All Aero

In 1913 William Sellick, Cicero IL., USA built a single-place, mid-wing Blériot redesign. Powered by an Elbridge 4 engine, it flew successfully, but his follow-on creation, based on a French Nieuport Centre-Wing with an Anzani motor, didn’t fare as well. Pathè movie newsreel cameraman Curtis Pritchard convinced him he should be its test pilot, despite never having flown before. Sellick relented and, after some verbal flight instruction, watched Pritchard take-off too soon and too abruptly, with the inevitable splintering crash. Pritchard suffered a broken leg, but the plane was a total loss.