Baldwin Red Devil - Operational History

Operational History

The "Red Devil III" was test flown by Baldwin over Mineola Field. The first flight resulted in a wreck into a telegraph pole, with no major injuries. The Baldwin School offered flying lessons in the aircraft for $500 (1911 dollars), if the student proved they had life insurance for flight. It was the student's responsibility to also find an insurance broker to provide the policy, because there were no flight training policies available at that time. Baldwin previously had toured the country in Curtiss aircraft and his own designs. By the time he had produced the "Red Devil", he had more bookings then he could handle, the "Red Devil" would be advertised in several towns in close proximity, then substitute pilots and aircraft would be flown with full crowds of spectators. In one display in St. Louis he flew the "Red Devil" under the Eads and McKinley Bridges in St.Louis. On October 12, 1913, Tony Jannus flew actress Julia Bruns in a Red Devil in a New York Times Derby.