Federation of American Aero Clubs

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Around the beginning of February, 1908, the Aeronautique Club of Chicago extended invitations to a number of clubs across the country to send delegates to a meeting, 21-22 February, followed by a banquet on 22 February, at the Chicago Automobile Club. Incorporation papers for the soon-to-be Federation of American Aero Clubs along with an application for a charter were filed in Springfield, Illinois, 15 Feb. 1908, by 12 incorporators, apparently from the Aeronautique Club of Chicago; the charter was granted on 17 February. It was reported that delegates from 21 aero clubs or cities in the US and one from Canada attended the meeting and joined the Federation of American Aero Clubs. Delegates came from Chicago, New Orleans, Toledo, Birmingham, Nashville, Atlanta, Buffalo, Quincy, Galesburg, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Denver, Wichita, St. Louis, Utica, Cincinnati, Peoria, San Antonio, Fort Worth, Philadelphia, Streator (IL), and Winnepeg, Canada. Given that the Terre Haute (IN) delegate was elected a director, it appears that it U.S. delegates came from 22 cities.

Initial officers of the Federation of American Aero Clubs (FAAC) included Charles A. Coey, president of the Aeronautique Club of Chicago, president; C. E. Gregory, Chicago, secretary, and M. A. Heimann, St. Louis, treasurer. The participation and election of Heimann was denounced by the Aero Club of St. Louis, which was not invited to the meeting. The Aero Club of America, considered a rival organization given that it was the USA member of the International Aeronautic Federation (FAI), had also not been invited. The Aero Club of Louisville joined the FAAC in April 1908 after it won the support of the FAAC for a balloon race the Louisville club was planning for the fall of 1908. Not all the locations represented appear to have had aero clubs or societies when the FAAC was formed in January 1908 and our research has not yet been determined what clubs or societies joined the FAAC initially. Coey was expected to visit the recently organized Seattle Aero Club, which see, in February or March 1909 with his aeroplane and a dirgible balloon to give test flights for the purpose of interesting the people of Seattle in air navigation.

In August 1908, the FAAC was reported to be planning race meets starting from Columbus, Ohio, on 29 August and from Chicago on 12 September. A transcontinental balloon race, to be held in November, was also said being planned. However, we have no reports that any of these meets was ever held. Referred to erroneously in the Washington Post, 7 Feb. 1909, as American Federation of Aero Clubs.

Sources

  • 1908 Chicago Daily Tribune, 2, 16, 21 & 22 Feb.; 21 June and 3 July; 1908 WP, 9 Feb.; 1908 St. Louis Post Dispatch, 22 Feb., 29 June, 4 July, and 2 Aug.; 1908 NYT, 10 & 19 Apr., 2 Aug.; 1908 WP, 5 July; 1908 Baltimore Sun, 5 July; 1908 Manchester Guardian, 7 July; 1908 LA Times, 13 & 23 Aug.; 1909 WP, 2 Feb.


Organization names Federation of American Aero Clubs
Entity type
Country US
City Chicago, Illinois
Affiliated with
Scope National
Started aero 1908
Ended aero
Keywords
Key people
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