John M. Miller III

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John M. Miller III
John Matthew Miller III posed standing in front of Pitcairn PCA-2 Autogiro
Born
John Matthew Miller III

(1896-06-03)June 3, 1896
Diedcirca 1980's
NationalityAmerican
Known forNaval aviator and aircraft manufacturer

John Matthew Miller III (1896 – c. 1980's) was an American naval aviator, air mail pilot, transport pilot, autogiro pilot, flight instructor, aircraft manufacturer, airport operator, agricultural pilot, and helicopter test pilot. He worked for the

U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 1927 Miller founded the Miller Aviation Corporation of New Brunswick, New Jersey which operated until 1929.[2]

Life

Born John Matthew Miller III on 3 June 1896 in

United States Naval Aviator.[3] He patrolled near New York harbor while stationed at Naval Air Station Rockaway Beach, New York. After the armistice
he was assigned inactive duty on December 15, 1918.

During his two-year US Aerial Mail Service, Miller trained in the

South Plainfield
, New Jersey.

Miller Aviation Corporation

On August 2, 1927, Miller founded the Miller Aviation Corporation at New Brunswick Airport (a.k.a. "Miller Field"), a short-lived airfield located southwest of the city.

Fowler flap inventor Harlan D. Fowler worked as Miller's chief aeronautical engineer.[6] Later that year Robert W. Johnson of the Miller Aviation Corporation designed and constructed the Miller MCA-1 twin engine amphibian biplane.[7] After successful water landings, the MCA-1 was damaged beyond repair, flipping over on its back, during the first ground landing, Miller was uninjured.[7] Shortly after the accident his company dissolved and Miller returned to Pitcairn flying the PCA-2 autogiro. He was then hired to fly for the US Department of Agriculture until World War II. During the war, Miller joined the Navy as a Lieutenant Commander, flying as a helicopter test pilot at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. He returned to the Department of Agriculture until his retirement in 1956.  [2]

Miller flew the Wright DH-4; the Curtis Seagull for The Chicago Tribune; Pitcairn PA-3 Orowing; his Miller Corporation MCA-1 Amphibian Biplane; and the autogiro Pitcairn PCA-2. Documents of Miller's life from the 1914 to 1939 reside in the National Air and Space Museum Archives.[2]

Reference section

  1. ^ Keiser, Melissa A. N. "John Matthew Miller III Collection". Smithsonian Online Virtual Archives. Retrieved May 22, 2020. NOTE: John Matthew Miller III (born 1896, died circa 1980s), the subject of this collection, should not be confused with fellow air mail and autogiro pilot John McDonald "Johnny" Miller (1905-2008), occasionally referenced in this collection
  2. ^ a b c "John Matthew Miller III Collection". sova.si.edu. Smithsonian. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  3. ^ "John Matthew Miller Commissioned Ensign". The Tacoma Daily News-page 12. April 2, 1918.
  4. ^ "Aerial Age, Volume 9, Part 2, pg 809". books.google.com. 1919. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Aircraft Firm is Incorporated by Russell Watson". The Daily Home News-page3. August 2, 1927. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  6. ^ "Fowler, Harlan D., 1895-1982". snaccooperative.org. SNAC. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  7. ^ a b "New Plane Turns Over at Airport". The Daily Home News-page1. August 9, 1929. Retrieved July 20, 2020.