For other persons named William Robinson, see William Robinson

William Robinson

William Robinson, or Will Robinson or Bill Robinson or other nicknames, may refer to:-Historical:* William Robinson , Quaker martyr* William Benjamin Robinson , Canadian fur trader and political figure...

William C. "Billy" Robinson (September 24, 1884, Redfield, South Dakota

Redfield, South Dakota

Redfield is a city in and the county seat of Spink County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 2,333 at the 2010 census. The city is not to be confused with the surrounding Redfield Township, which encompasses unincorporated areas outside of the city limits.-Geography:Redfield is...

 – March 11, 1916, near Grinnell, Iowa

Grinnell, Iowa

Grinnell is a city in Poweshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 9,218 at the 2010 census. Grinnell was named after Josiah Bushnell Grinnell and is the home of Grinnell College.- History :...

) was an early American aviator

Aviator

An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...

. Robinson moved to Grinnell in 1896 at age 12. He was a handyman, tinkerer, and bicycle repairman who designed and built his own flying machine. In 1911, with the help of Charles Hink, Robinson constructed a 60 horsepower

Horsepower

Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...

 radial motor for his monoplane

Monoplane

A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with one main set of wing surfaces, in contrast to a biplane or triplane. Since the late 1930s it has been the most common form for a fixed wing aircraft.-Types of monoplane:...

. His innovations for the radial motor were revolutionary. In 1914 he set a record for non-stop flight, carrying mail from Des Moines

Des Moines, Iowa

Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...

 to Kentland, Indiana

Kentland, Indiana

Kentland is a town in Jefferson Township, Newton County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,748 at the 2010 census. The town was founded in 1860 as "Kent", though this name was soon lengthened to Kentland. The name honors Alexander Kent, who acquired the then marshy plat and prepared it...

. Robinson perished while flying his biplane, attempting to set an altitude record on March 11, 1916.

External links

• Billy's entry in the Early Birds of Aviation.
• Billy Robinson's final flight
• Photographic history of Robinson's aviation accomplishments as part of the Iowa Heritage Digital Collection.