John H. Whitney’s work for Glenn Curtiss

New York booking office

That summer (1910), Fancuilli and I were sent by Glenn Curtiss to open a New York City booking office, which we did, on Broadway.

We had four or five planes out on exhibition; some of the pilots (we called them aviators then) were Willard, Bud Mars, and Ely (who flew to the ship in San Francisco harbor). These planes, each with its aviator, would make dates (Fanciulli could make the dates) with county fairs to give a show of flying. The public would pay from 25 cents to as much as they could be induced to give up, to witness the alleged flights. When wind blew too hard there would be an argument as to whether it was a flight or not, no one knew what a flight really was. Like prohibition, each one has his own idea of what it is. It was really a job for an experienced theatrical road man to route these planes about to get the most money with the least waste. Fanciulli did wonderfully well considering his inexperience but what with all the mistakes we got perhaps $1 out of $10 or more we might have had.

It was all new to me, don't imagine that I thought I could have done better than Fanciulli for I could not have — then. I was quite "green". It was my first trip to New York and my enthusiasm for aviation had not worn off then as it has since. Now, aviation is no more to me than any other possible means of livelihood.

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