Bill Long Article – Nov. 21, 1964

Bill Long, Lorain's pioneer aviator, has been the subject of many blog posts, covering his incredible aviation career, his operation of several local airports and his passing in 1971. 

I had heard his name mentioned several times by my parents when I was a kid, since he ran the airport on Leavitt Road that was only a few minutes away from our house (where PC Campana is located today).

The Journal recognized Long's unique position in aviation history and dispatched reporters out to interview him on several occasions, including this one from 1959 and another in 1967 (part of a 3-part series on his airports).

But between those two interviews, the Journal profiled him in a well-written article (above) by William E. Scrivo that ran in the paper on November 21, 1964. It's probably the most comprehensive article about his life that I've seen.

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The article mentions that before Long began his flying career, he was in business for himself with an auto dealership and garage for Hudson cars. Here are a few clipping from that era, including a creative advertisement that served as a testimonial to the Hudson's quality and durability. 

Feb. 13, 1924

March 5, 1924

By 1926, Long had switched brands – from Hudson to Auburn.

Bill Long had already made a name for himself as an aviator by the early 1930s. Here's an short article about him that ran in the Lorain Journal on March 16, 1931.

In William Scrivo's article, Long mentioned a crash that happened during his days of providing ferry service to Cedar Point in his Curtiss MF Flying boat. Here's the story of the plane crash as it ran on the front page of the August 13, 1932 Lorain Journal.

(Elsewhere on that front page: the sad passing of Victor Marks, founder of Marks Cleaning Works and a stop at the Hotel Antlers by humorist Don Marquis.

Long's Airport Hangar Donated – Feb. 1973

Courtesy Bob Kovach

When pioneer aviator Bill Long passed away in February 1971, it set into motion a controversy as to what to do with the 120-acre property. Many area residents wanted the city to purchase the land for use as a park, civic center or International Lorain center site. In the end, however, the Clarkins Discount Stores won out with a generous offer for the land. The Lorain Clarkins store opened at that location in April 1973.

So what became of the former airport buildings on the property – specifically the hangar (shown above)?

The article below, which appeared in the Journal on Feb. 2, 1973 reveals that it was donated by Clarkins to the Experimental Aircraft Association of Lorain County, who hoped to move it out to the Lorain County Regional Airport on Russia Road.

So it is out there at the county airport today? I had to find out.

I called the airport, hoping (naively) that the person who answered the phone would matter-of-factly point out that yes, the old hangar was out there and still in use. 

But no such luck. It was suggested that I contact the Experimental Aircraft group directly – so I did.

Jim Griner, President of Chapter 127 of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) was kind enough to quickly respond with an offer to investigate the matter by bringing it up at the next Chapter meeting out at the Lorain County Airport that weekend.

By the following Monday, he had my answer. "The hangar was given to EAA Chapter 255," he noted. "They took it down and sold the materials to provide funding for their Chapter."

My thanks to Jim Griner for his assistance. You can visit the EAA website by clicking here, and the Lorain County Chapter 127 website here, which provides information about attending their monthly meetings.

Bill Long’s Will – March 1971

Earlier this month, I devoted several posts to the story of Lorain’s pioneer aviator Bill Long and his airports. The series culminated with the account of his passing in early February 1971, and the auction of personal effects that followed.

About a month after Long's death, the news of his will – and the unexpected financial windfall for a close friend – hit the front page of the Journal. Read all about it in this story that appeared on March 3, 1971. It’s a great story. (It kind of reminds me of when the bearded Howard Hughes passed away a few years later, and for a while it seemed that he had left $156 million to a gas station owner.)

The following day, this article appeared in the Journal.

Bill Long & His Airports – Part 3

By the late 1960s, Bill Long was well-established as Lorain’s aviation pioneer. He had already been the subject of a 1959 article in the Lorain Journal when he was 74 years old. Thus by 1967, at the age of 83, he had become even more larger than life – and consequently was profiled again in the Journal. 

Here’s the article, which appeared in the paper on May 19, 1967.

In the article he mentions many of the famous people that he rubbed elbows with, including Charles Lindbergh and Henry Ford.

By the time of the 1967 article, the City of Lorain had been trying to acquire Long’s Airport for other uses for some time. In this article, which ran in the Journal on Dec. 16, 1968, Long apparently agreed to sell – but like previous agreements, this one crashed and burned as well.

Bill Long passed away a few years later on Feb. 9, 1971. (I posted his obituary here.) What became of all the things he accumulated over the years – his aviation trophies, scrapbooks and antique cars? They were all sold in a series of circus-like auctions held at his house and his airport. This article from the May 23, 1971 Journal tells the somewhat sad story.

It would be interesting to find out what, if anything, of Bill Long’s personal effects ended up down at the Lorain Historical Society.

Bill Long & His Airports – Part 2

Older Lorainites (like me) remember Long’s Airport on the Northeast corner of Meister and Leavitt Roads. 

How long was it there? The article below from the July 30, 1945 Lorain Journal notes, “Lorain has a new private airport today, designated as “Lorain Airport.”

“The new flying field is at the northwest corner of the intersection of Meister-rd and Leavitt-rd, across Leavitt-rd from Port Mills, operated by Ray McClenaghan.

“The new field is owned by William Long. W. A. Spademan is assistant manager.”

Meanwhile, Ray and Ruth McClenaghan bought Port Mills in the mid-1940s, and changed the name to Lorain Skyport. 

1948 Lorain Phone book ad

It’s a little confusing when one consults phone books and city directories from the late 1940s to research Lorain’s airports. The main thing to remember is that both airports housed flying schools. The flight instruction school at Long’s Airport was called Buckeye Airways, Inc.

1947 Lorain Phone book listing

1947 Lorain Phone book ad

By the late 1950s, operations were winding down at the Lorain Skyport. In early January 1956, Lorain contractor Clem Rice purchased a strip of the Skyport property to build 20 homes along Meister Road, with an option to purchase the entire airport property. The entire development would eventually consist of 200 to 300 homes.

By 1960, Long’s Airport was the only airport in Lorain. But there was still plenty of activity there. In May 1960, preparations were being made for a Fly-in Air Show.

This article from the May 20, 1960 Lorain Journal shows the newly painted hangar.

And here’s a photo from the actual event, which ran in the Journal on June 6, 1960. That’s Meister Road in the background of the photo, which is looking south.

And here’s a 1964 view of Long’s Airport, courtesy of the Lorain Historical Society.

In the photo, you can see the hangar with LORAIN on its roof; the new homes near Mark Drive; and the former Black River Fire Station at Meister & Leavitt (at the bottom center). 

Next: Celebrity

Bill Long & His Airports – Part 1

I’ve accumulated several news clippings about “Bill” Long and his Lorain airports (yes, he had two of them). The articles provide a timeline of sorts for anyone interested in how Lorain became a hotbed for airports, and Long’s role in making it happen.

In July 1928, the idea of the City of Lorain having an airport was being promoted, and rapidly gaining in popularity. The original proposal was to lease an airport owned by Bill Long that was located on West Erie Avenue, about a mile west of Lorain.

As this article from the July 24, 1928 Lorain Times-Herald noted, “The plan in mind is to lease 80 acres of land fronting on the Lake-rd a mile west of Leavitt-rd now being used by William Long as a commercial airplane site. Expenses of the airdrome would be defrayed by the taxing of companies using the field for passenger and freight flights.”

This article commended “the site west of Lorain on the Lake-rd, now being used by William Long, as probably the most suitable of any in the vicinity."

I’m not sure what happened, but the plan to lease Bill Long’s airfield never got off the ground. Instead, a new airport – Port Mills – opened on the northeast corner of Meister and Leavitt Roads on July 27, 1929. It was operated by Lorain Airways Service, Inc., headed by Richard W. Mills and his son, Leland, who was the manager of the field. At the time it was said to be “the largest privately owned airport east of Mississippi.”

But that didn't stop Bill Long from promoting his airport as “Lorain’s Oldest Airport” in this ad that appeared in the Lorain Journal on October 12, 1929.

Next: Bill Long’s second airport

Lorain Aviator “Bill” Long Passes Away – Feb. 9, 1971

As I’ve mentioned a few times, the early 1970s were a time of great change in Lorain. It was like the city was getting a major makeover, and quickly transitioning from the Lorain that our parents grew up in to the city that we know now. 

Besides the obvious physical changes taking place (such as the demolition of structures in preparation for a new City Hall and Urban Renewal projects) there was also the human factor – the passing of well-known local individuals that were larger than life.

One of them was aviation pioneer William “Bill” Long, who passed away fifty years ago this month on Feb. 9, 1971. I’m sure it would be difficult for many newer Lorain residents to believe that there was an airport run by Bill Long on Leavitt Road where the P.C. Campana Industrial Park is now located (or that there was another airport before that, across Leavitt Road and extending east almost all the way to Oberlin Avenue.

Anyway, here is the obituary for Mr. Long that ran in the Journal on Feb. 9, 1971. His passing was front-page news.

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I’ve blogged about Bill Long and his airport (also known as the Lorain City Airport) before on this blog, including a post featuring a 1959 interview with him written by Journal writer Edward Brown.

Our good friend Bob Kovach shared these great photos of the hangar and another building at Long’s Airport, as well as a personal reminisce of Mr. Long. This post featured a photo of an old Lake Shore Electric car that sat on Long’s Airport property.

Longtime blog contributor Rick Kurish wrote a post about Benoist Flying Boats that included a mention of Bill Long’s 1917 Curtiss MF “Seagull” hydroaeroplane.

And I wrote about how our house on E. Skyline Drive was on the flight path to Long’s Airport back here, and how a plane crash-landed on a nearby vacant lot.

Benoist Flying Boats & the Lorain Hydro and Aero Co.

Today’s blog post is brought to you by local historian Rick Kurish, a longtime contributor to this blog who has suggested many great topic ideas over the years. Rick is always researching things of interest, and willing to share his findings as well.

In his article, Rick takes a brief look at Benoist Flying Boats, as well as the Lorain Hydro and Aero Company.

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Some time ago I came across the online photographs of Ernst Niebergall, a photographer working in Sandusky in the early 1900s. While the collection contains many interesting photographs, my attention was captured by a photo of an airplane taken on the beach at Cedar Point in the summer of 1914. 

The caption was "Benoist Flying Boat Owned by Lorain Hydro and Aero Company.” 

And here are two more Ernst Niebergall photos from the same collection, and with the same caption. 

Since I'd never heard of a Benoist Flying Boat or the Lorain Hydro and Aero Company, I couldn’t resist a little research. What I found was quite interesting. 

It turns out that Thomas W. Benoist was an early pioneer in both aviation design and business. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri and within a few years of the Wright Brothers’ flight, he was building and flying planes in St. Louis. 

1912 ad in “Aero and Hydro"

“In an aviation career of only ten years, he formed the world’s first aircraft parts distribution company, established one of the leading American aircraft manufacturing companies and a successful flying school, and from January to April 1914 operated the world’s first scheduled airline,” according to this Wiki entry.

He eventually became interested in “flying boats,” and along with his chief pilot Tony Jannus, developed one capable of transatlantic flight. Since the Roberts Motor Company of Sandusky, Ohio was Benoist’s preferred source for his aircraft engines, he moved his company there in June 1916. Sandusky Bay was also a perfect body of water to test his designs. 

Here’s the newspaper article announcing the move to Sandusky by the Benoist Aeroplane company.

Unfortunately, just at the time his business was stating to take off, he was killed in a tragic streetcar accident in Sandusky. 

The Sandusky Star - Journal of June 14, 1917 has a long article about his death. At the time of his passing, Benoist's airplane designs were drawing interest from the U.S. Government for potential use in World War I. 

The Sandusky papers have several articles on his meetings with the government, including one in which government officials were to come to Sandusky just a week after his death.

Despite articles which speculated that Sandusky could become to airplane manufacturing what Detroit was to the automobile industry, his company died shortly after his death. His family sold the business, which was moved out of Sandusky. The company wasn’t mature enough to survive the loss of its creator and visionary leader. 

The accomplishments of Thomas W. Benoist are well documented on the internet, and include the fact that he operated the first passenger airline in the U.S. This was a passenger service between the cities of Tampa and St. Petersburg in Florida. The flight took 20 minutes and cost 5 dollars. 

His achievements in aviation were also honored on a U.S. postage stamp, which depicted his flying boat. The stamp was issued as part of Transportation Series issued between 1990 and 1994.

So what was the connection between Thomas Benoist and the Lorain Hydro and Aero Company? 

The tie-in was that Lorain Hydro and Aero purchased two Benoist Flying Boats, and in 1915 flew exhibitions at Cedar Point. The company also flew passengers from Sandusky to Cedar Point. 

The Lorain Hydro and Aero Company was the brainstorm of Lorain businessman J. E. Pepin, who circa 1910 to 1917 was the manager of the Citizen’s Loan and Trust Company located at 552 Broadway in Lorain. An article in the Chronicle-Telegram of November 7, 1914 (below) announced the organization of the company with Pepin as president. 

J. E. Pepin seems to have been a rather interesting character. An article in the Sandusky Register on March 1, 1919 indicates that after the Lorain Hydro and Aero company, Pepin moved to Detroit and eventually enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War I. After many daring exploits in France, he was apparently using something like hypnotism to cure shell shock cases in a hospital. 

C. Ray Benedict was the regular aviator for the Lorain Hydro and Aero Company. An article in his hometown newspaper, the Binghamton Press on September 1, 1915 details his activities during the summer of 1915, when the Lorain Hydro and Aero Co. had the concession for Cedar Point. 

Another article indicted that the residents of Lorain were treated to an air show in the summer of 1917 when the Anderegg brothers were testing a hydroplane they were purchasing from the Lorain Hydro and Aero Company. The company had gone out of business at that point and had sold its last ‘machines’ to the Anderegg brothers. The article notes that the company had its headquarters near Broadway and 9th Street.

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As a sideline to the articles about the Benoist Aircraft company, here is another interesting article. It centers around a woman flyer named Alys McKey Bryant who worked for the Benoist company in Sandusky. The article was published as she prepared to leave Sandusky after Benoist’s death in 1917.

While working for the company, Alys McKey Bryant was the factory supervisor, mechanic, and flight instructor. Quite a resume for a woman circa 1917. 

Courtesy Wikipedia

There is a great article about her, including several photos, in the Ohio's Yesterdays series published online by the Rutherford B. Hays Presidential Library and Museum. It is well worth reading. Here is the link.

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UPDATE (May 14, 2020)
A longtime contributor to this blog reminded me in an email that there is another Lorain connection to the ‘flying boat’ topic discussed here today. In an email, Bob Kovach noted, "Lorain's own Bill Long was also connected to the flying boat scene. 

“He also flew people back and forth to Cedar Point.

"Bill Long also restored one of those sea planes then donated it to the Crawford Auto Museum for display,” observed Bob. "Unfortunately, around 2010 it was auctioned off to a private collector for over $500,000 dollars.”

Here is that 1917 Curtiss MF 'Seagull' Hydroaeroplane that was formerly owned by Bill Long.

As stated on the Bonhams.com auction website, "Records are sketchy, but it appears that A-5543 had a single owner, William H. Long, who was the owner and longtime operator of the Lorain, Ohio airport. 

"Long is said to have based the MF at Sandusky Bay, from which he made frequent trips to Cedar Point Amusement Park, presumably flying joyriders and sightseers.”

Here’s another photo of the plane at the time of the 2010 auction, courtesy of the Financial Times website.

The website noted, "It was... the prize-winning American aviator Glen H Curtiss who perfected early flying boat design and his “F” model of around 1913 was adopted by the US Navy. The Curtiss MF (for “Modernised F model”) on offer here dates from 1917 and is a rare survivor among more than 80 of its type that were in service with the navy until the early 1920s. 

"Many MFs were sold off by the navy after the war, and it is thought that this former training aircraft was bought by William H Long, one-time owner of Lorain airport, who based it at Sandusky Bay, Ohio, and used it for ferrying sightseers to the nearby Cedar Point amusement park. The plane was last refurbished in 1945 before being donated to a car and aircraft museum in Cleveland, after which it went on display at Ohio’s Western Reserve Historical Society. In recent years, the MF has been in storage but is said to be in “remarkably good order.”

Anyway, Bob also sent me the photo below, which he found among some discarded items behind the old Lorain City Airport on Leavitt Road. (Bob lived nearby and even remembers Bill Long personally.)

Bob believes the photo (which is labeled only “Nov 4”) is of Bill Long’s flying boat.

As usual, thanks for sharing, Bob!

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By the way, in this 1959 interview with Bill Long, one of the bearded aviator’s prized collectibles that was stored at the airport was the wooden propeller to the Curtiss flying boat.

1959 Bill Long Article

A few weeks ago while blogging about growing up on Lorain's westside, I mentioned the Lorain City Airport and received a few comments and emails about it. It seems to be a topic that many people besides me find interesting.

I noted that on some maps back then, the airport was still referred to as Long's Airport. Well, the photo above is of Bill Long, who operated the airport. The photo accompanied an interesting article that I found in the 125th Anniversary of Lorain edition of the Lorain Journal at the Lorain Public Library.

Here is the article, as it appeared in the July 18, 1959 Journal. It was written by Edward Brown.

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Began 50 Years Ago
Old Flier Finds Beard Gets More Attention
by Edward Brown


Bill Long, 74, doesn't much care for the attention he gets as "one of the older fliers in the country still active," and now he is getting more than ever since he's grown a Gabby Hayes beard for Lorain's anniversary celebration.

"Why they've asked me to be judge at the antiques show on Harry Griffin's place in Sandusky," Long complained. "But I don't want to. I want to get out and mix with the boys."

Just about every Sunday in summer Long downs a little oatmeal and garlic, drives over to the Lorain City Airport in his "Continental Bentley" and tunes up one of his four planes for a jog to Fostoria, Bryan or Cedar Point.

"Some of the boys don't like to fly with me," he said. "So I usually go alone, but there's quite a crowd that comes for breakfast." The "drive-in, walk-in, fly-in" breakfasts are held Sunday at private airports around the state.

Once in a while in the afternoon there's a plane show or a flying meet at another town, maybe 100 miles away – "wherever the boys can get someone with a field big enough to land –" and Long has to take off again to get there in time for lunch.

Most of the time that Long hasn't been in the air – and he has logged over 4,500 hours in the last 50 years – he has been collecting old photographs, violins, cars, land and a lot of good memories.

"I got stuff my dad and grandfather had," he said. "You don't know what kind of a junk house I got."

The house is at 172 N. Broadway where Long lives with his sister, Mrs. Jenny Jack. Dad Long brought his family from Edgerton to Lorain in 1897 when the community's population was only 3,500.

One of the prize "junk" pieces, a racing car driven by Barney Oldfield, stands in the hangar at the Lorain City Airport. Long says he bought it from a patent medicine man who drove it to Lorain in 1902 "to attract a little attention" for his sales pitch.

Another old relic is the propeller to the Curtis Flying Boat Long piloted at Cedar Point during the twenties. In those days the "Admiral of Cedar Point" had a booming business taking vacationers on short flights. (Blogger's note: click here for a link to an article about the recent sale of this plane)

"I probably had more takeoffs and landings than any other pilot in the country," he said. "With a mechanic and a ticket taker we hustled'em through, sometimes 12 flights an hour, 12 hours a day during the season."

But in 1932 he quit his rugged summer schedule. It was towards the end of the season, and the pilot and his mechanic were out for a lark swooping across the end of Cedar Point toward Sandusky Bay.

"The wind was blowing hard," he said, "But I hadn't a drop to drink all day. Over the woods a down-draft caught us and dragged the ship into the bay."

Long, who said he couldn't swim a stroke, managed to hold onto the wing until someone fished him out. As he lay on his back 3 1/2 months with a busted pelvis and ankle, he learned he had crashed in four feet of water.

It was his first and only accident in nearly 50 years of flying. The bug initially came in the 1890's, when Long began reading his "crazy" uncle's five-cent novels about Frank Reed Jr. and his flying machine.

In 1906 his friend, Frank Miller, went down to Dayton to learn to fly and got killed. "That kind of took the wind out of me," he explained.

Then Glenn Curtiss made history flying 65 miles from Euclid Beach to Sandusky in 1910, and the young Lorain garage mechanic was ready to give it another try.

"We didn't have any flying lessons in those days," he said. "We'd just get in a plane, start taxiing across the field, let her take off a little bit and then shut the motor off."

Like the old racing car, the wooden propeller, the Stradivarius violin and the property down in Florida, there are too many memories associated with the airport for Long to think of getting rid of it.

"I've been operating an airport in Lorain as long as anybody's been flying around here," he said. "I like it and don't intend to sell it until I have to."

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Bob Kovach, one of the regular readers of this blog, used to live right across from the Lorain City Airport while he was growing up, and he spent a lot of time over there. He was nice enough to send me this great photograph of Bill Long's Ercoupe. The photo is from 1972.

Seeing the hangar in the background brings back a lot of memories. Thanks, Bob!