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| {{Infobox ride
| | #REDIRECT [[Flight Tutor (1)]] |
| | name = Flight Tutor
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| | othernames = Aerotrainer<br />Orientator<br />Airplane Instructor
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| | type = Rotating ride
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| | parksection = East, central
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| | built = 1931
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| | opened = 1931
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| | closed = 1931 (Sales company went out of business)
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| | manufacturer = Springfield Welding and Supply Company<br />Air Craft Appliance Company
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| | designer = [[W. E. Hoffman]]
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| | height = 20 feet (6.1 meters)
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| | vehicletype = Airplane
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| | numvehicles = 1
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| | numriders = 1
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| | inversions = Varies
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| }}
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| The first '''Flight Tutor''' (sometimes called an '''Aerotrainer''', '''Orientator''', or '''Airplane Instructor''')<ref name="historian">Barret, Richard E. 1984. "Olentangy Park: Four Decades of Fun." ''Columbus and Central Ohio Historian No. 1'' April 1984. Page 11.</ref><ref>"New Concern to Make 'Orientator' to Teach Flying Without Planes." ''Springfield News-Sun (Springfield, Ohio),'' June 9, 1929. Page 23. Accessed through Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107108977/new-concern-to-make-orientator-to/</ref> was one of two devices at Olentangy Park that was designed after flight simulators used by the U.S. Flying Service at the time.<ref name="invention">"Circus Thrillers: Army's 'Green' Flyers Get Stunt Training Near the Ground." ''The Columbus Dispatch,'' October 6, 1929. Page F9.</ref><ref name="teacher">"On the Rialto: Flight Teacher." ''The Columbus Dispatch,'' April 3, 1931. Page 22A.</ref><ref>"Sunday Only." ''The Columbus Dispatch,'' April 11, 1931. Page 8.</ref><ref name="new">"New Flight Machine." ''The Columbus Dispatch,'' April 17, 1931. Page 2B.</ref><ref name="another">"Another Tutor Picked For Park." ''The Columbus Sunday Dispatch,'' April 19, 1931. Page 60.</ref><ref>"Dressed Up: Features Added to Airplane Which Goes Nowhere." ''The Dayton Herald (Dayton, Ohio),'' April 23, 1929. Page 2. Accessed through Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107108176/dressed-up-features-added-to-airplane/</ref><ref>"Mechanical Flight Tutor Recent Development At Field 'Real Instructor'." ''Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio),'' April 28, 1929. Page 4. Accessed through Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107108369/mechanical-flight-tutor-recent/</ref>
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| The Flight Tutor, a unique addition to Olentangy Park, was unveiled on the park's Easter Sunday opening in 1931. It marked a significant milestone as the first of its kind to be permanently installed, having previously been a temporary attraction at only four other locations.<ref name="feature">"Flying to Be Park Feature." ''The Columbus Dispatch,'' April 5, 1931. Page 10D.</ref><ref>"Leviathans Play at Olentangy." ''The Columbus Dispatch,'' April 20, 1931. Page 10A.</ref><ref>"On the Rialto." ''The Columbus Dispatch,'' April 24, 1931. Page 20A.</ref>
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| Invented by Wright Field aeronautical and mechanical engineer [[W. E. Hoffman]] in 1929,<ref>"How to Fly Without Flying." ''The News-Herald (Franklin, Pennsylvania),'' Photograph. June 29, 1929. Page 12. Accessed through Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107109257/flight-tutor-photo-and-details/</ref> it looked like a wingless plane with a fuselage body, with rudder, elevator, and aileron control surfaces, mounted on a steel<ref>"Flight Tutor Gives Student 'Safe' Thrills." ''Arizona Republic (Phoenix, Arizona),'' September 8, 1929. Page 26. Accessed through Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107109482/flight-tutor-gives-student-safe/</ref> double-tripod frame 20 feet (6.1 meters) tall.<ref name="invention" /> The propeller in front was controlled by a 15-horsepower electric motor, and a circle of fins behind it blew air onto the rider to simulate an airspeed of 70-150 mph (113-241 kph).<ref>"New Concern to Make 'Orientator' to Teach Flying Without Planes." ''Springfield News-Sun (Springfield, Ohio),'' June 9, 1929. Page 23. Accessed through Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107108977/new-concern-to-make-orientator-to/</ref> Stairs led up to a nearby platform where riders could board the ride using a gangplank held by one of the two ride operators. Riders would get strapped in and control the plane with realistic controls to loop, spin, roll, dive, and stall without risk.<ref name="teacher" /><ref>"First Sunday at the Biggest Park." ''The Columbus Dispatch,'' April 5, 1931. Page 62.</ref><ref name="feature" /><ref>"Western Band." ''The Columbus Dispatch,'' April 8, 1931. Page 16A.</ref><ref>"Another Sunday At Olentangy Park." ''The Columbus Dispatch,'' April 13, 1931. Page 12A.</ref><ref name="shifting1">Raper, Tod. 1931. "Shifting Scenes." ''The Columbus Dispatch,'' April 15, 1931. Page 2B.</ref><ref name="another" /> The inventor claimed a half hour in the tutor was equal to three hours in the air.<ref>"How to Fly Without Flying." ''News-Herald (Franklin, Pennsylvania),'' Photograph. June 29, 1929. Page 12. Accessed through Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107109257/flight-tutor-photo-and-details/</ref>
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| It was installed near the entrance to the [[Red Devil]], south of the [[Midway]].<ref>"Flying to Be Park Feature." ''The Columbus Dispatch,'' April 7, 1931. Page 14A.</ref><ref name="shifting1" /><ref>"That Busy Place, Olentangy." ''The Columbus Sunday Dispatch,'' May 10, 1931. Page 56.</ref> Its success led to a [[Flight Tutor (Second)|second version]] of the ride being installed further north.<ref name="new" /><ref name="another" /> The rides were manufactured by the Springfield Welding and Supply Company and Air Craft Appliance Company (both in Springfield, Ohio) and sold through the Aircraft Appliance Sales Corporation in Delaware, Ohio. <ref>"Entertaining the Multitude." ''Springfield News-Sun (Springfield, Ohio),'' April 13, 1931. Page 12. Accessed through Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107183824/entertaining-the-multitude/</ref> The Army Flying Corps later found it obsolete, which had little if any practical value<ref>"Air Corps in Need of More Ship Pilots." ''The Times (Shreveport, Louisiana),'' November 13, 1932. Page 7. Accessed through Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107184439/air-corps-in-need-of-more-ship-pilots/</ref> and the sales company went out of business in 1932, so this ride was only at the park for one season.<ref name="feature" /><ref>"Aircraft Appliance Sales Corporation." ''Open Corporates,'' https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_oh/145885</ref>
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| == See Also ==
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| * [[Flight Tutor (Second)|Second Flight Tutor]]
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| == References ==
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| <references />
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| {{Park Sections}}
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| {{Rides}}
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| [[Category:Rides]]
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| [[Category:Rotating Rides]]
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| [[Category:Added in 1931]]
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| [[Category:Closed in 1931]]
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| {{#seo:|description=The first Flight Tutor was one of two devices at Olentangy Park that was designed after flight simulators used by the U.S. Flying Service at the time.}}
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| {{#seo:|keywords=Flight Tutor, Aerotrainer, Orientator, Airplane Instructor, Olentangy Park, Olentangy Amusement Park, Olentangy Park Columbus, Columbus amusement park, amusement park, Clintonville, defunct amusement park}}
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