File:Ferdinand Eggena.jpg

English: Ferdinand Eggena, who created a record by taking his pilot's license after five days' tuition:

Record in Taking Aviator's License: A record for obtaining an aviator's license was broken at the Wright aviation field on June 26th (2015), by Ferdinand Eggena, of New York City, just one week after entering the Wright aviation school.

The record course in the school was made as a result of a bet Eggena made at his club in New York during a discussion of European supremacy in the development of America's discoveries in aeronautics. Eggena declared that Americans could still carry off the laurels and would do so as soon as a few sportsmen entered the lists and showed the feasibility of aerial navigation for purposes other than exhibition work. He asserted that he could obtain a license in two weeks. His friends scoffed and the wager was made. He went to Dayton on June 18th and went at once to the Wright field. Orville Wright was on the car and they talked over the plans and the first flight was made that day. Under the tuition of Howard Rinehart, instructor of the Wright school Eggena made four flights. Friday afternoon, a week later, he made his trial for the license before Dr. J. C. Eberhardt of the Aero Club of America. He made the required two figure eights, the altitude Alight and two landings within the designated distance from a given spot. The landing must be made with 64 feet of a spot. Eggena made one landing with 30 feet of the spot and another within 25 feet of it.

His record is regarded by aviators as most unique. "He certainly must be an exceptional flier," declared Miss Katherine Stinson, Saturday.

“I know nothing about engines other than the little I learned in automobiling," declared Eggena Saturday.

"I expect to go back to collect a few bets and will return next week to buy my machine. I intend to purchase a Wright 6-X machine and one of the big cross country machines. My purpose in entering the game is to stimulate interest in cross country contests in the United States."