The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1944-08-24

On Sunday, August ID, Richard
H. Depew, Jr., Special Projects
Manager for Fairchild Aircraft Di-
vision, climbed into an F-24 on the
Fairchild apron at Hagerstown Air
port and took off for what appeared
to be an ordinary Sunday afternoon
pleasure jaunt. Accompanying him
was his 13-year-old son.
But this was no routine fight. for
Depew is one of the worlds oldest
pilots, and last Sunday marked the
33rd anniversary of his first solo
flight-made also on a Sunday back
in 1911. The veteran airman has
been an active pilot for a third of
century. In the comparatively
young aviation industry, few men
can lay claim to such a record.
Dick Depew was an undergradu-
ate of Cornell University in the
summer of 1911 when his parents
took him with them on a vacation
trip to Europe. The young student
had already become intensely inter
ested in elders and Flying ma
chimes" as a charter member of the
Cornell Aero Club and soon after
arriving in Paris he determined to
learn to fly. After much persuasion,
he gained parental consent and
journeyed to Buc, France-to the
aerodrome of the Farman brothers,
famous in that early day for their
achievements in the art of flying.
With these French air pioneers,
the American boy signed one of the
first flight instruction contracts ev-
er made. 1t was drawn up in Eng
fish and stated that the brothers
undertake to teach up to the OBJ
tention of the pilote certificate for
$500 francs. All risks of breakage
and all expenses incurred during
tuition are at the expense of the
Societe when Mr.. Depew fly with
the pilote, breakage only being at
the expense Of Mr.. DepeW when he
fly alone
''It is also understood that the
Societe Henry and Maurice Far
man declines all responsibility as to
accidents or damages which occur
to Mr.. Depew during his tuition
either due to fault of the pilotse,
himself or of the machine, and Mr..
Depew declares that he agrees to
this and that in no case will he or
his parents take any action against
the Societe on account of accidents
which might occur to him"
Young Depew began his instruc-
ton under the tutelage of Maurice
Farman, and the idea of an Ameri-
can boy taking flying lessons in
France was SO unusual in 1911 that
bulletins on his daily progress were
carried by the Paris edition of the
New York Herald.
Fortunately, there were no acct
dents, damages or breakage, and af-
ter a ridiculously brief period of
training, judged by today's student
pilote requirements, Dick made his
solo flight on Sunday. August IS,
1911. Shortly thereafter, he re-
ceived his license from the Aero
Club of France, the Federation
Aeronautique Internationale, and
thus became the second youngest
licensed pilot in the world
His vacation ended, Dick returned
to Cornell to resume a course in en-
gineering. However, his newly
found talent for flying had kindled
an unquenchable flame of ambition
to make a career of airplanes, and
so he continued his studies in aero
nautics Several years after leav-
ing college, he joined, the Curtiss
organization and became a flying in
structor and test pilot. In 1913, he
tested the first airmail plane bought
by the government for a scheduled
run between New York and Wash
ington. Later, that same year, he
served as test pilot with the rank of