George William Beatty facts for kids
George William Beatty (born August 28, 1887 – died February 20, 1955) was an American pioneer aviator. He set amazing records for how high and how far planes could fly. He even set one record on the very day he flew a plane by himself for the first time!
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Early Life and First Steps in Aviation
Beatty was born on August 28, 1887, in Stephensburg, New Jersey. He finished high school in 1904. After that, he worked in New York City with printing machines.
George became interested in flying and joined a club in New York City where people built and flew gliders. Around 1909–1910, he helped build his own glider. It was a type called a Santos-Dumont Demoiselle and used a special three-cylinder engine from a company called Anzani.
Becoming a Pilot and Setting Records
In 1911, George Beatty went to the famous Wright Flying School on Long Island. There, he learned to fly from a great pilot named Arthur L. Welsh. His first lesson was on June 24, 1911. Just a month later, on July 23, 1911, he flew a plane by himself for the first time (this is called a solo flight).
On that very same day, he and Welsh set a new American record for how high two people could fly: 1,860 feet (570 m)! A few weeks later, on August 5, 1911, Beatty broke his own record. He flew to 3,080 feet (940 m) with Percy Reynolds as his passenger. On the same flight, he won a special cup for how long he could stay in the air.
The next day, August 6, 1911, he earned his official pilot's license. It was Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) pilot certificate number 41.
Records at the Chicago Aviation Meet
At the 1911 Chicago International Aviation Meet in Grant Park, George Beatty continued to set records.
- On August 13, 1911, he set a new world record for how long three people could stay in the air: 1 hour and 18 minutes.
- He also set an American record for two people flying together for 2 hours and 4 minutes on August 12, 1911. He then broke that record himself on August 19, 1911, flying for 3 hours and 19 minutes!
- In total, he spent 24 hours and 21 minutes flying at the meet.
Teaching and Moving to Europe
In early 1912, Beatty started his own flying school on Long Island. From there, he made history by becoming the first person to land a plane in Manhattan. He flew into New York City and landed in Central Park on February 13, 1912. He flew back to his base the next day.
After his friend and teacher, Arthur L. Welsh, passed away in June 1912, Beatty moved to College Park, Maryland. There, he became the main test pilot and instructor at the United States Army Aviation School. Even though he wasn't an actor, he appeared in a film called An Aeroplane Love Affair in 1912.
Training Pilots in England
In 1913, Beatty moved to England. He teamed up with a company called Handley Page to open a flying school at Hendon Aerodrome in Hendon, North London. This school became very important. George Beatty trained over 1,000 pilots for the British air forces, including the Royal Flying Corps, Royal Naval Air Service, and Royal Air Force. He also brought three Wright Flyer planes to add to the school's fleet.
After World War I, in the early 1920s, Beatty started a business making engines for motorcycles. By 1923, he even built a racing motorcycle that won the Tour de France race!
Later Life and Legacy
The Great Depression, a time of economic hardship, caused his motorcycle business to close. George Beatty then returned to the United States. It was hard for him to find work, but in 1934, he was hired by the Hughes Printing Company in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. He worked his way up to become a superintendent.
He stayed at that job until he passed away on February 20, 1955, at the age of 67. He was buried in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania at the Laurelwood Cemetery.
