THE OLD THEORY THAT FLYING COULD NOT BE DONE HERE BECAUSE OF AIR POCKETS IS SMASHED
Pottsville republican April 13, 1918
This is an interesting article telling about the very first visit or over flight of an airplane in Schuylkill County... The aircraft type is not identified. But knowing the year and that it had two occupants can probably be shown to be a Curtis Jenny.
The Jenny
The airplane which flew over this city (Pottsville) on Monday afternoon was the first to appear in this region. It caused considerable excitement, many flocking to the house tops to get a better view. From all appearances the plane was red in color and contained at least two occupants. There is significance to the appearance of the plane here, and on that it is now definitely proven that the old story about air currents and air pockets and the impossibility of operating a plane here because of them is ridiculous.
There is no better landing and starting point anywhere than Lawton’s Hill, the case with which the plane navigated over the hill yesterday, proving this.
The plane is traced as coming from Reading and flying directly over Centre Street, at about 2:30 p.m. It circled around the Court House spire and then turned to the east and appeared to be seeking a landing place on Lawton’s Hill, but instead of landing turned upward, just skimming the hill. The plane then proceeded above the Pennsy tracks to St.Clair and hovered over St.Clair yards for a considerable time. It then continued to New Philadelphia, but veered to the north passing over Silver Creek. From there it went to Frackville and Ashland flying right over Broad Mountain. It passed over Ashland, Mt.Carmel, Shamokin, Sunbury and Berwick where it was last reported.
It was not known who was the driver, nor where he started from. Many stories were in circulation. One had it that the machine had landed on Lawton’s Hill and that gasoline had been taken to it. Another story was that it was driven by a Port carbon boy and that it landed there. Neither story is t
