FRANK KASTORY 1883-1966

 

REMEMBER?      Frank Kastory, (April 11, 1883-----), now a Florida citrus grower between tornadoes, was educated in Budapest and became a tool and diemaker and well-informed on internal combustion engines.      The appearance of Ladis Lewkowicz and his Anzani-Bleriot in 1909 stirred the emotions and Kastory signed up with the bearded one for a tour of Hungary, Austria and France. In Paris the two built a new plane of the same model and brought it to America where Lewkowicz started a school at Mineola and flew exhibitions in the South. One day the engine quit Ladis over New York and the plane was glided to a landing across the Hudson in New Jersey.      In the meantime, he had become an American citizen, April 23, 1910.      In 1911 he left behind his troubles with the Anzani and went to work for Rex Smith at College Park, Washington, where he taught himself to fly the Smith machine with the 100 h.p. Emerson two-cycle engine. The Fox company, also of Wshington, then engaged him as technical adviser and test pilot for their Curtiss-type with Fox two-cycle engine. At that time the Fox and the Christmas machines were in the same hangar at College Park which made the Chief Signal Officer had made available to civilian enterprises. Lieutenants Arnold, Kirtland and Milling were flying here at the time.      In 1912 he removed to Cicero Field, Chicago, with the National Airplane Co., then experimenting with a Nieuport type machine and a biplane, still in crates, built by a Russian flyer. Kastory offered to fly it, though assured it had never left the ground. He assembled it and flew it, Roberts engine and all, for his FAI certificate 261 of Aug. 12, 1913.      He was next hired as instructor and exhibition pilot by the Keller and Partridge Aviation School, filling side dates for the Ternopole Aviation Co. Various planes of other owners were tested between times.BR>      In 1915 he associated himself with the Anderson Aviation Co., Anderson, Ind., which had a so-called military tractor with a Sturtevant six which would not fly. Kastory tinkered with it and managed to get it to stagger into the air but there was insufficient space for maneuvering and it never crossed the sonic barrier.      He was in fourteen accidents in the period 1909-1917 with but scratches. "Luck and I had a glorious time after all, and I would gladly do it over again." But he got married in 1917 and that was the end of his aviation career. from CHIRP, APRIL 1, 1950 - NUMBER 43 courtesy of Steve Remington - CollectAir

 

ONLINE RESOURCES      If you search for "Frank Kastory" +aviation, using the Google search engine, (7-2-11), you will find about 103 links. Perhaps one of the most helpful is the following.

 

Cicero Flying Field      You will find several references to Frank on Carroll Gray's website. You will probably want to use the FIND function on "Kastory" to find each entry.

 

Frank Kastory died in 1966 From The Early Birds of Aviation Roster of Members January 1, 1993   Editor's Note: If you have any more information on this Early Bird, please contact me. E-mail to Ralph Cooper   Back