Philip Orin Parmelee
Encyclopedia
Philip Orin Parmelee was an American aviation pioneer trained by the Wright brothers
and credited with several early world aviation records and "firsts" in flight. He turned a keen interest in small engines into employment with the Wright Company
in its early years and was one of several young pilots hired by the Wright brothers
to demonstrate and publicize the capabilities of their airplanes. Because of his youth, blond good looks, and daring reputation, Paremelee had the nickname "Skyman" attributed to him.
Among the feats credited to Parmelee are the first commercial flight of an airplane, establishing a world cross-country speed record, holding the world flying endurance record, piloting the first aircraft to drop a bomb, conducting the first military reconnaissance flight and piloting the first aircraft involved in the world's first parachute jump.
Parmelee was killed in the crash of an airplane he was piloting at an exhibition in Yakima, Washington
, when turbulence flipped the airplane upside down.
. In 1901 the family moved to Marion, Michigan
, where his mother was killed in a "runaway" (apparently by a runaway horse).
Raised after by his father, Parmelee had a mechanical aptitude for small engines, building his own electric, steam, and gasoline-powered motors. Publications of the day in Marion note that he built a steam-powered small auto, using an old horse buggy body and bicycle wheels, with a gasoline-fueled steam boiler of his own design powering the vehiicle. Parmelee was notorious for driving it on the streets of the town. His first job was with the Richmond and Holmes Machine Company in St. Johns, Michigan
, from 1904 to 1906, working by day and exploring an interest in the machinery for showing silent films during his evenings.
In 1906 he went to work for the Eclipse Motor Company in Mancelona, Michigan
, where his skills prompted his employer to recommend him to the Buick Automobile Company
in Flint, Michigan
. While working for Buick, Parmelee became interested in the racing cars of Louis Chevrolet
and was reputed to have taken one being repair at the plant on an unauthorized night-time drive to Flushing
, a 19 mile round trip. Parmelee worked as a mechanic for a car on the Glidden tour, an annual road rally from the south to New York City
, with Parmelee's car winning the event.
run by Wilbur Wright and Orville Wright. After training he joined the Wright Exhibition Team
. One of his first assignments was as a demonstration pilot for the Wright B Flyer at the Appalachian Exposition in Knoxville, Tennessee
.
On 7 November 1910, Parmelee became the first pilot to transport commercial cargo. His flight took him 65 miles from Dayton, Ohio
, carrying a package of 100 pounds of silk valued between $800 and $1,000 for the opening of a store. Parmelee's route took him from Dayton to Columbus, Ohio
by way of South Charleston
and London
, following the route of the old National Road
. Newspaper clippings quoted the Wright brothers as stating he covered the distance in 66 minutes, but the flight was officially recorded at 57 minutes, a world speed record at the time.
Parmelee also traveled to Texas in the spring of 1911, where he flew the Wright Flyer with Lt. Benjamin D. Foulois. The pair conducted the first military reconnaissance missions, flying along the border with Mexico during maneuvers held by the U.S. Army as a show of force to Mexican revolutionaries
. The airplane was owned by neither the U.S. Army, whose aircraft was no longer reliable, nor the Wright brothers, but was rented from Robert J. Collier, owner of Collier's Weekly
. On their second flight, Foulois and Parmelee accidentally shut off the engine. At extremely low altitude over the Rio Grande River, Parmalee got the engine to restart, but at full throttle. The sudden thrust caused the plane to nose down into the water and flip over onto its top. Neither pilot was injured and the aircraft was salvaged and repaired. Later in 1911 Parmalee was the pilot of a Wright Model B when 54 year old parachutist Grant Morton
jumped out over Venice Beach California
. This was the earliest known jump by a man from an airplane using a parachute.
, on June 1, 1912, at altitudes variously described from 400 to 2,000 feet. Air turbulence caused him to crash, killing him instantly. He was buried in East Plains Cemetery in Clinton County, Michigan
.
Capital Region International Airport in DeWitt Township, Michigan
.
Wright brothers
The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur , were two Americans credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903...
and credited with several early world aviation records and "firsts" in flight. He turned a keen interest in small engines into employment with the Wright Company
Wright Company
The Wright Company was the commercial aviation business venture of the Wright Brothers, established by them in 1909 in conjunction with several prominent industrialists from New York and Detroit with the intention of capitalizing on their invention of the practical airplane. It maintained a...
in its early years and was one of several young pilots hired by the Wright brothers
Wright brothers
The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur , were two Americans credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903...
to demonstrate and publicize the capabilities of their airplanes. Because of his youth, blond good looks, and daring reputation, Paremelee had the nickname "Skyman" attributed to him.
Among the feats credited to Parmelee are the first commercial flight of an airplane, establishing a world cross-country speed record, holding the world flying endurance record, piloting the first aircraft to drop a bomb, conducting the first military reconnaissance flight and piloting the first aircraft involved in the world's first parachute jump.
Parmelee was killed in the crash of an airplane he was piloting at an exhibition 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...
, when turbulence flipped the airplane upside down.
Biography
Parmelee was born in 1887 to Charles W. Parmelee, a sawmill owner in Matherton, Michigan. His birthplace is variously given as Matherton and as Hubbardston, MichiganHubbardston, Michigan
Hubbardston is a village located in the U.S. state of Michigan. The village is on the boundary between Ionia County and Clinton County, and is partially in both. The village is mostly within North Plains Township in Ionia County and partially within Lebanon Township in Clinton County...
. In 1901 the family moved to Marion, Michigan
Marion, Michigan
Marion is a village in Osceola County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 836 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Marion Township.-Geography:...
, where his mother was killed in a "runaway" (apparently by a runaway horse).
Raised after by his father, Parmelee had a mechanical aptitude for small engines, building his own electric, steam, and gasoline-powered motors. Publications of the day in Marion note that he built a steam-powered small auto, using an old horse buggy body and bicycle wheels, with a gasoline-fueled steam boiler of his own design powering the vehiicle. Parmelee was notorious for driving it on the streets of the town. His first job was with the Richmond and Holmes Machine Company in St. Johns, Michigan
St. Johns, Michigan
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,485 people, 2,994 households, and 1,999 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,909.1 per square mile . There were 3,148 housing units at an average density of 802.9 per square mile...
, from 1904 to 1906, working by day and exploring an interest in the machinery for showing silent films during his evenings.
In 1906 he went to work for the Eclipse Motor Company in Mancelona, Michigan
Mancelona, Michigan
Mancelona is a village in Antrim County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,408 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Mancelona Township.-History:...
, where his skills prompted his employer to recommend him to the Buick Automobile Company
Buick
Buick is a premium brand of General Motors . Buick models are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, and Israel, with China being its largest market. Buick holds the distinction as the oldest active American make...
in Flint, Michigan
Flint, Michigan
Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the 2010 population to be placed at 102,434, making Flint the seventh largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the...
. While working for Buick, Parmelee became interested in the racing cars of Louis Chevrolet
Louis Chevrolet
Louis-Joseph Chevrolet was a Swiss-born American race car driver of French descent, co-founder of the Chevrolet Motor Car Company in 1911 and later, the Frontenac Motor Corporation in 1916 which made racing parts for Ford's Model T.-Early life:Born in 1878 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, a center of...
and was reputed to have taken one being repair at the plant on an unauthorized night-time drive to Flushing
Flushing, Michigan
Flushing is a city in Genesee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 8,348 at the 2000 census. Flushing is considered a suburb of Flint. It is situated within the area of Flushing Charter Township, but is administratively autonomous...
, a 19 mile round trip. Parmelee worked as a mechanic for a car on the Glidden tour, an annual road rally from the south to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, with Parmelee's car winning the event.
Aviator
In 1910 he submitted an application and was then chosen to join the Wright Flying SchoolWright Flying School
The Wright Flying School, also known as the Wright School of Aviation, was operated by the Wright Company from 1910 to 1916 and trained 119 individuals to fly Wright airplanes.-History:...
run by Wilbur Wright and Orville Wright. After training he joined the Wright Exhibition Team
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....
. One of his first assignments was as a demonstration pilot for the Wright B Flyer at the Appalachian Exposition in Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
.
On 7 November 1910, Parmelee became the first pilot to transport commercial cargo. His flight took him 65 miles from Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
, carrying a package of 100 pounds of silk valued between $800 and $1,000 for the opening of a store. Parmelee's route took him from Dayton to Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
by way of South Charleston
South Charleston, Ohio
South Charleston is a village in Clark County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,850 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:South Charleston is located at ....
and London
London, Ohio
London is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Ohio, United States. Located about southwest of the Ohio capital of Columbus, London was established in 1811 to serve as the county seat. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 8,771, an increase from 7,807 in 1990. It is the...
, following the route of the old National Road
National Road
The National Road or Cumberland Road was the first major improved highway in the United States to be built by the federal government. Construction began heading west in 1811 at Cumberland, Maryland, on the Potomac River. It crossed the Allegheny Mountains and southwestern Pennsylvania, reaching...
. Newspaper clippings quoted the Wright brothers as stating he covered the distance in 66 minutes, but the flight was officially recorded at 57 minutes, a world speed record at the time.
Parmelee also traveled to Texas in the spring of 1911, where he flew the Wright Flyer with Lt. Benjamin D. Foulois. The pair conducted the first military reconnaissance missions, flying along the border with Mexico during maneuvers held by the U.S. Army as a show of force to Mexican revolutionaries
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
. The airplane was owned by neither the U.S. Army, whose aircraft was no longer reliable, nor the Wright brothers, but was rented from Robert J. Collier, owner of Collier's Weekly
Collier's Weekly
Collier's Weekly was an American magazine founded by Peter Fenelon Collier and published from 1888 to 1957. With the passage of decades, the title was shortened to Collier's....
. On their second flight, Foulois and Parmelee accidentally shut off the engine. At extremely low altitude over the Rio Grande River, Parmalee got the engine to restart, but at full throttle. The sudden thrust caused the plane to nose down into the water and flip over onto its top. Neither pilot was injured and the aircraft was salvaged and repaired. Later in 1911 Parmalee was the pilot of a Wright Model B when 54 year old parachutist Grant Morton
Grant Morton
Grant Morton is one of the first people to successfully attempt skydiving, and is sometimes credited with the first skydive, in 1911. Supposedly, at age 54, Morton, a veteran parachutist, made the first dive by jumping from a Wright Model B over Venice, California.-References:...
jumped out over Venice Beach California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. This was the earliest known jump by a man from an airplane using a parachute.
Death
Parmelee was piloting an airplane at an air show in Yakima, WashingtonYakima, 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...
, on June 1, 1912, at altitudes variously described from 400 to 2,000 feet. Air turbulence caused him to crash, killing him instantly. He was buried in East Plains Cemetery in Clinton County, Michigan
Clinton County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 64,753 people, 23,653 households, and 17,976 families residing in the county. The population density was 113 people per square mile . There were 24,630 housing units at an average density of 43 per square mile...
.
Legacy
An historic marker to Philip O. Parmelee is displayed at the LansingLansing, Michigan
Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County. The 2010 Census places the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan...
Capital Region International Airport in DeWitt Township, Michigan
DeWitt Charter Township, Michigan
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,143 people, 4,839 households, and 3,450 families residing in the township. The population density was 383.5 per square mile . There were 5,119 housing units at an average density of 161.7 per square mile...
.