James_J._Ward

James J. Ward

James J. Ward

Add article description

James J. Ward (born Jens P. Wilson in 1886 in Denmark – January 7, 1923)[1] was a pioneer aviator who made one of the earliest attempts at transcontinental flight. He was also known as Jimmie Ward.

Ward in 1910

Biography

He flew a Curtiss Model D pusher biplane named the "Hearst Pathfinder". On September 13, 1911 he attempted to win the William Randolph Hearst Prize flying from Governors Island in New York to California.[2] He withdrew from the race on September 22, 1911 after his aircraft's engine failed and he crashed in Addison, New York.[3]

Ward taking off on September 13, 1911

References

  1. [1]
    Shooting Star: Aviator Jimmie Ward of Crookston by Steven R. Hoffbeck (Wayback retrieval)
  2. [2]
    "Flier, Seeking to Reach San Francisco, Lands at Calicoon Late in the Afternoon". New York Times. September 15, 1911. Retrieved 2010-11-25. James J. Ward, who left New York for San Francisco Wednesday, flying for the W.R. Hearst $50,000 prize for a transcontinental flight, reached Callicoon, N.Y., a few miles from here, at 4:35 o'clock this afternoon. He covered 59 1-10 miles in 57 minutes, having left Middletown, N.Y., at 3:38 o'clock.
  3. [3]
    "Ward Quits Coast Flight. Comes to Grief at Addison". New York Times. September 23, 1911. Retrieved 2010-11-26.


Stub icon

This biographical article related to aviation is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article James_J._Ward, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.