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 a ...

Biography

Mars was born on March 8, 1875 in Grand Haven, Michigan. 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.

also performed. JC Mars, pilot of the dirigible balloon, Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposiition, Seattle, Washington, 1909 (AYP 221)

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.compainting 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 {{aviation-bio-stub