PART THREE
 The following is exerted from CLYDE CESSNA AND THE BIRTH OF A LEGEND, by Edward H. Phillips published Sep. ’96 Aviation History Feature. Mr. Phillips has written the most authoritative biographical works on Clyde Vernon Cessna and Cessna Aircraft Company. His books, “Cessna—A Master’s Expression”  and “Wings of Cessna” are only available through used book websites.

         Confident that he was ready to perform exhibition flying and recoup his investment, Cessna further modified his airplane during the winter months of 1912. In April, he flew eight miles at Enid and was pleased with his piloting ability and the monoplane’s performance.   He formed the Cessna Exhibition Company to handle all contracts for flying. The business had its headquarters at Enid, but a branch office also was established in Rago, Kan. The Pond Creek Boosters Club was among the first to sign Clyde to a flying contract. He was obligated to fly for a minimum of five minutes during the Fourth of July celebration–without crashing. If successful, upon landing he would receive 75 percent of the gate receipts in cash.    The wind blew strong on July 4, however, and it was 8 p.m. before the gale subsided enough for Clyde to attempt a flight. Anxious to prove his mettle and earn some much-needed cash, he took off without incident but crashed after losing control of the machine. Unhurt, frustrated but determined to succeed, Cessna packed up the damaged aircraft and went home empty-handed.
          Major repairs were quickly completed, and Cessna was back in the flying business a month later. He signed a contract to fly at Kremlin, Okla., on August 14, and the aviator from Enid stayed aloft for six minutes and landed safely, earning $200 for his efforts and delighting the crowd.
In September he flew at the Old Settler’s Reunion Celebration at Jet, and for the first time in Cessna’s brief career, the weather cooperated. There was almost no wind. He was performing a figure eight in the sky when a leaking fuel tank forced him to land. The plane was undamaged, but Clyde’s profits suffered.
          Between engagements, Cessna tinkered incessantly with both the airframe and the engine. At Cherokee, Okla., in October 1912, Silverwing performed flawlessly and reached an altitude of nearly 2,000 feet, thrilling the spectators below. At long last, the Cessna Exhibition Company was literally flying high and making a profit.  Cessna flew over Enid on November 25 and stayed aloft for 15 minutes–one of his longest flights up to that time. He flew at Enid again on Christmas Eve, flying a wide circle over the city and remaining airborne for 20 minutes. Flushed with success, Cessna shipped his monoplane to Rago, Kan., and shifted his base of operation there for the winter months.
          All the repair work opened Cessna’s eyes to another business opportunity. By 1913 he’d built himself a new, even better airplane and, during a weekend of exhibition flying across the state line in Kansas, he mentioned to the civic leaders of Wichita that he’d like to establish an airplane factory there. The idea was well received, although nothing happened right away.
             Despite the bitter cold, on January 1, 1913, Cessna flew at Belmont and made six more flights that month in various Kansas towns. He was making from $100 to as much as $400 for each flight, and he flew additional exhibitions in February and March before returning to Enid.
        Cessna’s chief reason for returning to Oklahoma was to build a new monoplane. Silverwing had served him well, but “the old tub” had earned its retirement after two years of hard flying, crashes, and countless repairs.  Clyde and Roy Cessna and their helpers worked to complete the new aircraft by spring. Although resembling the Queen/ Blériot ship in overall design, the new Cessna plane featured increased wingspan and chord, a longer fuselage that was completely covered with fabric, and a larger rudder. Although conventional rudder operation was by a single cable connected from the pedals or rudder bar to each side of the rudder, Cessna’s system was different. He crossed the rudder cables. For left rudder movement, the right rudder control was pushed; for right rudder movement, the left control was used. Silverwing also had that rudder arrangement.
         On June 6, 1913, the new ship took to the air for the first time. It flew well, but it was damaged slightly during landing, chiefly because of Cessna’s unfamiliarity with the machine.  Only days later, Clyde and his repaired monoplane were busy flying exhibitions in Kansas towns. He earned $100­$200 for each flight lasting five minutes, and in August was paid $400 in Nashville, Kan., for two flights. In September, he flew in Liberal and took home $600 for three flights, followed in October by aerial exhibitions at Stafford that earned him another $400 in cash. On October 17, Cessna flew for 16 minutes and became one of the first aviators to fly over downtown Wichita.  Like many other pilots in the exhibition business, Cessna had a varied bag of tricks he used to draw people to the flying field. One of his most successful ploys was to drop a football from an altitude of 1,000 feet. Anyone who caught the ball received $5; if no one caught it, the first person to retrieve the ball earned $2.50. Since admission to see Cessna fly was only 25 cents, scrambling for a pigskin was well worth the effort.   
         Clyde Cessna officially opened the Cessna Aeroplane Exhibition Company’s flying school in June 1917. Five eager young men were enrolled as students. Cost for the course was $400 per person, and the course of instruction would take up to eight weeks to complete. The schedule was arduous. Students arrived at 4:30 a.m. to begin class, primarily because the air was smooth in the early hours of the morning and the winds were gentle, good conditions for the flight portions of the course. They studied engine mechanics and operation and flight control systems, as well as the theory of flight. To teach the mechanics of flying, the 1913 monoplane with its Elbridge engine was suspended by block and tackle from the rafters of the factory building. One at a time, the would-be aviators ascended a ladder, clambered into the cramped cockpit and moved the controls in accordance with their mentor’s instructions.  After the rudiments of control were learned, the airplane was moved outside to teach the students how to start the engine, taxi and begin the takeoff roll. Cessna observed his charges with a trained eye and evaluated each one for his potential as a pilot. He was planning to select the two best students as pilots for his exhibition company, which already had bookings for more than 30 flights during the upcoming autumn season.  Three of the young birdmen had soloed in the fragile monoplane by July, making takeoffs and flying straight ahead for a few hundred feet before landing.
        As 1918 approached, civilian flying activity decreased because fuel rationing measures had been enacted and the nation had achieved a full wartime footing. Interest in Cessna’s airplane factory and flying school waned, and the brothers were forced to abandon their Wichita facilities and their dreams of selling airplanes. Remembering his farming roots, Clyde Cessna returned to Adams and tilled the soil to help feed American dough boys and support the war effort. He continued to operate a custom threshing business after the war.

The following is exerted from CLYDE CESSNA AND THE BIRTH OF A LEGEND, by Edward H. Phillips published Sep. ’96 Aviation History Feature. Mr. Phillips has written the most authoritative biographical works on Clyde Vernon Cessna and Cessna Aircraft Company. His books, “Cessna—A Master’s Expression”  and “Wings of Cessna” are only available through used book websites.
 
     Roy Cessna closed his eyes tightly and turned his head to the side as salt dust struck him in the face. He dug in his heels and gripped the Queen monoplane in a vain attempt to restrain the machine. The engine roared, belching acrid exhaust fumes that cloaked the airplane in clouds of black smoke.
     Small chunks of salt crust smacked Cessna in the legs and ankles. The monoplane vibrated, straining to be free. Then the pilot signaled–-Cessna released his grip and quickly stepped clear of the machine. Shielding his face from the flying salt, he anxiously watched as the fragile aircraft gathered speed for takeoff on the Great Salt Plains near Jet, Okla.
      The ship lifted from the hard ground after rolling only a few hundred feet and sailed aloft to a mere 50 feet. The pilot struggled to keep the tiny craft level as the unrelenting winds buffeted both man and machine. Suddenly, a gust! One wing dipped alarmingly low. Gritting his teeth, the aviator made quick, stabbing inputs to the wing-warping controls in an effort to remedy the ship’s balance. Lethargically, the craft responded.
     Without warning, another gust struck the machine, then another. As the pilot fought to control the reluctant monoplane, its engine overheated and began to run rough, losing precious power. Although he had been in the air less than one minute, the aviator knew it was time to land. Wisely, he shut off the engine’s ignition and began the treacherous descent to the ground. The winds seemed determined to destroy the ship. Gripping the stick with both hands, the pilot managed to keep the craft headed toward terra firma. Then, almost as suddenly as they had come, the winds mercifully subsided–but only for a fleeting moment.
      The time had come to land. The salt flats rushed up at the monoplane. “Back stick!” the pilot thought out loud. “Work the rudder bar. Keep her steady,” he murmured to himself. Without warning, the Queen stalled. It struck the ground hard, bouncing back into the air briefly before descending a second time. The little ship hit the salt crust again, teetered on one wheel as it rolled out of control for a moment, then suddenly swung its tail around where its nose had been and came to a halt, rocking gently in the wind.
    Cyde Cessna sat motionless in the cockpit. He sighed with relief at having survived another flight without damaging his expensive airplane or doing bodily harm to himself. He was pleased with his performance and that of the Queen monoplane, which he had dubbed Silverwing because of its color. After all, like the Wright Brothers eight years before, Cessna was teaching himself to fly. He obviously had much to learn.
     As the Elbridge engine hissed steam, its four cylinders crackling as they cooled, Roy Cessna ran up to the cockpit and shook hands with his younger brother. It had been a good flight. Despite the dangerous winds, Clyde had gained a few more moments of valuable experience in the air and had landed without incident. The engine had continued to run for the duration of the flight, and all of the controls functioned properly. Indeed, the Cessna brothers were fast becoming true aviators.
     It was June 1911. For months the two brothers had failed to fly without “a crackup,” as they called their unsuccessful attempts. Now the persistent brothers were finally making successful flights of a few hundred feet–albeit straight ahead.
      They would need to learn much more — including the dangerous turn maneuver — and to fly farther and higher before they could begin flight demonstrations for the public. In 1911, airplanes were a novelty everywhere. In rural farm states such as Oklahoma and Kansas they were virtually unknown. As a result, people would pay good money to see one fly.
        For the July 4, 1911, celebration at Enid, Clyde Cessna had agreed to fly Silverwing for the first time in public view. Journalists flocked around Clyde, who normally did all the public relations work, while Roy handled most technical matters associated with the airplane.
       When asked how he liked flying, Clyde optimistically proclaimed he would “enjoy it when I get it learned.” With a serious look on his weathered face, Cessna emphasized: “The machine is very sensitive to any movement of the steering apparatus. In going up, if one tips the machine a little too much, he will be caught by the wind and he can’t stop going up.” In one of the best understatements of his infant flying career, Cessna grimly told his patrons, “If the engine stops for any reason, you are due to tumble, and that’s all there is to it!” 
        It was the prospect of such profit that induced Clyde Cessna to sell his successful Overland and Clark automobile dealership in Enid, Okla., to pursue aviation.
      Clyde V. Cessna’s decision to abandon automobiles for airplanes was a bold, courageous step. Little did the Oklahoma aviator realize that in the next 50 years his name would become an aviation icon.
         In the years that followed Cessna’s first forays into the air and his successful aero exhibition business, he became increasingly enamored with the idea of building and selling airplanes to the public. Although his initial attempt in 1916­17 was less than successful, Cessna never gave up on his dream of becoming an aircraft manufacturer.
      Clyde Cessna and his first plane, the Silverwing.

                                                                  PART ONE
Clyde Vernon Cessna (1879-1954) came from a long line of creative and ambitious people.
        His GGGG Grandfather, Jean Le Cesne (1665-1718), began life as the third son of Matthiew Le Cesne, Lord of the fiefdom, Menilles, in Normandy, France. Since the eldest son inherited title and land, the younger sons had to choose life as a soldier, a priest, or a merchant. Jean chose soldiering and joined Duke de Schomberg’s Huguenot Cavalry (Protestants only), in service to the King of France. In 1685, the King outlawed all protestants. The men of Schomberg’s brigade left the country, eventually joining the army of William of Orange. When William invaded Ireland, Jean Le Cessna was an officer at the 1690 Battle of Boyne. Following that battle, Jean retired (probably from wounds) and began an entirely new life in Ireland, starting his own family.
         Clyde’s GGG Grandfather, John Cessna (1699-1793). Two of the Frenchman’s sons migrated to Pennsylvania in 1718, John  Cessna and Stephen Sisney. In 1739, John Cessna moved deep into Pennsylvania’s wilderness and leased a small plot along the Great Warrior Path. The place would become Shippensburg. The path soon became a major route for merchants trading with native people in the west. Their first home was a log cabin large enough to serve as an inn, and a home for 11 children.
        Clyde’s GG Grandfather, James Cessna (1755-1833), was number 10 of those 11 children, and the only one to catch his father’s vision. Together, they built a tavern, a store, a blacksmith shop, a stable, and a place of humble lodging and simple food for both men and animals. From a wide place on a busy road, James built a tiny business empire. James also served as a musician in the militia during the American Revolution.
         Clyde’s Great Grandfather, William Cessna (1777-1857), was the second born son and therefore not entitled to inherit the Cessna business. In 1835, with a fierce pioneer spirit, William moved his wife and eight children to the unbroken forests of western Ohio. With ax and plow he turned primordial woodland into pasture and field. One year after building his home, he built the county’s first schoolhouse on his property. Neighbors chose to name Cessna township of Hardin County, Ohio, in recognition of his enterprising spirit.
           Clyde’s Grandfather, George Cessna (1828-1890), was the second son, and also chose soldiering. He served several enlistments throughout the Civil War. Farming was never his passion.
           Clyde’s father, James William Cessna, was also a second son and in his early life looked far afield for his fortune. For a few years he worked as a telegraph operator, which carried him to Emerson, Iowa where his first two children, Roy and Clyde, were born. He returned briefly to Ohio (US 1880 Census) before embarking on his grandest enterprise. James had dreams of modern farming techniques which were frowned upon in his Ohio community. In 1881, James Cessna joined a flood of homesteaders who invaded Kingman County, Kansas. He settled on 80 acres of untouched prairie along the Chikaskia River. They lived with neighbors while building a dirt floor, sod house. It would be several years before a two-story frame house was built. (Edward H. Phillips, Cessna-The Master’s Expression).
             At age 20, Clyde made a brief effort to become a cowboy, traveling to Utah to look for a job herding cattle (The Leader Courier, 22 Mar 1900, page 5). He quickly learned that raising beef was a slow way to make his fortune.
               Clyde watched his father experiment with new farming tools and methods. Horse powered farm equipment was slowly being replaced with steam powered machines. Clyde and Roy formed a close partnership which would last throughout their lifetime. They taught themselves the intricacies of every machine they came in contact with. Clyde purchased a complete set of black-smith tools to aid in their mechanical skills (The Norwich Herald, 15 Jan 1904, page 1). Neighbors thought he might be a blacksmith.
           The most difficult part of the harvest was threshing,  separating grain from stalk and hull. Using their father’s horse powered machine, the Cessna brothers hired themselves to thresh wheat and sorghum for neighbors, at times traveling as far as Oklahoma Territory for work (The Norwich Herald, 11 Nov 1904, page 5).  They caught the attention of many local newspapers when they were able to thresh 1000 bushels of sorghum in just one day (The Leader Courier, 21 May 1907, page 1). The Cessna boys continued their threshing service for the next two decades, with Clyde coming back home every harvest to help. Eventually, they purchased a twenty horsepower, internal combustion engine to replace the faithful old beast walking a treadmill (Garnet Journal, 18 Sep 1908, page 8).
                In 1902, Clyde Cessna was invited to a surprise birthday party in a neighboring town. The celebration lasted until after 2 in the morning. During the fun, he met a charming young schoolteacher, Europa Dotzour (The Leader Journal, 30 Oct 1930, page 8). After 2 years of courting by horseback and wagon, Clyde and Europa were married on 6 June 1905. Two children soon followed, Eldon born in 1906 and Wanda born in 1909. Clyde had purchased a humble bachelor house from his brother Roy. It was just a few hundred yards from his parents’ home. To provide his bride with the latest of conveniences he had a well dug under the house for indoor water (The Kingman Journal, 12 May 1905, page 8), and soon had “new-fangled” telephones installed in both his and his parents’ homes (The Leader Courier, 30 Nov 1905, page 12).
         When automobiles first began to appear west of the Mississippi, Clyde Cessna was mesmerized by both their mechanics and how this invention was bound to change his world. A distributorship opened in Harper, Kansas. Roy bought a machine which was little more than an open buckboard with an engine. And Clyde talked his way into becoming a sales representative. Soon he was touring his home county three times a week in various models of autos. He was a showman, explaining the mechanics to men, and giving free rides (The Leader Courier, 11 Jul 1907, page 2).
                His bold approach of staging small exhibitions, quickly made him a successful salesman. Clyde made sure that the local newspaper published the name of the community’s newest automobile owners, and where they had made the purchase (The Kingman Journal, 9 Aug 1907, page 3). On a bitterly frozen January day, Clyde volunteered to drive Albert Early, the local mail carrier, over his country route. This generated huge interest (The Leader Courier, 13 Jan 1907, page 2).
                 By 1909, both Clyde and Europa were convinced that their financial fortune lay in selling horseless carriages. They moved to Enid, Oklahoma where Clyde began to sell for the Overland Automobile Company (forefather of the Willys-Jeep Company). He continued to make weekly tours through his old Kansas neighborhood, promoting and selling automobiles. He was soon a partner in the Enid distributorship, having sold “better than a car each day” for the Spring of 1910 (The Kingman Journal, 22 Apr 1910, page 9).
 
The entire time that Clyde Cessna had been riding the crest of the automobile phenomenon, a new invention was sweeping the globe. Until the Wright brothers made their first successful powered flight, aviation had consisted of balloons or kites large enough to help a man glide for seconds at a time. The Wright Brothers flew a large kite with an engine attached. But in 1909, something happened which changed the future of that world. Louis Blériot’s made his famous flight across the English Channel in July. Immediately, descriptions of his aircraft circled the globe and people began to build and fly copies of his machine.
         In 1926, Clyde Cessna gave an interview to a Wichita newspaper telling what happened next. In 1910 he made a visit to Oklahoma City to expand his automobile trade. A traveling troop of French airmen happened to be offering a flying exhibition. Clyde attended and engaged in an exciting conversation with Mr. Garros, who was flying a copy of Beloit’s plane.
          As Cessna tells the story… “There were three machines,” said Cessna, “and they were shipped from one place to the next by train. The fliers travelled by train. On that Sunday afternoon they stepped out and held up a red silk handkerchief to get the direction and force of the wind. They pulled one of the machines to the wind while about twenty men were called out to hold on while the engine was warmed up. For half an hour they fooled around and tinkered with this and that and turned up the engine. Finally, the pilot climbed aboard, gave her the gas, and everybody gave him a shove. In those days a flight was successful if the ship completed a circle and landed where it started. That’s what this one did. Everyone watched it circle around and land. That’s all there was to it.”
             But in the conversation, Mr. Garros revealed that they had been paid $10,000 for this exhibition. Clyde Cessna’s eyes grew wide. He was entranced by the mechanics, by the flying, and by the promise of huge payouts just for making demonstrations. He couldn’t sleep. If a man could make $10,000 that easily, he needed to learn to fly.
             “I had a little money saved up, so I went to New York to get me a plane. There was a new factory just started in the Bronx where I went to work to get an idea how to put an airplane together. I helped build one of the first ships ever turned out in New York, called the Silver Wing. I finally packed up a plane in crates and shipped it out here. And I picked up a motor in St. Louis.”  (The Wichita Daily Eagle, 20 July 1926).
               The motor prove to be a stubborn partner for him. Recruiting his brother, Roy, as an assistant, Clyde set up his airport. “I bought me a fifty-foot circle tent for a camp and assembly plant, and I set up on the salt plains near Cherokee where there was a great big area as flat as a table. I know now it was a fool place to learn to fly, because the glare is so dazzling from the white surface that a man can’t see anything, and there is nothing on it to give a man a judge of distance. But it didn’t matter much, anyway, because I didn’t do any flying to speak of.” (The Wichita Daily Eagle, 20 July 1926).
            Without any teacher, book, manual, or guide at all, Clyde Cessna set about to teach himself to fly. His older brother, Roy, was there to both encourage him and patch him up when things went wrong.