Roger Q. Williams

Roger Quincy Williams (April 30, 1894 - August 12, 1976) was an American aviator. He established The Roger Q. Williams School of Aeronautics. He designed the Yankee Aerocoupe.

Roger Quincy Williams
Williams and Clarence Duncan Chamberlin in 1928
Born(1894-04-30)April 30, 1894
Brooklyn, New York
DiedAugust 12, 1976(1976-08-12) (aged 82)
Alameda, California

Biography

He was born in Brooklyn, New York on April 30, 1894.

In July 1929 Williams, with Lewis Yancey, broke the over-water flying record by making a non-stop flight from Old Orchard Beach, Maine to Santander, Spain. The 3,400 mile flight took 31 hours and 30 minutes. After minor repairs in Spain, the Bellanca monoplane continued on to Rome.[1]

In 1937 he filed for bankruptcy.[2]

During World War I, Williams served with the United States Army Air Corps. Between 1942 and 1946 Williams served with the United States Army Air Forces. Williams wrote Flying to the Moon and Halfway Back in 1949.

In 1971, Williams received a National Aviation Hall of Fame award from the OX-5 Club.

Williams died in Alameda, California on August 12, 1976.[3]

References
  1. "Pathfinder Over Sea On Flight To Rome, Sails Unseen Through A Fog Off Maine. Fliers Cut Fuel Supply To The Minimum. The Maine-To-Rome Plane Now Over The Atlantic". New York Times. July 9, 1929. Retrieved 2012-10-14. Roger Q. Williams, pilot, and Captain Lewis A. Yancey, navigator, soared from sight in a fog here today in the Pathfinder on a non-stop flight for Rome, 4,400 miles across the Atlantic.
  2. "Flier Files As Bankrupt. Roger Q. Williams Lists $4,979 in Liabilities and No Assets". New York Times. March 21, 1937. Retrieved 2012-10-14. A voluntary petition in bankruptcy was filed in Federal Court yesterday by Roger Q. Williams, New York-to-Rome flier, who placed his liabilities at $4,979, and said he had no assets. Most of his debts were for legal services and rent. ...
  3. California Death Index 1940-1997

Further reading
  • ”Flights and Fliers” Time Magazine, June 17, 1929
  • ”Wives of Fliers Happy”, The New York Times, July 11, 1929
  • Heinmuller, John Paul Virgil. Man's Fight to Fly; Famous World-Record Flights and a Chronology of Aviation. New York: Funk & Wagnalls Co, 1944.
  • Roseberry, Cecil. The Challenging Skies; The Colorful Story of Aviation's Most Exciting Years, 1919-1939. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1966.
  • Scott, Catherine D. Aeronautics and Space Flight Collections. New York: Haworth Press, 1985.
  • University of Wyoming, D. C. Thompson, and John Hanks. Guide to Transportation History Resources at the American Heritage Center. Laramie: The Center, 1996.


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