Harry J. Brooks
Encyclopedia
Harry J. Brooks was an American
test pilot
. His crash of the Ford Flivver
for the Stout Metal Airplane Division of the Ford Motor Company
in 1928 was citied with the great depression as a factor in Henry Ford
exiting the aviation business..
to biplane maker, William Boeing
by handing him the controls and sitting back in the passenger cabin. For the first night flight of a Ford Trimotor, Brooks flew Charles Lindbergh
's mother from Detroit to Cleveland. Brooks was also the pilot that flew Lindbergh's mother to Mexico alongside the Spirit of St. Louis
in their 1927 publicity trips. On February 10, 1927, Brooks flew the first aircraft guided solely by a radio-beacon system.
When Ford released the new Ford Flivver in 1926, Brooks used the prototype to fly to his home just north of Ford Airport
. Brooks set out on a record setting flight in a updated Ford Flivver in 1928. He flew from Detroit to Miami. He experienced a forced landing in Ashville North Carolina, still setting a world record flight of 1200 miles unrefueled. Brooks then repaired a propeller from another forced landing in Titusville, Florida
. He took off over the Atlantic ocean and the plane crashed just offshore. Harry Brooks body was never found.
Brooks was slated to be a pilot for Richard Evelyn Byrd
's expeditions.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
test pilot
Test pilot
A test pilot is an aviator who flies new and modified aircraft in specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques or FTTs, allowing the results to be measured and the design to be evaluated....
. His crash of the Ford Flivver
Ford Flivver
The Ford Flivver was a single-seat aircraft introduced by Henry Ford as the "Model T of the Air". After a fatal crash in the prototype, production plans were halted.-Development:...
for the Stout Metal Airplane Division of the Ford Motor Company
Stout Metal Airplane Division of the Ford Motor Company
Stout Metal Airplane Division of the Ford Motor Company was an American aircraft manufacturer founded by William Bushnell Stout. The company was purchased by Ford Motor Company in 1924 and produced the Ford Trimotor. In the height of the Depression, Ford closed the aircraft design and production...
in 1928 was citied with the great depression as a factor in Henry Ford
Henry Ford
Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...
exiting the aviation business..
Early life
Harry Brooks was hired as a test pilot for the Stout Metal Airplane Division of the Ford Motor Company. Henry Ford nicknamed Harry, "Brooksie". He was the son of Henry Ford's favorite fiddler. Brooks demonstrated the capabilities of the new monowing Ford TrimotorFord Trimotor
The Ford Trimotor was an American three-engined transport plane that was first produced in 1925 by the companies of Henry Ford and that continued to be produced until June 7, 1933. Throughout its time in production, a total of 199 Ford Trimotors were produced...
to biplane maker, William Boeing
William Boeing
William Edward Boeing was an American aviation pioneer who founded The Boeing Company.-Biography:Boeing was born to a wealthy German mining engineer named Wilhelm Böing who had made a fortune and who had a sideline as a timber merchant...
by handing him the controls and sitting back in the passenger cabin. For the first night flight of a Ford Trimotor, Brooks flew Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...
's mother from Detroit to Cleveland. Brooks was also the pilot that flew Lindbergh's mother to Mexico alongside the Spirit of St. Louis
Spirit of St. Louis
The Spirit of St. Louis is the custom-built, single engine, single-seat monoplane that was flown solo by Charles Lindbergh on May 20–21, 1927, on the first non-stop flight from New York to Paris for which Lindbergh won the $25,000 Orteig Prize.Lindbergh took off in the Spirit from Roosevelt...
in their 1927 publicity trips. On February 10, 1927, Brooks flew the first aircraft guided solely by a radio-beacon system.
When Ford released the new Ford Flivver in 1926, Brooks used the prototype to fly to his home just north of Ford Airport
Ford Airport (Dearborn)
Ford Airport in Dearborn, Michigan was one of the first modern airports in the world. The airport operated from 1924 to 1947, and the site is now part of Ford Motor Company's Dearborn Proving Ground. The airport is about 360 acres in size....
. Brooks set out on a record setting flight in a updated Ford Flivver in 1928. He flew from Detroit to Miami. He experienced a forced landing in Ashville North Carolina, still setting a world record flight of 1200 miles unrefueled. Brooks then repaired a propeller from another forced landing in Titusville, Florida
Titusville, Florida
Titusville is a city in Brevard County, Florida in the United States. It is the county seat of Brevard County. Nicknamed Space City, USA, Titusville is on the Indian River, west of Merritt Island and the Kennedy Space Center and south-southwest of the Canaveral National Seashore...
. He took off over the Atlantic ocean and the plane crashed just offshore. Harry Brooks body was never found.
Brooks was slated to be a pilot for Richard Evelyn Byrd
Richard Evelyn Byrd
Rear Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd, Jr., USN was a naval officer who specialized in feats of exploration. He was a pioneering American aviator, polar explorer, and organizer of polar logistics...
's expeditions.