| ARCHIBALD "ARCH" HOXSEY 1884-1910 |
| Arch Hoxsey in Flight - Oct. 6, 1910 This photo was taken just prior to his October 1910 flight from Springfield to Saint Louis, Missouri, in which he set a new non-stop distance record, of 104 miles. |
ARCH HOXSEY was born at Staunton, Illinois, October 15, 1884. He went to California with his parents as a young child. He became interested in automobiles when only a boy and remained in that trade for four years. His understanding of machinery, his daring while driving caught the attention of the Wright Brothers and he entered their service at the age of eighteen. He worked in their aeroplane factory and became one of their most skilled mechanics. He first attained prominence as a flyer at Asbury Park, N. J., in September, 1910, and was once looked upon as one of the most daring of professionals. He held the American record for sustained flight across country, making 190 miles from Springfield, Illinois, to Clayton, Missouri, in October, 1910, and took ex-President Roosevelt for a flight at St. Louis. He flew from Los Angeles to Mt. Wilson and return on December 29, making an altitude of 10,500 feet, and later rose to more than 11,000 feet. He was killed the last day of the year, when returning to earth in a series of perilous glides. ONLINE RESOURCES If you search for "Arch Hoxsey", using the Google search engine, (6-1-05), you will find about 377 links! Perhaps among the most helpful are the following. The Frank Coffyn Collection : Archibald Hoxsey This page on the "Frank Coffyn Collection" website of the Empire State Aerosciences Museum offers a brief biography of Arch and five very nice photographs from his collection. You can access the page by clicking on the title above. If you are not already familiar with this wonderful online resource, please take advantage of the opportunity to visit the homepage and sample some of the many other fine subjects. WRIGHT BROTHER'S EXHIBITION TEAM This page offers a very comprehensive revue of the activities of Arch Hoxsey and Ralph Johnstone as the most famous exhibition pilots of the team. You can access the site by clicking on the title above. Arch Hoxsey and Teddy Roosevelt Just recently, (5-31-05), Harland Hoxsey reminded me that Arch had taken Teddy Roosevelt for a ride in his Wright Model B aeroplane. Thus, Teddy became the first president to fly in a plane. Of the many links to the story of this event, this one on the "In Depth: The Wrights on Film" section of the Wright Experience website offers a short silent film of the flight. You can access the page by clicking on the title above. If you have a pop-up preventer on your computer, you will have to disable it to view the film. Sources: www.earlyaviators.com Ralph Cooper |
| Arch Hoxsey Collection of David Weisner, 10-18-06 |
