Oliver George Simmons (July 14, 1878 – April 9, 1948) was an early airplane mechanic and aviator.
Life[edit]
He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He joined the U.S. Army Signal Corps and served in the Philippines from 1899 to 1902. He became a private first class.[1] He married Dual Leaman on July 12, 1904. He studied at Catholic University.
As a civilian mechanic working for the army, he was assigned to the Wright Military Flyer.[2] He went with it to College Park Airport, and Fort Sam Houston.[3] On 8 August 1910, he installed tricycle landing gear, with Glen Madole.[4][5]
On July 14, 1911, he left to work for Robert J. Collier.[2][6] He learned to fly at Dayton, Ohio, and Wickatunk, New Jersey, where he soloed on May 18, 1912. On July 4, 1912, he flew a Wright-Burgess seaplane, from South Amboy to Perth Amboy, across the Raritan River, to drop mail.[7]
He worked for National Tool Company in Cleveland, Ohio and became president and general manager, a position he held until his retirement in 1936.[2]
He died at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.[1][2]
Legacy[edit]
He is an inductee of the Aviation Hall of Fame and Museum of New Jersey.
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Simmons, Oliver G.", Army Cemeteries Explorer website. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Oliver G. Simmons, 70, To Be Buried Tuesday; Flew With Wrights", The Sunday Star, Washington, DC, 96th year, number 102, April 11, 1948, page A-34. (obituary) (subscription required)
- ^ "1909 Wright Military Flyer". Wright-brothers.org. Retrieved 2016-11-23.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). www.pacaf.af.mil. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 June 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ The Knuckle-Busters airforcemag.com January 2019
- ^ "Purchasing and Supporting the Army's First Airplane". Avstop.com. Retrieved 2016-11-23.
- ^ "US Airport Dedication Covers – New Jersey". Aerodacious.com. Retrieved 2016-11-23.
External links[edit]
- Ralph S. Cooper, D.V.M. "Oliver G. Simmons". Earlyaviators.com. Retrieved 2016-11-23.