Abstract:
In January of 1911, Mr. Frank Herbst of the Curtis Exhibition Company announced that a grand aviation meet would be held in Wilmington on March 8th, 9th, and 10th. Aviation was still in its infancy; consequently, only a handful of people in the state had ever seen an airplane fly. The event was held on the grounds of the Wilmington Drivers Association, two miles east of the city. Lincoln Beachy and J. A. D. McCurdy, two of the most prominent fliers of the day, both participated in the event.