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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 name="newconcern">"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 name="howto">"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 name="newconcern" /> 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 name="howto" />
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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. <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,'' Last modified August 20, 2024. 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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