Jane Rice, author of “Bob Fogg and New Hampshire’s Golden Age of Aviation” will visit Madison Library on Tuesday, March 18 at 7 pm. Jane will give an illustrated talk about her book and early aviation in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region.
The “Golden Age” of civilian aviation, between the World Wars, was a time of unparalleled excitement as people experienced the thrill of flight for the first time, and in New Hampshire, that usually meant flying with Bob Fogg. Bob brought the first airplane owned by a New Hampshire resident to Concord in 1920 and began hopping passengers. Soon he started a seaplane base at the Weirs, and became a major tourist attraction there. Between 1923 and 1938 he and his pilots flew over 50,000 passengers over the lakes and mountains of New Hampshire’s Lakes Region, as well as delivering the “first aero-marine mail service in America” in 1925. He taught many future aviators their first flying lessons, including New Hampshire’s first female pilot, Dorothy Putnam. Bob also hit the headlines himself on several occasions when he flew newsreel cameras to the landing sites of famous transatlantic flights.
All are welcome to this free event, which will take place in the library’s John F. Chick meeting room. Copies of Jane’s book will be available for sale and signing after the presentation.