The caption on the print is incorrect. On the right side of the photo is seated early aviator J. Clifford Turpin in what is likely a Wright Model B aircraft. Turpin was an instructor at the Wright School at the time (future Brig. Gen.) Thomas DeWitt Milling was a student there in 1911. Both Turpin and Milling would lead distinguished careers in aviation. J. Clifford Turpin earlyaviators.com/eturpin.htm Thomas DeWitt Milling earlyaviators.com/emilling.htm

Thomas DeWitt Milling (July 31, 1887 - November 26, 1960) was a pioneer of military aviation and a brigadier general in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He was the first rated pilot in the history of the United States Army Air Forces. He received his flight training from the Wright Brothers and was awarded Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) pilot certificate No. 30 on July 6, 1911. Although Milling was not the first U.S. Army aviator, he was the first to be rated according to FAI rules and received Military Aviator Certificate No. 1 on July 5, 1912. Milling also received the first badge awarded to an American military aviator in October 1913. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_DeWitt_Milling en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Clifford_Turpin

The caption reading "Walter Toliver" should be corrected (or noted, if contrary to any handwritten caption on the photo) to Walter R. Taliaferro. There are photos of Taliaferro throughout the SDASM for comparison and confirmation. Plus, this posting of the same photo with the SMU Libraries Digital Collection here on Flickr: See also: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_R._Taliaferro

This is a photo from the 1911 International Aviation Meet held at the Nassau Boulevard Aerodrome near Garden City, Long Island. A veritable "who's who" of early aviators attended and flew at the event, see: www.collectair.com/moisantindex.html "Miss Moisant, Miss Quimby and Mlle. Dutrieu participated in the Nassau Boulevard meet in 1911, along with Lieut. H.H. Arnold, Liet. T. DeW. Milling, T.O.M. Sopwith, Earle Ovington, C.G. White, Eugene Ely, Lieut. Paul W. Beck, George Beatty, Lieut. T.G. Ellyson of Navy, Lee Hammond, H.N. Atwood, H.W. Walden, George Dyott, and J.A.D. McCurdy (Aeronautics, Sept., Oct., 1910; Jan., 1911; Oct., 1911)." The Library of Congress features a number of photos from the same event at their Flickr Commons photostream, here are a couple: