The Monmouth inquirer., 1922-09-14
AIR QUARTET Dies
AT VERMONT FAIR
Flying Parson and His Two Avia-
tion Associates Drop 5000
Feet to Doom.
PARACHUTE FAILS TO OPEN
BalIoonist Meets Like Fate When,
Dropping 1900 Feet, Parachute
Fails to open-crowd of
10000 Sees Fall.

Rutland, vt.-For crowd of 10000
people assembled at the Rutland Fair
Grounds flying circus" staged with
airplanes and balloons, was turned into
a tragedy, four participants meeting
death. An airplane crashed from
height of 1000 feet, carrying to their
death the pilot, mechanic and pas
senger. A few hours later an aeronaut,
leaping from balloon 1900 feet in the
air, was killed when his parachute
failed to open.
The dead are Lieut.. Belvin w. May
nard, known throughout the country
as 'the flying parson," pilot of the air
plane; Lieut.. L. r. Wood of Ticon-
6eroga, N. Y, passenger with May
nard; Charles Mionette of Plattsburg,
n. Y, mechanic, and Henry A. (Dare-
devil) Smith of Boston, an aeronaut.
Lieutenant Maynard and his COM
panions, who had been making daily
fights at the fair grounds, fell to
earth about 1 o'clock in field near
the grounds. Hardly had the crowi
recovered from the shock of this when
the second accident came.
Smith,, professional aeronaut, had
already made two successful parachute
leaps at various attitudes during the
afternoon. At his third attempt the
parachute was seen to open slightly,
then close. Then the aeronaut dropped
like a plummet, falling just outside
the fence of the grounds.
Smith, who was forty-three years Of
age, had been giving parachute es-
hibitions at fairs throughout the east
for the last ten years. Two years ago,
while attempting a parachute drop
from an airplane at Lynn, Mass, he
fell 800 feet and was severely injured.
The pilot of the plane was killed. The
aeronaut claimed that his average was
thirty parachute drops a year.
Lieutenant Wood and Mionette, who,
with Lieutenant. Maynard, comprised
the personnel of flying circus that
had entertained large crowds daily for
a week with stunt flying, went up as
passengers with Maynard. Both were
Instantly killed, while Maynard was
breathing while spectators rushed to
the wreck. He died on the way to a
hospital.
The three aviators, using Maynard's
machine, took off the field about l
O'Clock for an exhibition flight. They
had performed several of the stunts
ON their program when at an altitude
of 1000 feet Lieutenant Maynard tried
tail spin, apparently believing that
he was at greater altitude. The plane
refused to respond and fell into
nose dive landing in a cornfield at the
edge of the fair grounds, a mass OF
wreckage.
Governor Hartness and his staff were
among the crowd, which was the
largest in the history of the fair.
The body of Lieutenant Maynard
was sent to his home at Maynard, n.
G. The local post of the American
Legion took charge of the arrange
ments and escorted the coffin to the
train.
The death of Belvin w. Maynard,
popularity known as "The Flying Par
son." removes from the aeronautical
world an international figure. Winner
of the New York to Toront0'and return
aerial Derby and the New York to San
Francisco race, postwar competitions,
he became known throughout the
world as one of the leading aviators.
During the war Lieutenant Maynard
was one of the chief test pilots sta
toned in France, where he tried out
hundreds of airplanes sent over for
the American forces.
Maynard was unique personality in
aeronautics by, reason of his pre-war
activities. AT the outbreak of the war
he was studying for the ministry in the
Baptist Seminary at Kerr, N. G. He
filled small charges in the country dis
trict.
Displaying remarkable aptitude for
air service, Maynard quickly won his
wings and was designated a reserve
military aviator, with the rank Of first
lieutenant.