GEORGE SCHMITT -1913 AKA George Schmidt

 

George Schmitt, 1913 Photo Courtesy of Roy Nagl Ancient Aviators Website

 

George Schmitt Photo Courtesy of Roy Nagl, 5-30-06 Ancient Aviators Website

 

George Schmitt & Passenger, 1913 Photo Courtesy of Roy Nagl Ancient Aviators Website

 

RUTLAND AVIATION MEET, 1913 from American Air Mail Catalogue, 1974 Edition Courtesy of Roy Nagl, 12-26-03      "1913, September 2, Rutland, Vermont. Fair Grounds Aviation Meet. This meet was scheduled to be in operation during the week of Sept. 1-5. Aviator George Schmitt was officially designated to carry the mail under route number 603,001, authorized by the Post Office Department. On Sept. 2nd he carried a pouch containing 54 pieces from the sub-station at the Fair Grounds and dropped it while circling the city. Shortly after this flight Schmitt's plane crashed, resulting in his death and seriously injuring his passenger. A card reading "Delivered by GEORGE SCHMITT in Aeroplane Rutland Fair and Carnival Sept. 1-5, 1913, Rutland, VT," bearing a picture of the pilot was printed for the occasion."

ONLINE RESOURCES      If you search for "George Schmitt +aviation", using the Google search engine, (3-12-05), you will find about 39 links. Only a few of them are relevant.

Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries      You will find two offerings related to George Schmitt on the Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries Website. One of them offers: "...postcard of downtown Rutland to Mrs. A.Schmitt in Rutland (possible relative of pilot George Schmitt..." You can access it by clicking on: Post Card      The second item is a postcard from the a post card from the "1912, August 6-8, Fort Recover, Ohio. Harvest Festival Aviation Meet ". You can access it by clicking on: Harvest Festival      You may want to use your FIND function on Schmitt to locate the items on the pages.

 

The story of Vermont's first aviation death.      This page on the Vermont Book of Days website offers a brief resumé of his life and a nice photograph which was taken just before his death in 1913. You can access the page by clicking on the title above.

 

Early History of Princeton Airport      This page is largely devoted to a history of the airport and Robert Newhouse, but there is an interesting reference to George as follows:      ""One of Dad's first acquaintances when he came to this country was a man by the name of George Schmitt. He was a very good friend of the family, because we lived right next to him up there in Vermont. He was interested in flying, and Dad was interested in aviation design, so they naturally got together. Pop designed a plane and they put it together. This was no more than five or six years after the Wright Brothers."      "As far as I can recollect he kept in touch with his friend Schmitt after he came down here - until he was killed. There are several pictures of his 1911 model, designed in Rocky Hill, built in 1912, and actually flown by Schmitt."      You can access the page by clicking on the title above. If time permits, I think you will enjoy reading the rest of the story.

 

George Schmitt - Crash Site Photo Courtesy of Roy Nagl, 5-11-05 Ancient Aviators Website

George Schmitt crashed and died on September 2, 1913. from article in American Air Mail Catalogue, 1974 Edition Courtesy of Roy Nagl, 12-26-03

AVIATOR KILLED BY FALL. The New York Herald September 3, 1913 RUTLAND, Vt., Thursday.---In the fall of an aeroplane at the fair grounds today, George Schmidt, an aviator, was fatally hurt, and J. Dyer Spellman, Assistant Judge of the Municipal Court, received burns which may cause his death.      Spellman ascended as a passenger with Schmidt for an exhibition flight. They were 200 feet above the fair grounds when 500 spectators saw the aeroplane stop, turn and fall.      Both men were entangled in the framework of the machine and fell with it. Schmidt was crushed under the heavy radiator, suffering fractures of the skull and hip. Spellman had no bones broken, but his clothing caught fire from the radiator and he was badly burned. Schmidt was twenty-three years old. Courtesy of Roy Nagl, 11-2-05 TRUE TALES OF THE ANCIENT AVIATORS

 

Editor's Note: If you have any more information on this pioneer aviator, please contact me. E-mail to Ralph Cooper   Back