2005.24.84

Aviation Pioneers OX5 News
1968
8.25 in WIDE
(20.95 cm WIDE)
Gift of Glenn Lane
2005.24.84


Aviation Pioneers OX5 News, April 1968, contains a large article on Jack Irwin and his Meteorplane. Page one "Jack Irwin -- The Boy Wonder." Irwins career began as a child when he was paid as a substitue parachute jumper near San Francisco....The article continues on page 6 and 7 with many illustrations of Irwin, his engine and his arcraft.

Jack Irwin (Fulton Irwin) was born June 10, 1892. By the time he was 13 he (with the help of friends) had constructed his own dirigible, tapping into the household gas line to inflate it in the backyard. (It was 30 feet and took two days to fill.) A converted bicycle frame served as the gondola. (Evidently the large gas bill was not at all appreciated by his parents.) The family moved to Auburn in 1907 and Jack created a Chanute type glider (his first) from pine spars and heavy paper. By the time he was 20 he had his F.A.I license. Jack did exhibition flights, but earned extra money by putting his plane in a tent, and charging people to look at it. Eventually Jack became a flight instructor for the Aviation Section, United States Signal Corps. " He taught cadets from the back seat of a Jenny." Returning to Sacramento he conceived the idea of a light plane, which was the Irwin Meteorplane. He started with his prototype in 1924. In 1926 an improved version went into limited production. Irwin Aircraft Company moved to Irwin Field (on the Sacramento Municipal Field) in 1926. Early in 1928 the Irwin Aircraft Company made a move to Corning, but that didn't work out. Irwin belonged to "The Early Birds" and had wings presented to him by Orville Wright, who also signed his license. He worked in various locations, primarily in Northern California. He retired to Bolinas, where he died in February of 1977.

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