Oliver George Simmons

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Oliver Simmons back row wearing vest, hands on hips, with crew and Signal Corps No.1 Wright Flyer

Oliver George Simmons (July 14, 1878 – April 9, 1948) was an early airplane mechanic and aviator.

Life

He was born in

Catholic University
.

As a civilian mechanic working for the army, he was assigned to the Wright Military Flyer.[2] He went with it to College Park Airport, and Fort Sam Houston.[3] On 8 August 1910, he installed tricycle landing gear, with Glen Madole.[4][5]

On July 14, 1911, he left to work for

Perth Amboy, across the Raritan River, to drop mail.[7]

He worked for National Tool Company in Cleveland, Ohio and became president and general manager, a position he held until his retirement in 1936.[2]

He died at

Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.[1][2]

Legacy

He is an inductee of the Aviation Hall of Fame and Museum of New Jersey.

References

  1. ^ a b "Simmons, Oliver G.", Army Cemeteries Explorer website. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d "Oliver G. Simmons, 70, To Be Buried Tuesday; Flew With Wrights", The Sunday Star, Washington, DC, 96th year, number 102, April 11, 1948, page A-34. (obituary) (subscription required)
  3. ^ "1909 Wright Military Flyer". Wright-brothers.org. Retrieved 2016-11-23.
  4. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). www.pacaf.af.mil. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 June 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ^ The Knuckle-Busters airforcemag.com January 2019
  6. ^ "Purchasing and Supporting the Army's First Airplane". Avstop.com. Retrieved 2016-11-23.
  7. ^ "US Airport Dedication Covers – New Jersey". Aerodacious.com. Retrieved 2016-11-23.

External links