James J. Ward (born Jens P. Wilson in 1886 in Denmark – January 7, 1923) was a pioneer aviator who made one of the earliest attempts at

transcontinental flight A transcontinental flight is a non-stop passenger flight from one side of a continent to the other. The term usually refers to flights across the United States, between the East and West Coasts. History The first transcontinental multi-stop fl ...

Biography

He flew a

Curtiss Model D The 1911 Curtiss Model D (or frequently "Curtiss Pusher") was an early United States pusher aircraft with the engine and propeller behind the pilot's seat. It was among the first aircraft in the world to be built in any quantity, during an era ...

pusher biplane named the "Hearst Pathfinder". On September 13, 1911 he attempted to win the

William Randolph Hearst Prize The Hearst prize was a $50,000 (approximately $ today) aviation prize offered by publisher William Randolph Hearst in October 1910 to the first aviator to fly coast to coast across the United States, in either direction, in fewer than 30 days from s ...

flying from

Governors Island Governors Island is a island in New York Harbor, within the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located approximately south of Manhattan Island, and is separated from Brooklyn to the east by the Buttermilk Channel. The National Park ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. He withdrew from the race on September 22, 1911 after his aircraft's engine failed and he crashed in

Addison, New York Addison is a town in Steuben County, New York. The population was 2,397 at the 2020 census. The name was selected to honor the author Joseph Addison. The Town of Addison includes a village, also called Addison, which is an interior town in the ...

References

External links

James J. Ward
at Early Aviators 1880s births 1923 deaths 1911 in aviation Danish emigrants to the United States {{aviation-bio-stub