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Chase County Kansas Historical Sketches

1863 - 2003 



First Plane for Chase County

There are many who remember Paul Cartter's plane. It was owned by Paul and a man named Woolcott. The plane was purchased in Mineola, New York from Orville and Wilbur Wright, where Paul was trained as a pilot. It had to be taken apart to be shipped from there to Cottonwood Falls, and it was assembled in the Cartter pasture where the Chase County Nursing Home now stands.

The wings were covered with canvas, which Mrs. Cartter had sewed up on a household sewing machine. Later, the WICHITA EAGLE carried a picture of this plane with the caption: "AIRSHIP OF 1908."

The paragraph follows: "The Kansas Airship" pictured above was exhibited at the Stafford (Kan.) wheat jubilee celebration in 1908 by its builders. Cartter and Woolcott, Cottonwood Falls, Kansas. Carter is in the pilot seat of the pusher-type biplane. <

Woolcott stands near the engine and propellers which are behind the pilot. Struts were of bamboo and much bailing wire was used, according to L.A. Lowe, 215 S. Chautauqua, who saw the plane. Lowe a World War I pilot, works in the fabrication department of Boeing Airplane Co."

The above story is of a successful flight and there were others; but, in 1910, Mr. Canter started to make a flight from the same place it was assembled southeast of town, and after it was a little higher than a telephone pole, it nose dived. The plane was demolished and Paul received a broken nose. He was lucky at that; but this was the end for the plane.

By: Mrs. Virginia Cartter White

Chase County Centennial, 1872 - 1972




Chase County Submitted Historical Sketches
compiled and abstracted from the Chase County Courant, Chase County Leader, other sources and newspapers
by Lorna Marvin.
Please submit your historical sketches.



Return to Chase County Submitted Historical Sketches


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