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| Fowler's "Atlantic to the Pacific" Flight |
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BOB'S FLIGHT ACROSS THE ISTHMUS, 1913 Having been beaten by "Vin Fiz" Rodgers, Bob Fowler was still trying for records --- and he'd just set one of flying nonstop from the Atlantic to the Pacific. It was a dubious distinction since he had merely overflown the isthmus of Panama, but it did get him 'star' billing at the Orpheum Theatre. I well remember sitting in its rococo majesty while the lights dimmed and his plane's engine started barking and shooting out jabs of flame. The audience thought this simple show just grand, and he was quite the temporary hero. After the show, I went backstage, met Fowler and began a lifelong friendship. We'd both be heavily involved in making Jennys for the war two years later. The craft is now at the Smithsonian Institution for exhibition when space is available. In addition to the Early Birds, Fowler is active in the QB's, NAA, OX-5 club and ISAW. As a free lance writer, he has written stories as far back as 1921, and was Aero Digest representative in Chicago for two years --- 1923-'25. He himself was the subject of an article in the Aug. 1958 issue of Revista Do Er, a Portuguese flying magazine. March, 1956 |
Robert L. "Hoot" Gibson, Capt. USN
1995On the occasion of the Early Birds program on September 7th during the Oklahoma City Reunion, Executive President Jim Greenwood announced a program which featured astronaut Robert L. "Hoot" Gibson, Capt. USN, Commander of the ATLANTIS STS-71, the first space shuttle to dock with the Russian Space Station Mir, His account of the mission was momentous enough to warrant a standing ovation, but in addition, he sprung a second secret on the unsuspecting audience. He had taken with him a cap belonging to original Early Bird Robert G. Fowler. "Hoot" presented the cap to the late Bob Fowler's grandaughters, Candace Bush and Berylann Nelson. This historic artifact ultimately will be displayed in an Early Bird Exhibit at an established aerospace museum yet to be selected. Gibson, on behalf of NASA, presented the Early Birds with a handsome plaque (testifying to the fact Bob Fowler's cap was flown on Atlantis) which will be the centerpiece of the proposed exhibit. The plaque bears the signatures of all the crew, including the four Russians transported in Atlantis, and features photos taken during the mission and an American flag that flew with the cap. Newsletter of the Early Birds of Aviation October, 1995 by D. "Andy" Anderson. |
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By George Chevalier Robert is mentioned in this story. You will also find some other familiar names. Early Birds O. G. Simmons and Clarence Degiers and several other early fliers. Click on: Robert Fowler |
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Sprague Library Harvey Mudd College. "This web site is designed to show what the contents of Sprague Library has to offer in Carruthers Special Collection on aviation history. Specifically, this site deals with the portion of the collection devoted to photographs, posters, artists drawings and media publications. The approximately 4800 books in the Carruthers aviation collection are already in the on-line library catalog. The topics mentioned in this site are limited to the subjects available in this particular collection of approximately 445 Photos; 400 documents, 115 posters, lithographs/engravings; . They represent several periods of aviation history of ballooning since 1783, and heavier-than-air vehicles since 1900 and the people and events which made that history." To visit the page which shows Robert G. Fowler, along with a number of other pioneers, Just click on: Robert G. Fowler You will find him in the fourth picture down the page. |
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The Life and Times of Robert G. Fowler Maria S. Burden Product Details Paperback: 157 pages Publisher: Borden Pub Co (June 8, 1999) List Price: $17.20 ISBN-10: 0875053696 ISBN-13: 978-0875053691 Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches |
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WALDO: Pioneer Aviator A Personal History of American Aviation, 1910-1944 by Waldo Dean Waterman with Jack Carpenter Product Details Paperback: 492 pages Publisher: Arsdalen Bosch & Co; 1 edition (1988) Language: English ISBN-10: 0960073604 ISBN-13: 978-0960073603 Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1 inches |
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Editorial Reviews from Amazon.com From the Publisher WALDO: Pioneer Aviator - the true-to-life story of Waldo Dean Waterman A few comments: The EAA, the world's largest private flying organization: "Waldo...did it all...Highly recommended..." TIME's Hugh Sidey: "What a splendid book it is..." Bill Immenschuh, president, San Diego Aerospace Museum: "I am im-pressed!...WALDO is something else. I started to flip through it and then became so en-grossed...that I am reading every word as not to miss any of the fascinating stories..." and President George Bush: "...I look forward to some exciting reading..." No other story captures the flavor, excitement, glory and heartbreak of American aviation like this autobiography of the real "Waldo" (George Roy Hill, who wrote, pro-duced and directed "The Great Waldo Pepper," knew Waldo). From his first tremulous flight in 1909 at 15 to his last solo at 77, Waldo's hands-on flying career tells what happened in American aviation during those 63 years as it was lived by no one else. Here's a story - encompassing virtually the entire history of flight in America - in narrative form, 502 pages with over 300 photographs and illustrations, based not only on Waldo's life as told in 40 hours of audio tapes, but researched in countless contemporary accounts and a bibliography of over 150 books. Waldo was a pioneering aviator, manufacturer, designer, barnstormer, inventor, test pilot, teacher, and friend of most of that era: Glenn Curtiss, Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, Bill Stout, Lincoln Beachey, Billy Mitchell, Louise Thaden, Carl Spaatz, Frank Clarke, Howard Hughes, Gene Vidal, Jimmy Doolittle, Roscoe Turner, Frank Hawks, Claude Ryan, Cecil B. deMille...oh, there were so many! You will read of his founding an airline...of his life as an early TWA pilot; of Hollywood flying with Clara Bow and Alice Faye, and of the epic "Hell's Angels" film-ing; of founding Van Nuys and Ontario airports; of his winning at the National Air Races; of setting a world altitude record; of being an "Entrant" at America's first Air Meet; of teaching Jimmy Doolittle the Theory of Flight; of his involvement in the wipe-out of one-third of the US Navy's airforce; of his perfection of the only successful flying automobile...and of his life-long participation in The Early Birds, the premier flying organization...and so much more! Note: The rear cover shows Waldo and Amelia Earhart about a year before her disappearance |
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