Harold R. Harris
Encyclopedia
Harold Ross Harris was a notable American test pilot and U.S. Army Air Force officer who held 26 flying records. He made the first flight by American pilots over the Alps
from Italy
to France
, successfully tested the world's first pressurized aircraft, was the first airman to safely escape an aircraft by "bailing out" using a free-fall parachute
. In his civilian career he helped create the first aerial application
"crop dusting" business, and later retired as vice-president of Pan American Airways.
. As there were no aviation engineering courses yet available he studied Mechanical Engineering
at the Throop College of Technology (later Cal Tech) in 1910 and 1911, graduating with a B.S.
Because of World War I
, in 1916 Harold R. Harris joined a Citizen’s Military Training Camp at Monterey, California
, which was one of the few with an aviation unit. Enrolling there he became an Engineering Officer in the First Provisional Aero Squadron. When the U.S. entered the
war, Harris enlisted in the Army Signal Reserve Corps at San Diego, California
. He was sent to the first ground school class at the University of California Berkeley, and graduated in July 1917. After graduation he was sent to Europe for flight training where he helped set up the 8th Aviation Instruction Center for the Allied Expeditionairy Force in Foggia, Italy. After 181 minutes of dual instruction time, he soloed, and shortly afterward was named Chief Instructor for both day and night training. He served at Foggia from March to July 1918. While there Harris flew Farman and Caproni
bombers. On July 25, 1918, Harris along with co-pilot, George Lewis, led the first successful flight by American pilots over the Alps, crossing from Italy to France in four Caproni bombers. While based in Italy Harris also helped the United States Navy
establish an aerial ferry route from Ilan
to Paris
.
. He remained at Wilbur Wright Filed until 1920 when the Engineering Division was reassigned to McCook Field
, near downtown Dayton. McCook field was the Army Air Service's experimental test field. There Harris was appointed Chief, Flight Test Branch, Engineering Division, US Army Air Service. At McCook Field Harris became one of the Army's most important experimental test pilots.
On June 8, 1921 Harris became the first pilot to fly a pressurized aircraft when he successfully flew a Dayton-Wright USD-9A with an experimental pressurized cockpit. Two McCook Field test pilots had previously tried to fly the aircraft without success, including test pilot John A. Macready, who held the world altitude record in an oxygen equipped unpressurized aircraft. On August 11, 1921, Harold R. Harris flew the first airmail aircraft designed to pick up airmail sacks from the ground.
On October 20, 1922 Harris made history as the first pilot to bail out of a stricken aircraft using a free-fall parachute. Harris was flying a Loening monoplane with a modified aileron
when the aileron began oscillating badly, pulling the control stick from his hands. Facing a certain crash, Harris bailed out of the stricken aircraft, landing in a backyard grape arbor at a house at 335 Troy St., suffering only bruises on his legs and hand from fighting with the control stick. The Loening crashed into the side yard of a house at 403 Valley St, three blocks away. There were no injuries to anyone on the ground. For his survival Harris was awarded the first membership in the Caterpillar Club
, a club for aviators who have bailed out of stricken aircraft and survived. The name refers to the insect that produces the silk
used in parachutes.
In 1923 Harris became the first pilot to fly the massive Barling Bomber, the world's largest aircraft. Harris and his co-pilot Lt. Fairchild would be virtually the only pilots to fly the enormous aircraft during its brief operational career.
On February 23, 1924, Harris became one of the first pilots to fly the Emile Berliner Helicopter
, the U.S. Air Service's first experimental helicopter.
Unauthorized "stunt" flying was common at McCook Field, and in 1924 Harris was observed flying his DH-4 under a bridge over the Great Miami River while upside down.
In 1926 Harold R. Harris held 13 world flying records. By the conclusion of his test pilot career Harris held 16 American and 10 world flight records. Before he left McCook Field, he graduated from the Air Corps Engineering School.
In 1925 Harold R Harris testified before the Morrow Board, a review board created by President Calvin Coolidge
to investigate the potential of private, and commercial aviation. Harris testified that safeguards would have to be implemented to assure the safety of airline passengers that went beyond those in use on military aircraft. Harris also proposed an airline connecting the west coast of South America with the United States. In response to his suggestion, in 1929 Pan American founded Grace Airways, a joint venture between Pan American World Airways
and Grace Shipping. The airline operated four Fairchild FC-2
cabin planes. At Harris' suggestion the planes were furnished with toilets, a first for any aircraft. The FC2 were the first aircraft carrying the American flag to fly scheduled routes south of the Equator
. Between 1929 and 1939 Harris was based in Peru
, where he held the position of Vice-President and Chief Operations Officer of Grace Airways.
Harris was asked to go to Washington D.C., where, as a civilian, he set up the Plan Section of the Army Air Transport Command
. He accepted a commission as Colonel in the Air Transport Command in 1942, resigned from Pan American Grace Airways. During the War Harris served as Assistant Chief of Staff, Plans; Assistant Chief of Staff, Operations; Commanding Officer of Domestic Transportation Division. When he left the service in 1945 he was the Acting Chief of Staff of Air Transport Command
, having attained the rank of Brigadier General.
. In 1950 American Overseas Airlines was incorporated into Pan Am Airlines, and Harris became became Vice-President in charge of the Atlantic Division. From 1954 to 1955 Harris was President and Chief Executive Officer of Northwest Airlines. He resigning because of health issues, and conflicts with the Northwest Airlines Board of Directors. From 1955 until 1965 Harris was President of Aviation Financial Services, Inc., a company that helped fledgling airlines acquire operating capital. Harris retired in 1965 at age 70.
Harold R. Harris died in his home in Falmouth, Massachusetts
in 1988, at age 92.
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
from Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, successfully tested the world's first pressurized aircraft, was the first airman to safely escape an aircraft by "bailing out" using a free-fall parachute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
. In his civilian career he helped create the first aerial application
Aerial application
Aerial application, commonly called crop dusting, involves spraying crops with fertilizers, pesticides, and fungicides from an agricultural aircraft. The specific spreading of fertilizer is also known as aerial topdressing....
"crop dusting" business, and later retired as vice-president of Pan American Airways.
Early years
Harold R. Harris was born on 20 December 1895 in Chicago, Illinois. He showed an interest in aircraft at an early age, and at the age of 15 skipped school to attend the first National Aviation Meeting from 10–20 January 1910 at Dominguez Field, in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. As there were no aviation engineering courses yet available he studied Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
at the Throop College of Technology (later Cal Tech) in 1910 and 1911, graduating with a B.S.
Because of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, in 1916 Harold R. Harris joined a Citizen’s Military Training Camp at Monterey, California
Monterey, California
The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...
, which was one of the few with an aviation unit. Enrolling there he became an Engineering Officer in the First Provisional Aero Squadron. When the U.S. entered the
war, Harris enlisted in the Army Signal Reserve Corps at San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
. He was sent to the first ground school class at the University of California Berkeley, and graduated in July 1917. After graduation he was sent to Europe for flight training where he helped set up the 8th Aviation Instruction Center for the Allied Expeditionairy Force in Foggia, Italy. After 181 minutes of dual instruction time, he soloed, and shortly afterward was named Chief Instructor for both day and night training. He served at Foggia from March to July 1918. While there Harris flew Farman and Caproni
Caproni
thumb|right|300px|[[Caproni Ca.316]] seaplane at its moorings.Caproni was an Italian aircraft manufacturer founded in 1908 by Giovanni Battista "Gianni" Caproni....
bombers. On July 25, 1918, Harris along with co-pilot, George Lewis, led the first successful flight by American pilots over the Alps, crossing from Italy to France in four Caproni bombers. While based in Italy Harris also helped the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
establish an aerial ferry route from Ilan
Ilan
Ilan may refer to:* Eli Ilan , an Israeli sculptor* Ilan, a town in Taiwan*Ilan Berman, Vice President of the American Foreign Policy Council* Ilan Araujo Dall'Igna, a Brazilian footballer* Ilan Eshkeri, a British music composer...
to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Test pilot
Following the conclusion of WWI, in September 1918 Harris was recalled to the United States and assigned as a test pilot at Wilbur Wright Field in Dayton, OhioDayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
. He remained at Wilbur Wright Filed until 1920 when the Engineering Division was reassigned to McCook Field
McCook Field
McCook Field was an airfield and aviation experimentation station operated by the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps and its successor the United States Army Air Service from 1917-1927...
, near downtown Dayton. McCook field was the Army Air Service's experimental test field. There Harris was appointed Chief, Flight Test Branch, Engineering Division, US Army Air Service. At McCook Field Harris became one of the Army's most important experimental test pilots.
On June 8, 1921 Harris became the first pilot to fly a pressurized aircraft when he successfully flew a Dayton-Wright USD-9A with an experimental pressurized cockpit. Two McCook Field test pilots had previously tried to fly the aircraft without success, including test pilot John A. Macready, who held the world altitude record in an oxygen equipped unpressurized aircraft. On August 11, 1921, Harold R. Harris flew the first airmail aircraft designed to pick up airmail sacks from the ground.
On October 20, 1922 Harris made history as the first pilot to bail out of a stricken aircraft using a free-fall parachute. Harris was flying a Loening monoplane with a modified aileron
Aileron
Ailerons are hinged flight control surfaces attached to the trailing edge of the wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. The ailerons are used to control the aircraft in roll, which results in a change in heading due to the tilting of the lift vector...
when the aileron began oscillating badly, pulling the control stick from his hands. Facing a certain crash, Harris bailed out of the stricken aircraft, landing in a backyard grape arbor at a house at 335 Troy St., suffering only bruises on his legs and hand from fighting with the control stick. The Loening crashed into the side yard of a house at 403 Valley St, three blocks away. There were no injuries to anyone on the ground. For his survival Harris was awarded the first membership in the Caterpillar Club
Caterpillar Club
The Caterpillar Club is an informal association of people who have successfully used a parachute to bail out of a disabled aircraft. After authentication by the parachute maker, applicants receive a membership certificate and a distinctive lapel pin...
, a club for aviators who have bailed out of stricken aircraft and survived. The name refers to the insect that produces the silk
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
used in parachutes.
In 1923 Harris became the first pilot to fly the massive Barling Bomber, the world's largest aircraft. Harris and his co-pilot Lt. Fairchild would be virtually the only pilots to fly the enormous aircraft during its brief operational career.
On February 23, 1924, Harris became one of the first pilots to fly the Emile Berliner Helicopter
Berliner Helicopter
The Berliner Helicopters were a series of experimental helicopters built by Henry Berliner between 1922 and 1925. The helicopters had only limited controllability but were the most significant step forward in helicopter design in the USA until the production of the Vought-Sikorsky VS-300 helicopter...
, the U.S. Air Service's first experimental helicopter.
Unauthorized "stunt" flying was common at McCook Field, and in 1924 Harris was observed flying his DH-4 under a bridge over the Great Miami River while upside down.
In 1926 Harold R. Harris held 13 world flying records. By the conclusion of his test pilot career Harris held 16 American and 10 world flight records. Before he left McCook Field, he graduated from the Air Corps Engineering School.
Post test career
Harold R. Harris briefly left the military in 1926 to begin the Huff Daland Dusting Company, the world's first crop dusting company. Though he did not fly as a crop duster he had helped with the development of crop dusting while stationed at McCook Field.In 1925 Harold R Harris testified before the Morrow Board, a review board created by President Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
to investigate the potential of private, and commercial aviation. Harris testified that safeguards would have to be implemented to assure the safety of airline passengers that went beyond those in use on military aircraft. Harris also proposed an airline connecting the west coast of South America with the United States. In response to his suggestion, in 1929 Pan American founded Grace Airways, a joint venture between Pan American World Airways
Pan American World Airways
Pan American World Airways, commonly known as Pan Am, was the principal and largest international air carrier in the United States from 1927 until its collapse on December 4, 1991...
and Grace Shipping. The airline operated four Fairchild FC-2
Fairchild FC-2
The Fairchild FC-1 and its derivatives were a family of light, single engine, high wing utility monoplanes produced in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s...
cabin planes. At Harris' suggestion the planes were furnished with toilets, a first for any aircraft. The FC2 were the first aircraft carrying the American flag to fly scheduled routes south of the Equator
Equator
An equator is the intersection of a sphere's surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and containing the sphere's center of mass....
. Between 1929 and 1939 Harris was based in Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, where he held the position of Vice-President and Chief Operations Officer of Grace Airways.
World War II
With the onset of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Harris was asked to go to Washington D.C., where, as a civilian, he set up the Plan Section of the Army Air Transport Command
Air Transport Command
Air Transport Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its mission was to meet the urgent demand for the speedy reinforcement of the United States' military bases worldwide during World War II, using an air supply system to supplement surface transport...
. He accepted a commission as Colonel in the Air Transport Command in 1942, resigned from Pan American Grace Airways. During the War Harris served as Assistant Chief of Staff, Plans; Assistant Chief of Staff, Operations; Commanding Officer of Domestic Transportation Division. When he left the service in 1945 he was the Acting Chief of Staff of Air Transport Command
Air Transport Command
Air Transport Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its mission was to meet the urgent demand for the speedy reinforcement of the United States' military bases worldwide during World War II, using an air supply system to supplement surface transport...
, having attained the rank of Brigadier General.
Post War
Harold R. Harris left the military for the second time to join American Overseas AirlinesAmerican Overseas Airlines
American Overseas Airlines was an airline that operated between the United States and Europe between 1945 and 1950. It was headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City.-Early history:...
. In 1950 American Overseas Airlines was incorporated into Pan Am Airlines, and Harris became became Vice-President in charge of the Atlantic Division. From 1954 to 1955 Harris was President and Chief Executive Officer of Northwest Airlines. He resigning because of health issues, and conflicts with the Northwest Airlines Board of Directors. From 1955 until 1965 Harris was President of Aviation Financial Services, Inc., a company that helped fledgling airlines acquire operating capital. Harris retired in 1965 at age 70.
Harold R. Harris died in his home in Falmouth, Massachusetts
Falmouth, Massachusetts
Falmouth is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States; Barnstable County is coextensive with Cape Cod. The population was 31,531 at the 2010 census....
in 1988, at age 92.
Decorations
- Distinguished Service Medal
- The Legion of Merit
- Air Medal (U.S.)
- Commander of the British Empire (Great Britain)
- Corona di Italia, Fatiche de Guerra ( (Italy)
- Abdon Caldern (Ecuador)
- Orden del Sol (Peru).