Los Angeles Aviation Meet
Los Angeles, USA, January 10th - 20th, 1910

Race numbers were not consistently used at the Los Angeles meeting, and information from different sources sometimes conflict with what was printed in the programs. The following is an effort to make sense of the confusion. Comments and corrections are welcome.


1
Farman
Pilot: Louis Paulhan
Engine: 50 hp Gnôme 7-cyl.
Paulhan's shorter-span Farman is recognizable by the small fuel tank, the biplane rudders and the long-span elevator. Some references say it had a 37 hp engine, but photos show a 7-cylinder unit. The race number looks like a 7, but is probably just distorted by the slipstream. (1)

(1)
Farman
Pilot: Louis Paulhan
Engine: 50 hp Gnôme 7-cyl.
This is the bigger of Paulhan's two Farmans, recognizable by the big fuel tank, the monoplane rudder and the short-span elevator. We have not seen any photos showing it with race number 1 applied. (2)

1?
Curtiss "Golden Flyer"
Pilot: Charles Willard
Engine: 25 hp Curtiss I-4
According to the program Willard's plane should have had number 9. Here it carries number 1, but the photo might be from some other meeting. It is easily recognized by the wing tips that extended outside the outer wing struts. (2)

2
Blériot XI
Pilots: Louis Paulhan
Engine: 25 hp Anzani 3-cyl.
The Paulhan "equipe" brought two identical standard Blériots to the meeting. This one appears to carry a loosely attached race number 2. (3)

(3)(4)
Blériot XI
Pilots: Didier Masson and Charles Miscarol
Engine: 25 hp Anzani 3-cyl.
One of Paulhan's Blériots was damaged early during the meeting and probably never carried any race numbers. #3 should have been Masson and #4 Miscarol. (2)

5
Curtiss
Pilot: Charles Hamilton
Engine: 25 hp Curtiss V-8
(4)

6
Curtiss "Rheims Flyer"
Pilot: Glenn Curtiss
Engine: 50 hp Curtiss V-8
The only V8-powered Curtiss at the meeting. According to the race program it was number 6 and it looks like it still carried the Brescia meeting race number 6 on the rudder. (3)

7
Curtiss
Pilot: Charles Hamilton
Engine: 25 hp Curtiss I-4
Hamilton's plane was number 5 according to the program, but here it appears to carry number 7. It can be recognized by the four-blade propeller. (2)

(7)
Klassen "Butter-Fly"
Pilot: Jacob H. Klassen
Engine: ?
Note the big angled control surface above the wing. It was for roll control and was presumably designed to avoid infringing the Wright patents. The plane was damaged early during the week and probably never carried its assigned race number. (2)

8
"Wright with Curtiss chassis"
Pilot: Roy Knabenshue
Did not participate

9
Curtiss "Golden Flyer"
Pilot: Charles Willard
Engine: 25 hp Curtiss I-4
The wing tips that extend outside the outer wing struts identify this as the "Golden Flyer", this time with its correct race number. (4)

10
Gill-Dosh
Pilot: Hillery Beachey
Engine: 26 hp ?
Built by Howard W. Gill of Baltimore using measurements taken from the Curtiss "Rheims Flyer" and a converted automobile engine. A better photo would be very welcome...(5)

11
Curtiss
Pilot: Clifford Harmon
Engine: 25 hp Curtiss I-4
(2)


Eaton-Twining
Pilot: Warren S. Eaton?
Engine: 22.5 hp Ford I-4
This was the more credible of the two planes that Los Angeles Polytechnic High School professor Twining brought to the meeting - the other was a man-powered ornithopter. Note the sliding wing-tip panels that were used for lateral control, another effort to avoid infringing the Wright patent. (6)


Smith "Dragonfly II"
Pilot: Edgar Smith
Engine: 15 hp O-2
A tandem monoplane with variable-incidence wings for pitch control. The engine didn't have power enough to enable flights. (2)


Zerbe
Pilot: James S. Zerbe
Engine: 25 hp 8-cyl.
This unique quintuplane was built by Zerbe, a professor of the Los Angeles Polytechnic High School. (2)

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