Floyd Kelso standing by the wing and his family. Taken in 1920, the Kelso's just purchased this Curtis "Jenny" in Yakima. They are starting Kennewick's first flying service.
Floyd Kelso returned from the War in 1919, flying one of the first old Curtiss bi-planes into Kennewick about where the old City Hall is:
Shortly after landing in Kennewick, Floyd married on July 31, 1919. Floyd decided to go on a flying honeymoon to establish an air route from Spokane to Butte, Montana. They made it only to Mesa, running on only a few cylinders. Generally they flew all over, on the way, they flew under the Lewiston-Clarkston bridge in Idaho. Finally, during another emergency landing, they crashed into a ditch, breaking a propeller. They didn't make it to Montana.
Floyd talked about earning his living flying, and his slogan was "Fly with Floyd."He worked as a pilot and agent for Symons Russell Aviation in Spokane until at least March of 1920.
As a note, you can see the Washington St. grade school in the background. In 1920, this was the Kennewick Airport!
4 Mar 1920...these following are articles from the Kennewick Courier Reporter newspaper:
Floyd Kelso from Symons Russell Aviation came to Kennewick as an agent trying to assess the possibility of Kennewick becoming part of the up-and-coming Transcontinental Aero Mail service. They needed a stop between Portland and Spokane.
4th of March 1920
R.I. Erlichman of the Yakima Aviation Company visited the landing field in Kennewick and was met by the Mayor of Kennewick, Mr. Tweedt. Erlichlman had a photographer who was photographing good landing sites in Washington. Erlichman stated he hoped to help establish the Transcontinental Mail service.
Certain companies were bidding for government contracts and trying to cover all the bases.
22 July 1920
It said J.L. Kelso and sons Floyd and Raymond had sold their highlands fruit ranch and would again enter the flying business. They purchased a Curtiss standard bi-plane. Floyd will pick this up in Yakima. Kennewick will be their headquarters, and they will keep flying dates in the towns and cities of the Inland Empire. ( This sounds like the first flying service in Mid-Columbia to me!
12 August 1920
Floyd Kelso and S. J. Coull, a manager for Standard Oil Company, flew to Walla Walla and couldn't locate their flying field. This forced them to land in a field full of wheat stubble. (Can you imagine the embarrassment of walking to the nearest house and asking for directions?) On taking off again, the tall wheat stubble banging against the propeller caused the plane to need 1/2 mile to take off. This also dulled the propeller so badly that the plane on the return trip couldn't obtain more than 1300 feet altitude. Mid-Columbia is full of hills of more than 1000 feet to Rattlesnake Mountain, which is almost 3,000 feet. Can you imagine trying to find all the low canyons on the way back about 70 miles as the crow flies? When arriving home, he replaced the propeller and then received a distress call from a rancher who had a combine with mechanical difficulties 80 miles from nowhere and needed parts flown out to it.
I'm tired of typing and will continue tomorrow, Saturday the 14th. I have some interesting articles about Nick Mamer and many other pilots from the Pacific Northwest coming to Kennewick.
Nov 12, 1925
Floyd R. Kelso, Kennewick aviator, was killed yesterday in Robles, California, when his plane fell 500 feet during an Armistice Day celebration. Two young men who were riding with him were also instantly killed in the fall, which was witnessed by hundreds of people. Mr. Kelso, who served in the army training camps as an instructor during the war's later days, was considered an excellent flier. He was one of the first men in the state to receive army training in his department. Upon discharge from the army, he purchased a plane, making Kennewick his headquarters, and many local people have been his passengers. He has been engaged in commercial aviation since the war.
A telegram tonight from Floyd's father gives a slightly different account of the accident. According to the telegram, a passenger's foot caught the control wires when starting a nose dive from an altitude of 2000 feet. The foot was severed, and the control stick bent double to right the ship.
***I didn't correct the English; I copied these articles from many of the Tri-City newspapers from the 1920s.
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