Jack McGee (1885 – June 13, 1918) was a pioneer aviator.

Biography

McGee was born in 1885 in

Central Falls, Rhode Island Central Falls is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 22,583 at the 2020 census. With an area of only , it is the smallest and most densely populated city in the smallest state, and the 23rd most densel ...

to Robert McGee. His family moved to

Pawtucket, Rhode Island Pawtucket ( ) is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 75,604 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making the city the fourth-largest in the state. Pawtucket borders Providence, Rhode Island, Prov ...

when he was 15 in 1900. He was a boxer and worked as an elevator operator and auto mechanic before working as a chauffeur for James C. McCoy. McGee took flying lessons from

Harry Atwood Harry Nelson Atwood (November 15, 1883 – July 14, 1967) was an American engineer and inventor known for pioneering work in the early days of aviation, including setting long-distance flying records and delivering the first delivery of air mail ...

and

Arch Freeman Archibald A. "Arch" Freeman (c. 1890 – June 27, 1918) was an American pilot during the early years of aviation. Early life Freeman was born in Flushing, Queens to Mr. and Mrs. E. G. Freeman. His parents did not have a birth certificate issued fo ...

at Atwood Park in

Saugus, Massachusetts Saugus is a New England town, town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. The population was 28,619 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Saugus is known as the site of the first integrated iron work ...

. The school closed before McGee could finish his training, but he believed that he had received enough instruction and purchased his own plane. He made his first solo flight in August 1912. On 21 September 1913 McGee applied for admission to the

Aero Club of America The Aero Club of America was a social club formed in 1905 by Charles Jasper Glidden and Augustus Post, among others, to promote aviation in America. It was the parent organization of numerous state chapters, the first being the Aero Club of New E ...

. The particular benefit of membership is the possession of a license which emanates from the European Aeronautical Federation. Capt Hugh L. Willoughby, a member of the club's committee on safety, directed the tests which included figure eights, making perfect landings and ascensions and reach an altitude of 164 feet, conducted the examination in Newport. In 1917, McGee went to work as a test pilot for the Gallaudet Aircraft Corporation. On June 13, 1918 he was flying a

floatplane A floatplane is a type of seaplane with one or more slender floats mounted under the fuselage to provide buoyancy. By contrast, a flying boat uses its fuselage for buoyancy. Either type of seaplane may also have landing gear suitable for land, ...

low over Greenwich Bay when his pontoon dipped into the water, causing his plane to topple into the water where he drowned.

References

File:Jack McGee 3276257913 968779f751 o.jpg {{DEFAULTSORT:McGee, Jack American aviation pioneers 1885 births 1918 deaths Deaths by drowning in Rhode Island Aviators from Rhode Island Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States Aviation history of the United States People from Pawtucket, Rhode Island People from Central Falls, Rhode Island Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1918

Biography

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References