Word: aeronauts
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...never challenge again, took almost two years to change his mind. Famed principally as an airplane manufacturer, whose first appearance on the U. S. scene was when he gave exhibition flights over Long Island in one of his own planes in 1911, Skipper Sopwith applied his technique as an aeronaut to sailing when yachts became his hobby in 1928. Having taught himself to navigate, he equipped Endeavour I with every conceivable mechanical gadget except an altimeter. Like Mrs. Vanderbilt, Mrs. Sopwith shares her husband's hobby. In addition to christening his boats, she also sails them...
...Friedrichshafen for its first crossing to South America, the German Press was overflowing with news of this hugest of all dirigibles. In the midst of the furor, the Press was abruptly ordered to drop all mention of Dr. Hugo Eckener. Reported reasons: No Nazi, the doughty, pouch-eyed old aeronaut had refused to make an election statement endorsing Adolf Hitler, had unsuccessfully opposed using the von Hindenburg in the election campaign, had successfully opposed naming it Hitler...
First air-wedding to be recorded, few years later, was that of a young Belgian aeronaut, Georges Raoul Thiel, and Madeleine Bailly. Their balloon, a primitive affair composed of gasbag and plain square basket, was named Lime de Miel ("Honeymoon"). The Thiels were married by the Brussels burgomeister in the public square, then cast off in the Lime de Miel to sail over the countryside, landing prettily in a cow pasture a few miles away...
...years later (1824) a pre-nuptial flight ended in tragedy. The English aeronaut Thomas Harris took his fiancee up in a balloon from Vauxhall, London. After getting altitude he opened a hydrogen valve, to hover in the skies with his lady. Then occurred the same mishap as befell Commander Settle and his stratosphere balloon over Chicago last fortnight. The valve refused to close again, down came the balloon. Aeronaut Harris dumped all ballast, threw overboard his own clothing and even his fiancee's. Still the balloon plunged downward. Grimly Harris kissed his companion goodbye, then jumped to his death...
...high, right hand grasping a soaring pigeon. It is the Collier Trophy, established 1911 by the late Robert Joseph Collier, son of old Publisher P. F. Collier of Collier's Weekly. Besides being editor of Collier's after the Spanish-American War, Son Robert was an early aeronaut, a director in 1909 of Wright Airplane Co., president in 1911 of Aero Club of America. In the Mexican border disorders of 1913 he loaned a plane & pilot to the Army, first use of an airplane by U. S. military forces...