Archibald Hoxsey
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Archibald Hoxsey (October 15, 1884 – December 31, 1910) was an early aviator for the Wright brothers.
He was born in Staunton, Illinois on October 15, 1884, and used the name Arch Hoxsey. He flew with the Wright Exhibition Team, and flew from Springfield, Ohio to Saint Louis, Missouri, to set a new non-stop distance record, of 104 miles. On May 25, 1910 he made the first nighttime flight at the Wright Flying School near Montgomery, Alabama. Walter Brookins and Archibald Hoxsey piloted the plane, which the Montgomery Advertiser described as "glinting now and then in the moonlight" during flight. Hoxsey also brought the first aeroplane, a Wright model B, to Grand Forks, North Dakota and made the first flight in the state on July 19, 1910. On October 11, 1910 he took Theodore Roosevelt up in an airplane, the first flight by a U.S. President. Because of their dueling altitude record attempts, he and Ralph Johnstone were nicknamed the "heavenly twins". Archibald died in a crash on December 31, 1910 in Los Angeles, California trying to set a flight altitude record. He was killed the same day as fellow aviator John Moisant. A Hoxsey street was established in his memory in Los Angeles not long after his death. The street existed up until at least the 1970s but is no longer in existence.
[edit] External links
- Archibald Hoxsey bibliography
- Early Aviators: Archibald Hoxsey
- North Dakota first flight
- Video of flight with Theodore Roosevelt in 1910
- Hoxsey's own description of Roosevelt flight October 12 1910 United Press International
- Photo of Arch Hoxsey & President Roosevelt seated in Wright Flyer prior to their flight
- Another camera angle of Hoxsey & President Roosevelt in Wright aeroplane before their flight
[edit] References
- Hoxsey trading card
- New York Times, August 20, 1910; Airmen Play Tag With Moonbeams; Hoxsey And Johnstone Unexpectedly Make Two Night Flights At Asbury Park. Asbury Park, New Jersey, August 19, 1910. With no one to watch them save the night birds and a few invited friends. Arch Hoxsey and Ralph Johnstone, the young Wright airmen, winged their way up among the moonbeams between 10:00 and 10:30 o'clock tonight.
- New York Times, October 9, 1910; Flight Of 104 Miles Is Made By Hoxsey; In Wright Biplane He Goes From Springfield To St. Louis With A Detour. St. Louis, Missouri; October 8, 1910. After making the longest continuous aeroplane flight recorded in America, Arch Hoxsey, who soared aloft in a Wright biplane at Springfield, Illinois, at 11:56 this morning, landed upon the lawn of the St. Louis Country Club shortly before 3 o'clock this afternoon, Although the distance to St. Louis from Springfield is only 88 miles, Hoxsey made a detour that brought his continued flight up to 104 miles.
- New York Times, Sunday, January 1, 1911; Wrights Deplore Hoxsey. He Was One Of The Most Promising And Intrepid Of Aviators, They Say. Dayton, Ohio; December 31, 1910. The announcement of the death of Arch Hoxsey at Los Angeles today came as a terrible shock to Wilbur and Orville Wright, but they emphatically declared that they did not care to discuss the accident until they had heard further details and had received a statement of the conditions under which it occurred from some experienced aviator who witnessed it.
- Time (magazine); Monday, June 11, 1928; I have a picture of President Roosevelt seated in a plane which was of the "pusher" type: Beneath the picture is the following notation: "Colonel Roosevelt in a Wright Aeroplane at St. Louis. Archibald Hoxsey, who carried the Colonel twice around the Park, a distance of 4½ miles, is seen talking to Mr. Roosevelt, who was most enthusiastic over his experience, declaring he never felt a bit of fear. This picture shows the Colonel as he took his seat. Before starting he took off his hat and put on a cap." Unfortunately the picture is not dated but the information may be of interest to those who are debating the "Rough Rider's" courage anent leaving terra firma.
