Thomas Wesley Benoist
Thomas "Tom" Wesley Benoist (born December 29, 1874 in Irondale , Missouri , † June 14, 1917 in Sandusky , Ohio ) was an American aviation pioneer .
Benoist is best known for his early flying boats like the Benoist XIV . They were the first to be suitable for passenger transport.
In 1911 he had established a flight school at Kinloch Field, near St. Louis , Missouri . Here he began to develop his own types of aircraft.
On March 1, 1912, US Army Captain Albert Berry made the first parachute jump from an airplane, a Benoist XII . The parachute was developed by Benoist and his chief pilot Tony Jannus and recognized as a US patent.
At the end of 1913, Benoist got the first concession for an airline from Saint Petersburg to Tampa , Florida . The St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line was the world's first regular passenger airline with aircraft heavier than air. She started operations on January 1, 1914 with a Benoist XIV.
Benoist died after a tram accident in 1917.
Web links
- Tom Benoist. In: Early Aviators. George Ficke, Ralph Cooper, accessed August 27, 2019 .
Individual evidence
- ^ Roger E. Robinson: Tom Benoist (1874-1917). In: Historic Missourians. The State Historical Society of Missouri, accessed August 27, 2019 .
- ^ The story of the world's first airline. In: IATA - firstairline-story. IATA , accessed on August 27, 2019 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Benoist, Thomas Wesley |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Benoist, Tom |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American aviation pioneer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 29, 1874 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Irondale |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 14, 1917 |
| Place of death | Sandusky (Ohio) , Ohio |