George William Beatty (August 28, 1887 – February 20, 1955) was an American pioneer aviator who set early altitude and distance records, including one record set on the same day that he flew his first solo flight.
In 1911, he attended the Wright Flying School on Long Island, where he was taught by Arthur L. Welsh. He had his first lesson on June 24, 1911 and soloed on July 23, 1911. That same day, he flew as a passenger with Welsh to establish a new American two-man flight altitude record of 1,860 feet (570 m). On August 5, 1911, Beatty broke his own record, flying to 3,080 feet (940 m) with Percy Reynolds as his passenger. On the same flight, he won a cup given by the Farman Company for flight duration.
At the 1911 Chicago International Aviation Meet at Grant Park, he set the new three-man endurance world record of 1 hour and 18 minutes on the August 13, 1911. He also set the American two-man endurance record of 2 hours and four minutes on the August 12, 1911, which he surpassed with a time of 3 hours and 19 minutes on August 19, 1911. His total flight time at the meet of 24 hours and 21 minutes.[1]
Beatty (right) with Gwendolyn Pates in the film An Aeroplane Love Affair (1912)
Beatty (far right) and colleague with six student pilots destined for the Royal Flying Corps, photographed at Hendon Aerodrome, August 1916. The aircraft is a Beatty-Wright (modified Wright Model B) biplane.
After World War I, in the early 1920s, Beatty started a business manufacturing engines for motorcycles. By 1923, he constructed a racing motorcycle that won the Tour de France.[clarification needed]
Return to the United States
The Great Depression ended the motorcycle business and Beatty returned to the United States.[1] He had great difficulty finding work and did not attain a full-time job until he was hired by the Hughes Printing Company of East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania in 1934, working his way up to superintendent.
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