Existing comment:
George Brinckerhoff, Aviation Pioneer and Promoter:
George Brinckerhoff was a legend in the Washington Flying community, there was no doubt about that. "Brinck" was an amazing man who had a rare spirit and enthusiasm for aviation. If there was something in the papers or on the radio about flying, it undoubtably [sic] mentioned George's name. If there was a group of pilots handing out at one of a number of Washington area airfields it was likely that three or four of them were taught to fly by George Brinckerhoff! His students called the school "Brinckerhoff's College of Aeronautical Knowledge," attesting to the seriousness with which he took his pilot instruction.
Drawn to aviation by the barnstorming fever that gripped the country in the 1920s, Brink [sic] first set up an aviation school at Hoover Field, the site of the present Pentagon building. In 1927 and 1928, he established the Brinckerhoff Flying Service at the College Park Airfield, which was then owned by Jerome Murray. He offered flight instruction, chartered flights and sightseeing tours.
During WWII George was not allowed to operate his Flying Service at the Airfield due to it's [sic] proximity to the Capitol, so he established a training school for pilots at an Army Air Corps field in Douglas, Georgia, until he was able to return to College Park. After the war everyone wanted to learn how to fly on the GI bill so the field was quite busy during this time.
In the 40s and 50s, the Flying Service became a successful charter operation with a fleet of 12 planes and numerous pilots and instructors. When "Brinck" became ill in the early 1960s his son took over the operation of the Airport, signalling the end of an era. |