Chasing Seaplane History!

[EJaneHood]

Originally Posted by Waco1148

Hey Kittyhawk! Great news that the airplane is being rebuilt. My dad, Lyman Rice, was a pilot in the Laconia area-we had a grass airstrip in the back yard up on Parade Road, where Petal Pushers is now. Bill Harmon was an airline pilot who flew various antiques in his off time. He had just rebuilt the Kittyhawk back about 1972 or so, and gave us a flyby at the house on Parade Road, when the engine quit. He said, "I ran out of altitude, airspeed, and ideas, all at the same time." He had a forced landing in the field next door and the floats tripped in the tall grass, damaging the airplane. I don't think he ever got around to work on it again, at least not much. Ironically, we had been at the house and had just headed back to our camp over in Moultonborough, so missed all the excitement. Bill is in Raymond, NH and would be glad to talk to you.

I'm attaching a picture of the airplane with Jane Steady, a Laconia girl who got her license in 1945. The image was loaned to me by Diane Cooper at the Laconia airport. I found Jane Steady Hood's obituary online-she passed away in 2003.

My interest in old airplanes is that I've just done a book on "Bob Fogg and New Hampshire's Golden Age of Aviation," covering the seaplane base at the Weirs 1912-1953, but I didn't really go into the base that was on Paugus Bay, although I am interested. Thanks for your comments about the Bleriot and Curtiss aircraft on Dan Hold Pond-I've confirmed that the owner of the estate on the pond, James Albert Brackett, owned both airplanes, but don't yet know how much they actually flew.

Thank you SO much for posting this! Jane Steady, later Jane Steady Hood, is my grandmother and while we do have one stellar shot of her in a cockpit with her goggles on, NONE of us had ever seen this before!