Learning Center Our Enshrinees

Lincoln Beachey

• Widely regarded as America’s first stunt pilot.
• He was a member of the Curtiss Exhibition Team and became their ace pilot.
• In an attempt to promote his exhibition flights, Beachey flew his dirigible around the Washington Monument, then down the Mall to the White House where he landed on the grounds and marched in to see President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt. President Roosevelt was not there, but the promotion worked and Beachey’s appearance was booked throughout the country.
• In 1911 he made a breath-taking flight over Niagara Falls and through its gorge, setting a world altitude record.
• Discovered how to recover from a tailspin which had been deadly to so many pilots.
• Gained fame racing his aircraft against Barney Oldfield in an automobile.
• He was the first person to fly upside-down, perform the first loop-the-loop in America, tailspin on purpose, and the first to fly through a building.