Aviation Roots in Western New York

I wrote this in 2003 and it was published in the Wolfe Newspapers. 

The world will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of powered flight on December 17. It was on that date in 1903 that Orville and Wilbur Wright successfully flew their aircraft in Kitty Hawk, NC. Western New York is rich in aviation history.

During this centennial year, it's worth noting some aviation achievements that have significant Rochester connections. Among them, the first woman to become a pilot and the roots of a major aircraft manufacturer. Blanche Stuart Scott was born in Rochester and died here after an illustrious life. She was the first and only woman to be trained by famed aviator Glenn Curtiss and the first woman to solo an aircraft. The 1910 flight was made in Hammondsport, NY, near Keuka Lake in a 35-horsepower Curtiss Pusher.

Curtiss himself was a major contributor to the early days of aviation, including setting records and designing airplanes, among them the Curtiss Jenny, America's most famous World War I airplane. Blanche went on to become the first female test pilot and the first woman to ride in a jet in 1948 with Chuck Yeager piloting. Her career reached into other areas including local radio stations, major  studios in California, and writing. She died at Genesee Hospital in 1970.

Many people generically refer to small airplanes as "Piper Cubs", an inaccurate term for the thousands of different kinds of airplanes that fly the skies. The real Piper J-2 Cub is best-known as a little two-seat yellow plane whose economical costs made it popular for several generations of student pilots, including thousands of World War ll pilots. it helped develop Piper Aircraft into a leading aircraft manufacturer.

The forerunner of its design came from a small shop at Allen and Fitzhugh streets known as the Taylor Brothers Aircraft Corporation. Brothers Clarence Gilbert and Gordon Taylor came up with early versions of an aircraft known as the "Chummy" in the late 1920's. Gordon was killed during a demonstration flight, but "C.G." refined the design and attracted the attention of some businessmen from Bradford, PA, when he needed larger facilities and more cash. The financial deal worked out with them required that the company move to Bradford. When the Wall Street crash of 1929 brought the company to bankruptcy, oilman William T. Piper bought the assets.

Taylor and Piper led the efforts to design an inexpensive airplane marketed to flight schools. The final design was wildly popular and the J-3 Cub became one of the most well-known airplanes in aviation history. A replica of the Chummy was built a few years ago by local flying enthusiasts and now hangs in the lobby at the Rochester Airport. Those enthusiasts are members of Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 44 and the Geriatric Pilots Association.

Rochester will have another connection to the 100th anniversary of powered flight on December 17, 2003 in Kitty Hawk. On that date, Dr. Kevin Kochersberger, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at the Rochester institute of Technology and a 1,400-hour pilot, will be one of the two pilots selected to pilot a replica of the Wright Flyer.