Percival Hopkins “Spence” Spencer convinced his father to invest in the wreckage of a Curtiss F. At age 17 he rebuilt and modified it as flying boat.
On 12 April 1911 he not only took his creation on its first flight but on his own solo flight. Unskilled in turning the plane, he flew for five miles, landed on a river, and pushed it around for the return flight.
Spencer was still actively flying in 1987 at age 90.
All Aero 