James Clifford Turpin
Encyclopedia
James Clifford Turpin was a pioneer aviator with the Wright Exhibition Team
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, the first graduate to receive a pilot's license. Turpin joined the Wright Exhibition team in 1910, flying demonstrations across the country. The group was disbanded in 1911. In May of 1912, Turpin rented a Wright Model C for his own exhibitions. While flying in a Seattle stadium, Turpin clipped a pylon avoiding a cameraman, and veered into a grandstand, killing a spectator. After the death of his flying partner, Phil Parmalee, in Yakima, Washington
, Turpin quit flying. He died in January of 1966. He was buried in Lothrop Hill Cemetery in Barnstable, Massachusetts
.
Wright Exhibition Team
The Wright Exhibition Team was a group of early aviators trained by the Wright brothers at Wright Flying School in Montgomery, Alabama in March 1910.-History:The group was formed in 1910 at the suggestion of Augustus Roy Knabenshue....
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Biography
He was born on May 6, 1886. He attended Purdue UniversityPurdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
, the first graduate to receive a pilot's license. Turpin joined the Wright Exhibition team in 1910, flying demonstrations across the country. The group was disbanded in 1911. In May of 1912, Turpin rented a Wright Model C for his own exhibitions. While flying in a Seattle stadium, Turpin clipped a pylon avoiding a cameraman, and veered into a grandstand, killing a spectator. After the death of his flying partner, Phil Parmalee, in Yakima, Washington
Yakima, Washington
Yakima is an American city southeast of Mount Rainier National Park and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, United States, and the eighth largest city by population in the state itself. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 91,196 and a metropolitan population of...
, Turpin quit flying. He died in January of 1966. He was buried in Lothrop Hill Cemetery in Barnstable, Massachusetts
Barnstable, Massachusetts
Barnstable is a city, referred to as the Town of Barnstable, in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the county seat of Barnstable County. Barnstable is the largest community, both in land area and population, on Cape Cod. The town contains seven villages within its boundaries...
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