William Whitney Christmas Explained

William Whitney Christmas
Birth Date:1 September 1865
Birth Place:Warrenton, North Carolina, U.S.
Death Place:Bellevue Hospital
Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Education:St. John's Military Academy
Alma Mater:
    Occupation:Physician
    Aviator
    Children:1

    William Whitney Christmas, M.D. (September 1, 1865 – April 14, 1960) was a physician, failed aircraft designer, and supposed con man. He was one of many claimants for an early design of the aileron. He was a vice-president of the General Development Corporation.[1]

    Biography

    He was born on September 1, 1865, in Warrenton, North Carolina, to James Yancey Christmas and Rhoda Gaines. He attended the St. John's Military Academy then the University of Virginia where he obtained a bachelor's degree and a master's degree.[2] [3] He graduated from George Washington University in 1905 with an M.D.[2]

    He married May Norris in 1899 in Maryland, and they had as their son, Whitney Norris Christmas.

    He developed the Christmas Bullet airplane in 1918 which had sprung steel wing spars, which crashed on its maiden flight after the wings tore themselves from the fuselage, killing the pilot. He then built a second example which also crashed on its maiden flight, again killing the pilot.[4] [5]

    In retirement he was still proposing improbable aeroplane designs.[6]

    He died at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan, New York City, of pneumonia on April 14, 1960.[7]

    Aircraft

    Aircraft designed or developed by Christmas, most of which never left the drawing board, but were supposed to introduce various aviation patents. It is unlikely that any of them other than the Bullet ever flew.(1910: (Dr William Whitney) Christmas Aeroplane Co, Washington DC. c.1912: Durham Christmas Aeroplane Sales & Exhibition Co. 1918: Cantilever Aero Co, Copiague, NY.)[8]

    External links

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: William Whitney Christmas (1865-1960) . 8 August 2015 . . Smithsonian Institution.
    2. Web site: Freed . Callie . December 21, 2011 . Mr. Christmas And His Flights Of Fancy . 2013-11-25 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20191113113240/http://www.virginiamemory.com/blogs/out_of_the_box/2011/12/21/mr-christmas-and-his-flights-of-fancy-2/ . 2019-11-13 . dead.
    3. News: Local Matters . 1884-09-13 . 3 . . 2021-06-12 . Newspapers.com.
    4. Web site: 22 May 2014 . World's Worst Planes: The Aircraft That That Failed . 8 August 2015 . . British Broadcasting Corporation.
    5. Web site: Lovell . Joseph Tyler . 19 April 2018 . The Christmas Bullet Was The Worst Plane Ever Made . 20 April 2018 . Foxtrot Alpha . Gizmodo Media Group.
    6. News: September 1, 1950 . Sky Giant Is Urged By Air Pioneer, 85. Dr. Christmas Plans Plane Like Battleship. His New Paper Dooms Counterfeiters . . 2015-08-08.
    7. Web site: June 1, 1960 . In Memoriam . 2015-08-08 . Early Birds of Aviation.
    8. Web site: Eckland . K.O. . 2008-08-15 . American airplanes: Ca - Ci . 2011-01-28 . Aerofiles.com.