First Airplane To Land At Brandon Park, Williamsport

Fred Burns and his brother Harry build the first glider airplanes in Williamsport.  This one was the first plane to land in Brandon Park.

For this first flight into Brandon park, a notation on the photo states that August Koons was the pilot.

This photo offers a nice view of the Brandon Park Bandshell as well.  It appears to still be under construction, so possibly in 1913 or 1914.

February 1911

Burns Aeroplane 1911

In 1911, the Burns brothers built a monoplane, but they needed a motor.  Harry, who was working at  bank in Cleveland that year, met a man who owned a 25 horsepower Curtiss engine.  He traded the glider for the motor, and the brothers began building another plane.  This plane was built from spruce wood, with landing gear of white ash, with a wingspan of 28 feet.  The completed plane could reach speeds of 60 miles an hour. 

December 1911, Mulberry St Residents were complaining about the noise from the planes engine.  Burns sold his plane, but planned to built another.

Harry Burns went on to become a foreman at Curtiss Engineering Company.  If that name sounds familiar, perhaps you are familiar with the abandoned Nuclear Jet testing site in the Quehanna Wild Area. https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-abandoned-nuclear-jet-bunkers-in.html

Burns moved to California prior to 1930. 

Mary Burns Gladhill, Fred and Pearl S. Burns

1938, California

PLANE PIONEER DIES Fred Burns, former resident of Williamsport and one of the earliest builders of airplanes in this section, died Friday at his home in San Diego, Cal. He and his brother, Harry of Williamsport, built the first glider in Williamsport in 1910 and later constructed two airplanes. He is survived by his wife, two sons, a sister and a brother. - August 1939

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September 19 1910

(the scan on newspapers.com is cut off, need to check the other archives for the full article)

1910, Glider Over Grampian Hills