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A. E. Hunt

A. E. Hunt's experiments

Aircraft inventor, 1910

Many experimented with flight in the years immediately following the Wright brothers' triumph and Kansas was not unique in its production of strange looking aircraft. A number of unique planes were built in small towns including Jetmore, which might have rivaled Wichita as the "air capital of the world."

In 1910 A. E. Hunt, a Jetmore blacksmith, built a "rotary aeroplane"—a helicopter of sorts. It was constructed of pipe and angle iron but followed a principle of using rotors to move and hold up the craft that is utilized today. Hunt was only able to prove that the rotors could lift 400 pounds. Since the pipe and the iron weighed more than three tons he had a long way to go.

Hunt was credited with being far ahead of his time when it came to his engineering experimentation but the rotors suffered too much power loss. If today's lightweight materials had been available he might have had more success.

Entry: Hunt, A. E.

Author: Kansas Historical Society

Author information: The Kansas Historical Society is a state agency charged with actively safeguarding and sharing the state's history.

Date Created: July 2010

Date Modified: January 2019

The author of this article is solely responsible for its content.