First High Altitude Airplane Flights

On March 16th, 17th, and 20th, Daniel John Maloney made three soaring flights in an aeroplane-glider designed and built by Professor John J. Montgomery. The frail craft, weighing only 42 pounds, was constructed of spruce, wire, and fortified canvas, with tandem wings, a 24-foot wingspan, and a four-sided tail. At the then Leonard Ranch, a smoke-balloon rented by Fred Swanton and owned by Frank Hamilton took it aloft to heights of 800 feet, 1,100 feet, and 3,000 feet. The longest flight lasted over 18 minutes and covered over 2 miles. In a letter to his mother, Prof. Montgomery wrote that the machine flew three times, each time better than the other, descended beautifully, went in different directions under perfect control of the aeronaut, and landed in a spot selected by him as gently as a feather. These flights resulted from 22 years of experimentation and flight testing by Professor Montgomery, beginning with his first glider flight in 1883 at Otay Mesa in San Diego and ending with his accidental death in 1911. Called the "Father of Basic Flying," his successes and contributions to the development of flight were heralded by the world's press at the time but are now largely forgotten.

Rio del Mar, California · United States