It's a memory that is so clear, so indelibly ingrained, John Miller can describe every sense, as if his whole being was alert for this life-changing moment. "I was four years and five months old," said Miller, who can smell the wind and hear the roar of that day, the day almost 92 years ago when Glenn Curtiss landed a fragile contraption of fabric, wire, and hope in the field across from the Miller family's Poughkeepsie, N.Y., farm. Curtiss was on his way to a $10,000 prize from a New York publishing magnate for flying from Albany to New York City. Miller was on his way to a storied life in aviation, one that isn't over even though he'll be 97 this year. "I'm still IFR current," said Miller, who flew his own Bonanza into EAA's AirVenture 2002 last month in Oshkosh. He's a friendly, confident storehouse of aviation lore who remembers the names, dates, places, and feelings of a roguish, adventurous, and sometimes death-defying breed of men and women who not only built an industry, but helped define a nation.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/air-shows-events/recording-the-living-history-of-aviation