The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-01-07
BIRMINGHAM BOY |NVENTS GREATLY IMPROVED A|RSHlP Moses F. Patton Constructs Machine Called Head
 less Biplane"
}6O,OOO COMPANY
 IS INCORPORATED
Father of Inventor Was Prominent in Affairs of Old Elyton-Trial Flights Were Made
 in Florida

Along with the honor of having as a resident one of the greatest statesmen of ghe day. Birmingham can claim the cred It of producing the first man south of he Ohio river to manufacture an aero plane that really will fly. and not only this but an aeroplane that is not copied After one of the popular northern or for bign models.
 Moses F. Patton, a young man 35 years If age, is the inventor of a new so-called hheadless biplane," the idea of which is .trictly his own and which was patented bn December P, 1911. MT. Patton has been conducting a series of experiments at Pablo Beach, Fla, and is highly en- thused over the success with which his Efforts have met. That his belief in the merits of his machine is not personal is shown by the fact that he has interested other well known men to such an extent that articles of incorporation for The Patton Aeroplane Company, lnc.," will be brawn up the first of this week.
 The new company will start business with a capital stock of $60,0O0 and will have workshops at Kisslmee, Fla. These
 
 lays The purpose of the new company Is 10 construct MT. Pattons aeroplane Tor market purposes, and to improve the hew machine until it shall be recognized as one of the best of modern flying ma .hines.
 Born in Birmingham Mir Patton was born in Birmingham In .S77, his father being Bob Patton, lum- per and sawmil man who helped build Elyton, at that time the main part of the sity. It was Bob Patton's mill that cut Inc lumber for the first house ev CT built n Birmingham, and he furnished the material for practically every building h old Elyton. He also constructed the R. s. Munger home, near Elmwood cem- stery, on the Powderly car line. His wife Is living in East Lake at the present lime, having moved there after Patton s ieath.
 Members of the Patton family have been mechanics for three generations and NJ. r. Patton has been interested in me- .hanics ever since he was a small boy. 1t was at an automobile meet in Atlanta | little over a year ago that he saw Aviator Hamilton, who also gave eXhi- bitions at the fair grounds Tn this city ast fall, make a successful flight. That was the first time that Patton had ever seen a flying machine, but he was inn bued with a desire to 'try 1t hlmselt. As a result he immediately began con- structing a machine of his own at his aniAe in Rollins, Ala. This machine was | of flights in 1t, 6ut 'wlitesnd a frrpNun2er saved to take L. trip he fell and demol- shed the craft to such an extent that . Patton was forced to construct another pne.
 Second Machine
 The second machine was also a sue ress but like the first one. 1t was de- stroyed when an over enthused friend tried to make a flight in it. Patton at once started work on q third machine and this one contains four parts that were invented by Patton. The invention has to do with automatic stabilizers that hake the machine stable while in mo- lion. The other inventions are all im- movements of the controlling apparatus.
 MT. Patton had made so many improve nents on the new machine that he then moved to Pablo Beach, where he carried ln his experiments with even greater suc- tess It was here that he resolved to Manufacture the aeroplanes for sale, and he business Of forming company was performed in short order.
 The company is capitalized at $6O,00O and kil build their plant at kissimmee, Fla At this place large tract of ground has been donated to be used as an avia- lion field and MT. Patton states that he conditions are excellent for the work fhe principal office of the plant will be U MT. Patton's home in Rollins, Ala, but all of the work of manufacturing eill be done in Florida. MT. Patton first Intended to construct the plant at All bany Ga, but the better conditions at kissimmee made him decide upon the ptter place. The construction work will tart within the next month.
 The incorporators of the new plant are Sil Birmingham people and are well tnown in this vicinity. They are Moses F. Patton, president; John l.. Tyler, vice
 president. and Hugo F. Bledermann, sec etary and treasurer.