WILLIAM GREENE 1872-1952

Photo Edwin Levick, N. Y.

Dr. William Greene's Biplane which Carried Passengers. The Third Member's Machine to Fly      The flight of this machine was the more noteworthy because it was the first time that any inventor had been able to construct an apparatus that would successfully use an ordinary stock automobile motor. Dr. Greene used a British-American 26 h. p. engine weighing 320 lbs. Subsequently he installed the Kimball motor, which was half the weight. The machine flew much better then, because it did not need 60 or 70 lbs. of ballast hung on the front control to balance it; and, on the doctor's leaving for Middletown, O., to take up the manufacture of aeroplanes, the apparatus was bought by Mr. Kimball, and taken to Rahway, N. J., where experiments were continued with it in conjunction with F. E. Boland. This chanced to involve Mr. Kimball in at any rate one piece of good luck, for it so happened that it caused him to move his valuable motor away from his laboratory a few days before the fire. from Bulletin No. 1, Aeronautic Society, 1908-1909

 

Alberta dentist, William Greene, one of first to fly      For the first 40 years of his life, William Greene lived, breathed and existed for flight, although it must be admitted that he was 12 before he first tried his wings. On that occasion, he was ready to jump with an umbrella from the second story of a building and only the prompt action of a neighbor saved young Bill Greene from his first flight crash.      For the last 40 years of his life, he didn't even admit he knew how to fly. He quietly practiced dentistry in the Peace River country of Canada, only occasionally dropping into his other world to visit his family in the United States or attend meetings of the Early Birds of Aviation, a club with a membership of people who had flown before 1916.      He never piloted a plane or talked about his accomplishments up in the north. Neighbors and friends didn't even realize that Doc Greene had been one of the first, and one of the best.      Editors' Note: 9-7-03 - These introductory paragraphs on Dr. Greene's fascinating career were provided through the courtesy of the Albert Dental Association. Sorry to say, the link has become obsolete and I can't find the rest of the article online.

FLYING FEVER Sunday, Oct. 4, 1981/UPSTATE/ BY EDWIN SAYERS      Dr. William Greene, a local airplane enthusiast, acquired a Voisin biplane made in France. The Voisin machhine was a box-kite affair with a 60-horsepower engine. It was considered very stable in the air, and one pilot was heard to boast that even a child could fly in it.      On June 29, 19-09, Greene climbed aboard his machine, took off from a field on the outskirts of town, rose to about 100 feet, and then was caught by a gust of wind which sent his plane into the branches of a tall, stately elm. Greene unsnarled himself from the wreckage and climbed down from the tree, disappointed but unscratched. Newsclipping Kindly supplied by Julie Keller, 12-02-02

 

ONLINE RESOURCES      If you search for "William Greene +aviation using the Google search engine, (9-7-03), you will find about 147 links. A few of them refer specifically to the aviator, William Greene.

Dr. William Greene Mason - Dentist - Aviator by RW. Bro. Richard Ashby      This webpage, from the monthly ezine called "One More Time, Please!" of the LINSHAW ENTERPRISES INC. website, offers a very comprehensive biography of William Greene. It includes photographs of him and of his wife, Evangeline. You can access the site by clicking on the title above.

 

William Greene died in 1952 From The Early Birds of Aviation ROSTER, 1966

 

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