Arthur "Al" Welsh, 1881-1912: Pioneer Aviator

Arthur "Al" Welsh, 1881-1912: Pioneer Aviator. . , The extraordinary life of the first American Jewish aviator began as a typical Jewish immigrant story. Laibel Willcher was born on August 14, 1881, in Russia. In 1890 the family immigrated to Philadelphia and two years later moved to Washington, DC. The 4 ½ Street, SW neighborhood where they settled was home to Jewish immigrants at the turn of the last century., In 1901, Willcher joined the Navy, giving his name as Arthur L. Welsh. He returned to Washington in April 1906, working as a bookkeeper and attending meetings of the Young Zionist Union, where he met his wife, Anna Harmel. They were married in the Adas Israel synagogue in 1907. Welsh resolved to become a pilot after witnessing Orville Wright's demonstrations at Fort Myer, Virginia in 1908 and 1909. Welsh was trained directly by Orville Wright, first in Montgomery, Alabama, and later in Dayton, Ohio. He immediately became an instructor and member of the Wright Exhibition Team., The Wright brothers sent Welsh and his teammates out to promote the airplane across the United States. By November 1911, they had performed in over 77 locations across country., At the International Aviation Meet in Chicago in August 1911, Welsh won a $3,000 prize as the first aviator to fly more than two hours with a passenger. The team was disbanded in November 1911. Welsh was the only pilot the Wrights kept as an employee working as a trusted instructor. His students included Henry H. (Hap) Arnold, who later became General of the Air Force (5-star) and the U.S. Army Air Force chief of staff during World War II; "Cal" Rodgers and Robert Fowler, the first and second pilots to cross the United States; and Edson Gallaudet, son of the founder of Gallaudet University., In May and June 1912, Welsh tested a new Wright Model C airplane at the U.S. Army Aviation School at the College Park Airfield. On June 11, 1912, Welsh, accompanied by Lieutenant Leighton Hazelhurst, made an attempt to meet a loaded-climb requirement. Welsh climbed to about 200 feet and then dove downward to gain momentum. As he began to climb, the airframe collapsed and crashed. Both men were killed instantly, the first fatalities at the College Park Airfield., Welsh's funeral was held on June 13, 1912, in the Harmel family home. His pallbearers included Orville Wright, Lieutenant Henry H. Arnold, F. Oppenheimer, Charles Stein, and S.L. Rakusin. Welsh was buried in the Adas Israel Cemetery in Anacostia., In his autobiography, Global Mission, General Henry Arnold wrote of Welsh, "He taught me everything I know, but he knew much more." In so many ways the Arthur Welsh story personifies the American dream. He came through this country as a boy with relatively little, but through sheer persistence, commitment, and skill he went on to become a respected pioneer in this country's aviation history, to quite literally take his dreams and make them soar.