Fly Boys over Hampton Roads: Glenn Curtiss’s Southern Experiment

Flyboys over Hampton Roads by Amy Waters Yarsinske
Flyboys over Hampton Roads by Amy Waters Yarsinske

The Fly Boys over Hampton Roads story begins in the fall of 1915, on the cusp of America’s entry into World War I. Aviation giant Glenn Curtiss sought a location where pilots could train and aircraft could be tested year-round. He found it in the warm winds and waters of Newport News, Virginia. There, glamorous daring young men and women in their flying machines flew on to fame and into history.

Mary Anita 'Neta' Snook, Flyboys over Hampton Roads by Amy Waters Yarsinske
Mary Anita ‘Neta’ Snook, Iowa’s first female aviator taught Amelia Earhart to fly

Glen Hammond Curtiss’s establishment of the Atlantic Coast Aeronautical Station at Newport News, Virginia, at the end of 1915, resulted in what many then called the aviation giant’s Southern Experiment, was driven by climate and war. But it soon became as much about the people who came and went and the aircraft the launched off the land, and lifted from the water, and consequently into the history books.

This seldom-mentioned Curtiss station was marked by great aviation achievement and incredible tragedy. It was this historic place frequented by legendary aviators and remarkable aircraft resulting in record-breaking flights. In less than six years, Curtiss’s record of achievement at the Atlantic Coast Aeronautical Station quickly became of national and international significance. More than a flying school, Curtiss established an experimental test facility. Here many one-of-a-kind aircraft were assembled, tested and evaluated.

Walter Edwin Lees and Victor Carlstrom, Flyboys over Hampton Roads by Amy Waters Yarsinske
Walter Edwin Lees and Victor Carlstrom, first two flight instructors and test pilots

Discover their dramatic record-breaking flights and the tragic losses that were inevitable in early flight. Join military historian Amy Waters Yarsinske as she uses rare vintage photographs and a deft hand to narrate this astounding and often forgotten period in aviation history.

What’s been written about Flyboys Over Hampton Roads:

“Great research leads to a great book. This is both. Buy it and support the writers that tell us great aviation stories.” – Amazon review

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Published by The History Press ISBN 978-1-59629-972-6