Captain Halstead Dorey, the Hon. James Beck, Wilbur Wright, and William Hammer at the Fulton-Hudson Celebration in 1909. Taking off from Governors Island, Wright flew his aircraft on a 33 minute flight up and down the Hudson River. A canoe was attached to the underside of the craft in case Wilbur found himself in the Hudson.
A detailed shot of Wilbur’s canoe. With an American flag fluttering in its bow, this vessel won the distinction as the “World’s first flying canoe”.
Another participant in the Hudson-Fulton extravaganza was the upstart Glenn Curtiss.
Curtiss’s machine at Governors Island, NY.
Curtiss and William Hammer discuss the goings on during the celebration. A “fly-off” between Curtiss and Wright was much anticipated, but Curtiss’s endeavors were lackluster and it was Wright who stole the show with flights up and down the Hudson, around the Statue of Liberty, etc.
Curtiss managed one brief flight before packing up for home. He had just returned from France and was flying a spare aircraft that was ill-suited for his purposes.
Curtiss was usually found at the controls of his more successful machines like the No. 2, seen here.
An early aviator whose name escapes me at the controls of a Curtiss D.
William J. Hammer poses with what the photo caption states is a Blériot No. 9. Hammer, from where these photos originated, was influential in early aviation matters. He was also a brilliant electrician who worked with Thomas Edison.
The Jive Bomber 