Se5a display on Memorial Day

[Bitz Dr1]

Hello everyone- On Memorial Day 2012, we had an invitation to attend a Ceremony for Veterans, and we decided to bring along one of our Se5a replicas from the film industry.

Here is a photo of it set up on the lawn in Waterfront Park in Portland.
FOR MORE PHOTOS, PLEASE SEE- http://blue-max-triplane.org/

This was the first time that an aircraft had been in the downtown area on the ground, although there is an interesting piece of history with this place- A gentleman took his aircraft off from a launching pad on a hotel-here is a brief Bio

Silas Christofferson

Bold-Flying 'Bird-Man'
(1890 - 1915)

Silas Christofferson was a charming daredevil. Both an automobile and motorboat racer, he began experimenting with flying his Curtis bi-plane over Portland at a young age. Silas was only 22 when he planned a spectacular stunt: He would to fly off the top of the Multnomah Hotel (now the Embassy Suites Downtown) over to Vancouver, Washington. On June 9, 1912 more than 50,000 bystanders watched -- most likely expecting a disaster. A mighty roar went up as Silas gracefully took off from the top of the hotel and 12 minutes later landed safely.

[G Sting]

Very Nice! Especially to honor Veterans in Portland.

What ever happened to Silas Christofferson?

[Bitz Dr1]

Silas Christofferson killed in a crash, October 31, 1916 at the age of 26; he was the man who is credited with “bombing Seattle”, on July 18, 1914. Of course, it was only a demonstration. Born near Des Moines, Iowa in 1890; he came to California at seven with his parents. His family owned a ranch near San Diego.

Silas saw Lincoln Beachey fly in 1910 at the age of twenty and after watching him, he went home, built his own airplane and began to fly, a meachanic and consulting engineer, Silas believed that the air was as safe as the ground, if one flew with good judgment.

He was the first to fly between San Francisco and Los Angeles over the Tehachapi Mountains. The most dramatic feat of Christofferson's career, flying off the roof of the Multinomah Hotel in downtown Portland, Oregon during the 1912 Portland Rose Festival; he had built a 170-foot wooden runway on the roof of a hotel and flew to the military barracks at Vancouver.



The daring young aviator commented on his flight from the rooftop of the Multnomah Hotel "This is an age of do it first. Be original; don't copy. When a feat has once been performed, the people tire of it and expect the next performer to give something entirely new. That is the only reason I have decided to make a flight from the top of the Multnomah Hotel building on Tuesday afternoon. It will be the first exhibition of the kind in the history of aviation."



The young aviator only the year before his roof top flight he had set a world's altitude record climbing to nearly 20,000 feet. 1915 he followed American aviators to Mexico; he was shot down by rifle fire. Silas Christofferson, Charles Niles, and others flew on various sides during the Revolution aerial activity. He was at Monterey, Mexico, with two Wright B's and a Wright HS fuselage tractor, he was flying for Poncho Villa.

He designed and built 2 “flying-boats” for Roald Amundsen to be used for scientific exploration of the Northwest Passage, they were referred to as “two wheels” - dual control.

Silas was flying several hundred feet over the aviation field on Halloween 1916 in Redwood City, California when his engine went dead. He ‘volplaned’ but could not regain control of the aeroplane and was hurled to the ground. His plane overturned in a 100 feet fall during a trial of a new military biplane with a new innovative control system. His wife and two brothers watching the flight with a pupil of the Silas Christofferson Aviation School rushed to his aid; he was taken to a hospital were he died from his injuries.

[Bitz Dr1]

We have just finished the first run of our new T-shirts for the Blue Max Triplane, and the growing collection of Se5a replicas.

Take a peek at the images- They are available here-

http://blue-max-triplane.org/online-store

They are double printed in high quality inks..

[Bitz Dr1]

Ahhh, breathing room...

This is a wonderful venue to discuss productive things. Thank you all for the continued support and for your input.

[Joe M]

Hi Bliz Dr1,

Nice to see the actual Fokker that was used in the Blue Max resurface. I may have some oldish B&W photos that I took of your Triplane (In pristine condition) and the other aircraft that were used in the Blue Max film. I took them in Ireland when the aircraft were on display at Powerscourt House in Co. Wicklow. This would have been around 1972 ish. If you are interested I will try and find them and post them here. Just bear in mind that they were taken with a VERY basic camera.

Re your t-shirts, do you do a polo shirt version? I cannot wear the round neck as it make me look like a gangster, or so my wife tells me! ( I have to agree with her).

PS Just in case you dont know the Pfalz DIII is flying in New Zealand with Peter Jackson's crew at the Vintage Aviator.

Happy Hunting

Joe M

[Bitz Dr1]

Hello Joe- As far away in the memory as the '72 Powerscourt show was, these birds to etch themselves pretty well in one's mind.

Your offer of sharing photos is pretty fantastic! Surely, everyone here would be thrilled to see them. If you have a moment, send me a PM here with your E-mail address. I will do the same now.

As far as a Polo shirt- no problem. I will be able to do that. Do you have a colour preference?
PM on it's way now.

[Joe M]

Hi Bitz Dr1.
I will try and find the old B&W photo's over the weekend and post same. Just remember they were taken on a cheap camera when I was 21ish, many moons ago!
Happy Hunting
Joe M

[Major Larabee]

Hi Joe

I look fwd to ssing those as well


Matthew

[Breguet]

There are also photos floating around that an Irish Guards extra took during the filming.