Monday, March 11, 2024

way back in the barnstorming days, a young 15 year old Edith was enamored with airplanes, and saved up $2.50 for a plane ride! (What a cool ticket stub!) (Grand Rapids Michigan was the self titled "Furniture Capital")


https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10223980804164279&set=gm.7291978980878317&idorvanity=1282668961809379




above, luggage tag





I'll be the sales manager (Farley) was an ancestor of current Ford CEO, and Chris Farley (his cousin)


The Early Days of Aviation in Grand Rapids By Gordon G. Beld




one of their airplanes still exists, a 1930 Standard D29 


and the Grand Rapids Public Library has a lot of items like the pilot logs
Grand Rapids Public Library https://archive.grpl.org › subjects Items from the Furniture Capital Air Service Flying School are also found. The pilot logs record his flying time from 1929-1932

Donald Heagle's collection is in the University of Michigan Library, including his 1927-1931 log book and lessons (2 boxes of the curriculum) with the Furniture Capital Air Service https://findingaids.lib.umich.edu/catalog/ehll--heagle


the original Grand Rapids airport site had been used for years as a fairgrounds by Kent County Agricultural Society. There were exhibited prize horses and cattle and for extra excitement, harness races were staged on the half-mile track. But the fair dis-banded and later the track was used principally for bicycle races. 
In 1916 Kent County acquired the land. The Board of Supervisors didn’t know exactly what they would do with the land. 
In 1919 the Madison avenue tract was established as a flying field and the Grand Rapids Aero Club, forerunner of the Grand Rapids Flying Club, was organized to promote aviation and was given a five-year lease on the field at a nominal fee. In that year Tom Swift, a vaudeville artist who had toured the world as a daredevil motor bike rider, and others formed the Roseswift Airplane company.

 John T. Byrne financed operation of the Furniture Capital Air Service, with his son, Jack, in charge. They built a $20,000 hanger and remained in business for several years, although at a considerable loss.




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