Minnie Johnson was a sister to Jerome ‘Bogus’ Johnson and, being the adventurous person that she was, obtained a ride in a Jenny flown by Sam Huff. Her enthusiasm for flight was contagious and she convinced William Johnson, her cousin, to obtain a WW I surplus Curtiss Jenny, even though he had not yet learned to fly. An Army pilot ferried the newly purchased plane from Hagerstown to Mexico Farms and then took Minnie for a ride. The Army pilot stalled the Jenny on takeoff and crashed, but both he and Minnie had only minor injuries. William ‘Curly Bill’ Johnson repaired the Jenny that winter and then took flying lesson from Charles Meyers of Hagerstown. After getting his pilots license Curly Bill began giving instruction to Minnie. Curly Bill progressed rapidly with his flying and obtained his commercial license with instructor’s rating and started the Allegany Flying School in about 1928 or 1929. Also about this time they traded for an OX-5 powered Kreider-Reisoner 31 Challenger Biplane manufactured in Hagerstown. Minnie soloed the Challenger on February 21, 1931 and logged about 125 hours. Unfortunately in 1934 Minnie and the Challenger hit the 40 foot high Western Maryland Railroad signal pole on the track embankment while on approach for a landing on the west runway at Mexico Farms Landing Field. Minnie was injured but not seriously, however the Challenger was destroyed.
Minnie and Curly Bill then purchased an Aeronca C-3 Collegian, one of the new light planes beginning to appear on the aviation scene in the early 1930’s. This was a progressive step for the Allegany Flying School as dual instruction in the Challenger was costing $20 per hour. The Aeronca could be used for dual instruction at about one-fourth that amount. Floyd Johnson and the author were privileged to fly this C-3 in the winter of 1945-46. In 1962 the author was thrilled to give Minnie her first glider ride in the Cumberland Soaring Group’s Schweizer 2-22 glider at the Cumberland Airport, being towed aloft by WW II B-17 8th Air Force hero, John ‘Jack’ Wagner, flying a Piper Super Cub tow plane.
Clockwise from upper left: Curly Bill and Millie Johnson, KR-31 Challenger, Bob Poling giving a ride to Minnie Johnson in a Schweizer Glider in 1962, and the Johnson’s Aeronca C-3 Collegian.
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Wings Over Cumberland 