Written by JS (09/2010)
George Augustus Page, Jr.
December 13, 1892 - 1983
George A. Page’s interest in modeling began in his teens, with interest in model boating, airplanes, and kites. In 1908 at the age of 17, he built his first model airplane. He had noticed a science magazine competition on aviation safety, awarding the winner $25,000 for a design for an aircraft with two engines instead of the standard one. Page built a model to see if such an airplane could be produced. Although the model he built did not fly, he learned from his mistakes, and the inspiration to build models stuck with him. Eventually, he estimated he built over 500 models.
Page was a member of the New York Model Aero Club, one of 35 members at the time. They flew their wood and rice paper models at the infamous Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. He also flew paper airplanes off the roof of the New York World Building (also known as the Pulitzer Building) in Manhattan.
His interest in modeling spurred his career in full-scale aviation. He began piloting aircraft in 1913, received his pilot’s license in January of 1914, and became an aviation engineer by trade, though had no formal training. He had a few brief years under his belt at various small aviation companies when the Curtiss-Wright Corporation hired him to work in their Airplane Division, designing aircraft. He designed the C-46 and CW-20 Commandos, the AT-9 (an advanced military trainer), the CW-21 Demon, and 56 other creations for the company.
He worked there as Chief Engineer and Director of Engineering from 1917 to 1951, and then worked for the Aeronca Manufacturing Corporation for the last 3 years as Vice President of Engineering before retiring at age 62.
For more information about Page’s full-scale aviation days, the National Air and Space Museum’s Archives Division holds a small collection of his papers, “The George A. Page Jr. Collection, 1921-1977.” From their website, (http://sirisarchives.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?uri=full=3100001~!228172!0#focus) “this collection consists of …membership cards and licenses; log books; newspaper and magazine articles; biographical material; and photographs.” An article to read with more information about his modeling days is in the August 1945 issue of Model Airplane News. You can view this magazine in our library.
George A. Page Photo source: “George A. Page, Modeler,” Model Airplane News, August 1945
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