J. Clifford Turpin
James Clifford Turpin | |
---|---|
![]() Thomas DeWitt Milling and Turpin in 1912 | |
Born | 6 May 1886 |
Died | January 1966 |
Resting place | Lothrop Hill Cemetery, Barnstable, Massachusetts |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Purdue University |
Occupation | Pilot till 1912 |
Employer | Wright Exhibition team |
Known for | Aviation pioneer and exhibition flyer |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b1/John_Rodgers_%28naval_officer%2C_World_War_I%29_and_James_Clifford_Turpin_%28right%29_between_1910_and_1912_-_%28cropped%29.jpg/220px-John_Rodgers_%28naval_officer%2C_World_War_I%29_and_James_Clifford_Turpin_%28right%29_between_1910_and_1912_-_%28cropped%29.jpg)
James Clifford Turpin (6 May 1886 – January 1966) was a pioneer aviator with the Wright Exhibition Team.[1]
Biography
[edit]He was born on May 6, 1886.
He attended Purdue University, the first graduate (class of 1908) to receive a pilot's license. Turpin joined the Wright Exhibition team in 1910, flying demonstrations across the country. The group was disbanded in 1911. In May 1912, Turpin rented a Wright Model C for his own exhibitions. While flying his Fowler-Gage biplane in a Seattle stadium, Turpin clipped an iron railing whilst avoiding a cameraman, and veered into a grandstand, killing two spectators.[2] After the death of his flying partner, Phil Parmalee, in Yakima, Washington, Turpin quit flying.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/Clifford_Turpin%2C_1912_Fowler-Gage_biplane_crash%2C_Meadows_Race-Track%2C_Seattle.jpg/220px-Clifford_Turpin%2C_1912_Fowler-Gage_biplane_crash%2C_Meadows_Race-Track%2C_Seattle.jpg)
He died in January 1966. He was buried in Lothrop Hill Cemetery in Barnstable, Massachusetts. Turpin reputedly was the father of one daughter.[3]
External links
[edit]- J. Clifford Turpin at Find a Grave
- Washington's first airplane fatality occurs at the Meadows Race Track in Georgetown on May 30, 1912.
References
[edit]- ^ Air and Space Magazine, February 2016 : "Clifford Turpin, King of the Air" by Paul Glenshaw, Retrieved August 18, 2017
- ^ "Premier Performer". Air & Space. April 2008.
- ^ "James Clifford Turpin". Early Aviators. Retrieved 2010-11-04.