Mars aboard dirigible looked on by his wife
James Cairn Mars (March 8, 1875 - July 25, 1944), also known Bud Mars and the Curtiss Daredevil, was an
aviation pioneer
Aviation pioneers are people directly and indirectly responsible for the advancement of flight, including people who worked to achieve manned flight before the invention of aircraft, as well as others who achieved significant "firsts" in aviation a ...
. He was the eleventh pilot licensed in the United States. As a balloonist, he was a student of
Thomas Scott Baldwin
Thomas Scott Baldwin (June 30, 1854 – May 17, 1923) was a pioneer balloonist and U.S. Army major during World War I. He was the first American to descend from a balloon by parachute.
Early career
Thomas Scott Baldwin was born on June 30, 18 ...
, and as an airplane pilot, of
Glenn Curtiss
Glenn Hammond Curtiss (May 21, 1878 – July 23, 1930) was an American aviation and motorcycling pioneer, and a founder of the U.S. aircraft industry. He began his career as a bicycle racer and builder before moving on to motorcycles. As early ...
.
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Biography
Mars was born on March 8, 1875 in Grand Haven, Michigan
Grand Haven is a city within the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Ottawa County. Grand Haven is located on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Grand River, for which it is named. As of the 2010 census, Grand Ha ...
.
On December 18, 1910, Mars made the longest plane glide on record when his carburetor froze at during an aviation meet in Fresno, California. His usual stunt glides were from . "For the first time ... the band did not play on the descent of a birdman." He glided in a half-mile spiral to land safely. Glenn Curtiss
Glenn Hammond Curtiss (May 21, 1878 – July 23, 1930) was an American aviation and motorcycling pioneer, and a founder of the U.S. aircraft industry. He began his career as a bicycle racer and builder before moving on to motorcycles. As early ...
also performed.
On December 31, 1910, Mars made the first airplane flight in Hawaii on a Curtiss B18 biplane.
He was credited in 1911 with being the first pilot to bring aviation to the Far East
The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.
The ter ...
, although flights had been made in both Japan and Vietnam in late 1910. Mars was the first to fly in both the Philippines and Korea.
He died on July 25, 1944, in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
.
References
External links
findagrave.com
painting of Mars first aeroplane flight in Hawaii
Aviation pioneers
American aviators
1875 births
1944 deaths
People from Grand Haven, Michigan
Members of the Early Birds of Aviation
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