Said to be the first airplane to land in the Adirondacks, October 1912 at Fletcher Farm, flown by George A, Gray.
The plane appears to be a Wright Brothers EX (exhibition) built in 1911-1912
Adirondack Daily Enterprise, January 20, 2001.
Photo #83.11 courtesy of the Adirondack Room of the Saranac Lake Free LibraryBorn: 1881(?)
Died:
Married: Edith Stearns
Children:
George Gray made the first aeroplane flight to Saranac Lake in 1912.
Malone Farmer, October 16, 1912
Courtesy of Philip GriffinThe Adirondack Enterprise, describing Aviator Gray's trip from Malone to that village, states that he went to a height of 6,000 feet to avoid the gusts and cross currents caused by the contour of hills and mountains, and looked down, upon the summit of Whiteface Mountain, a thousand feet below. He followed the railway as a guide until he lost sight of it through the dusk of the early evening, then decided to land so that he could keep his direction. He saw a white spot below which he correctly judged was a newly harvested field, and, after coasting for ten minutes around the spot, gradually descending, he landed safely on Fletcher's farm. The venerable Paul Smith visited him there next morning and tried to induce Mr. Gray to take him for a short flight, but the wind blew a hurricane, making it impossible.
It was the next afternoon that Gray, in the face of a strong head wind, flew over to the race track at Saranac Lake. Gray's stunts at Saranic Lake included flying over to the Fletcher farm and bringing back with him Miss Edith A. Stearns, a Virginia girl, the trip back, 8 1/2 miles, being made in 17 minutes. Stearns enjoyed the trip very much. "It was over so quickly," she said, "that there wasn't time to form any impressions of the flight," but she added that it was "perfectly delightful," and she would be glad to go again. She is going to claim a cup that has been offered for the first Virginia girl who should take an aeroplane trip.
Another stunt was a race with F. Paul Stevens in his 60-horse power car around the track for 20 laps of a half mile each. Stevens had a third of a mile the best of the race at the end of the ten miles, but it was because the aviator had too many short turns to make. The race was witnessed by 1500 people who paid to enter the race track grounds and by about 4,000 more on the hills outside who enjoyed the whole thing for nothing. The share of the hospital, which received ten per cent of the admissions, was $40.
Leaving Saranac Lake the aviator contemplated another long flight to Plattsburgh with a message to the Plattsburgh Press and repeating some of his marvelous performances in that city, but on account of bad weather he was forced to cut out flying and had to ship his biplane by rail. Before his going, however, W. F. Cooper, "Caribou Bill," made his contemplated flight with his moving picture machine and took a series of photographs of Saranac Lake village and the surrounding country.
Malone Farmer, January 30, 1918
Aviator George A. Gray, who drove an aeroplane from Malone to Saranac Lake, the first to make its appearance in the Adirondack mountains, and who married a young lady visitor in Saranac Lake, has enlisted his services and will be made a first lieutenant in the aviation corps. He has previously been inspector of aviation work at Detroit, Mich.
From History of the Adirondacks, by Alfred Donaldson
THE FIRST AEROPLANE
Exactly ten years after the first automobile brought wonder and consternation to the woods, the second miracle of locomotion swooped down upon them.
On October 3, 1912, George A. Gray of Boston, in a Burgess-Wright bi-plane, sailed over the crest of Whiteface and landed at dusk in a wheat field near Fletcher's Farm, northeast of the village of Bloomingdale. He had left Malone about an hour before, and, fearing the treacherous air currents of the mountains, had made the entire flight at an altitude of over 6,000 feet.
The news of his arrival spread quickly, and the following morning hundreds of automobiles visited the spot. . In one of them was old Paul Smith, who had come to gaze upon this last word — this fourth dimension — in the cycle of transportation which his long life had spanned— oxen, horses, autos, airplanes. He even asked for a ride in the airship, but the wind was blowing so hard that the request had to be denied.
The next day the aviator took his bi-plane to Saranac Lake, landing on the race-track just outside the village. He made this his headquarters for several days, giving exhibitions, carrying packages to surrounding camps, and taking passengers on short flights. Among the adventurous was Miss Edith M. Steams, a young lady from Virginia, who was staying at Fletcher's Farm. She made a flight from there to Saranac Lake, and thereby established the record of being the first woman to aviate the Adirondacks. The trip proved so pleasant that a year later she became the wife of the aviator.
