In March we received an e-mail research request from Ann Roth,
the Gallery Director of Art at Meredith College in Raleigh, North
Carolina. Women in Aviation was the theme of a planned exhibit
and her question concerned Bessica Faith Raiche. Bessica was
the first woman in America to fly a plane, and Ann wanted us
to confirm her information that Bessica was born in Beloit. But
our research led us to Rockford, Illinois, not Beloit, as the
birth place of America’s first woman aviator.
Bessica Raiche
was born in Rockford in 1875, and the flight that made her famous
took place September 16, 1910, less than a year after our Beloit
man of industry and adventure, A. P. Warner, made his historic
flight at the Morgan farm. The research on Bessica, though, got
us thinking about aviation, the 100th anniversary of the Wright
Brother’s historic flight (December 17, 1903) and Beloit’s
connection to the story of aviation.
Aviation was experienced here in Beloit early in the first decade
of flight, and it is certainly with A. P. Warner that we talk
of the beginning of powered flight in the Beloit area. When A.
P. purchased a Curtiss-Pusher from Glenn Curtiss he was the first
private individual in the U. S. to purchase an aircraft. He took
off from level ground at the “Morgan Airfield” on November
4, 1909, rose 50 feet in the air and maintained that height for
a quarter of an hour. Thus A. P. Warner became the 6th American
to pilot a powered aircraft, and the first in Wisconsin.
Another early aviator was Hiram Morgan, son of Fred Morgan, owner
of the Morgan farm. Hiram flew five months before the well documented
flight of A. P. Warner, but from the description of Hiram’s
flight it seems he flew a glider and that he launched from a
hill behind the Morgan cattle barn. Hiram rose 8 feet and flew
for a few minutes. Beloiter Tom Timmons made his first flight
in 1914. Also mentioned in early aviation was Beloiter Jess Brabazon
who was part of the first generation of fliers; like A. P. he
was a member of the national club called the Early Birds. This
club consisted of those fliers who soloed in flight from 1903
to 1916. Besides being early fliers the Early Birds were also
known for the checkered hat each member wore.
In the 1920s flight continued to become more popular. The Eaglet
Club promoted flying in the area, and members included Russell
Van Galder, Si Smith, Stiles Whipple and Kayo Edwards. More Beloiters
were flying and aviation was gaining in importance; First Flight
air mail to Beloit started September 1, 1930, putting Beloit
on the air map, as one press release expressed it.
The desire to move people and merchandise faster and more efficiently
created a need for airports. The first airfield in the immediate
area was opened in 1928, just across the highway from the present
day Rock County Airport. The latter airport opened to the public
in 1947, and scheduled airline service began May 14, 1950; the
first manager, John C. Fredendall, was a pilot for Parker Pen,
managing the airport on a part time basis. It would be another
37 years for Beloit to get its airport. The first manager was
Roy True and his tenure as manager would come to a tragic end
when he died in a plane crash in 1971. South Beloit got its airport
in 1939, which was first managed by Pete and Ralph Tumelson,
and later by Russell Van Galder. Before Machesney Mall was a
shopping center, it was the location of Rockford’s airport.
Wisconsin Central Airlines advertised flights in 1950 from Beloit
to Buenos Aires in 34 hours, or from Janesville to Jerusalem
in 30 hours. Other aviation stories of the time included Adams
Korn Kurls flying to “Hungry Texans” in Houston, ten
tons of Rock County products heading out on one of the first
flights from the Rock County airport, and Parker Pen shipping
$55,000 worth of pens to Hong Kong. Parker Pen and Freeman Shoe
Co. both had private hangars at the county airport. Flight had
taken on a whole new meaning since the days of A. P. and Jesse.
We have mentioned but a few of the many local aviators. There
was also John Lasley, Clifford Goke, Roy Reed, Elif Alseth and
Richard Varnell (he said Stiles was the best pilot who ever flew
in these parts); and there were the women: Ruth McMakin, Helen
Bruck and Nancy Purcell. And let us not forget that first lady
of flight in America, Bessica Faith Raiche.
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