Edgar Wirt Bagnell (November 20, 1890 – August 27, 1958) was a pioneer aviator who was a member of the

Early Birds of Aviation Gallery The Early Birds of Aviation is an organization devoted to the history of early pilots. The organization was started in 1928 and accepted a membership of 598 pioneering aviators. Membership was limited to ...

Biography

He was born near

McCool Junction, Nebraska McCool Junction is a village in York County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 409 at the 2010 census. History McCool Junction, originally known as McCool, was platted in 1886 when the railroad was extended to that point. The city ...

, on November 20, 1890. He learned to fly at

Newport News, Virginia Newport News () is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the 5th most populous city in Virginia and 140th most populous city in the Uni ...

, in 1915. He was in charge of the 191st Combat Reconnaissance Squadron but by time his training ended

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

was over. After the war, he worked for

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 ...

as a

test pilot A test pilot is an aircraft pilot with additional training to fly and evaluate experimental, newly produced and modified aircraft with specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques.Stinton, Darrol. ''Flying Qualities and Flight Testing ...

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

. He later worked in the

trucking industry Road transport or road transportation is a type of transport using roads. Transport on roads can be roughly grouped into the transportation of goods and transportation of people. In many countries licensing requirements and safety regulations e ...

, in the racing car business, in advertising and outdoor

sign painting Sign painting is the craft of painting lettered signs on buildings, billboards or signboards, for promoting, announcing, or identifying products, services and events. Sign painting artisans are signwriters. History Signwriters often learned th ...

. He later piloted for a Mexican airline. While 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' ...

, in 1926 he was a student at the

Chouinard Art School Chouinard may refer to: Surname * Bobby Chouinard, baseball player * Eric Chouinard, hockey player * Guy Chouinard, hockey player * Josée Chouinard, Canadian figure skater * Julien Chouinard, Puisne Justice of the Canadian Supreme Court * Ma ...

. In later life, he had a job as a skilled machinist in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...

. He died at a nursing home in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

, on August 27, 1958.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bagnell, Edgar Wirt Members of the Early Birds of Aviation 1890 births 1958 deaths