Glenn Edmund Messer was an American aviation pioneer, responsible for major advances in the use and modification of existing aircraft and in the design and construction of aircraft and aircraft instruments.

Biography

He was born in Henry County, Iowa

Henry County, Iowa

-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 20,145 in the county, with a population density of . There were 8,280 housing units, of which 7,666 were occupied.-2000 census:...

 on July 12, 1895.

He began his flying career by taking lessons on a Wright biplane from aviator George Gustafson in Bay City, Michigan

Bay City, Michigan

Bay City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan located near the base of the Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 34,932, and is the principal city of the Bay City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Saginaw-Bay City-Saginaw Township North...

.
Messer operated an Birmingham Municipal Airport in Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...

 with Edward Stinson. He later operated Messer Field. In 1927 he started the Southern Aircraft Corporation which designed and built the Air Boss. He later started The Glenn E. Messer Company of Birmingham.

He died on June 13, 1995 in Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...

.

Legacy

The highway from 5th Avenue North in downtown Birmingham to the airport was named Glenn E. Messer Airport Highway in his honor.

Timeline

• 1911 - takes first flying lessons
• 1917 - joins the Aviation Section of Signal Corps
• 1919 - flyer on new airmail route from Washington, D.C. to New York, NY
• 1920 - starts Messer Flying Circus (Phoebe Fairgrave Omlie soon joins)
• 1922 - starts Birmingham Aero Club to sell airplanes
• 1925 - organizes company to sell Dim-A-Lite products
• 1927 - starts Southern Aircraft Corporation (Messer Aeronautical Industries Inc.)
• 1932 - starts The Glenn E. Messer Company
• 1965 - The Glenn E. Messer Company, Inc. begins instrument repair operation in Woodlawn
• 1976 - forms Southern Museum of Flight
  Southern Museum of Flight
  The Southern Museum of Flight is an aviation museum located three blocks east of the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in Birmingham, Alabama. It features a valuable collection of aviation artifacts spanning the 20th century in the various areas of aviation. It explores eight decades...
  
  Foundation

Further reading

• Morehouse, Harold E. (July 1995) "Glenn E. Messer: Pioneer Mid-West Aviator." Early Bird's CHIRP. No. 96
• Wilson, George Tipton. "The Flying Omlies." Aviation History Magazine.