Frank Wilber "Spig" Wead (October 24, 1895 - November 15, 1947) U.S. Navy aviator turned screenwriter who helped promote United States Naval aviation from its inception through World War II. October 24 is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 68 days remaining. ... 1895 (MDCCCXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... November 15 is the 319th day of the year (320th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 46 days remaining. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... USN redirects here. ... An aviator is a person who flies aircraft for pleasure or as a profession. ... Screenwriters, scenarists or script writers, are authors who write the screenplays from which movies and television programs are made. ... First flight, December 17, 1903 Aviation or air transport refers to the activities surrounding human flight and the aircraft industry. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead...

A 1917 graduate of the Naval Academy, began to promote Naval Aviation after World War I Frank "Spig" Wead through air racing and speed competitions. This competition, mainly against the United States Army (and their leader Jimmy Doolittle), helped push U.S. military aviation forward. These competitions would give military aviation a much-needed spotlight in the public eye. The public attention that it generated helped push Congress to fund the advancement of military aviation. During World War I, he served on an older cruiser which was blockading Mexico following the famed "Z" telegram. After WWI he was a test pilot for the Navy. Combatants Allied Powers: France Italy Russia Serbia United Kingdom United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Commanders Ferdinand Foch Georges Clemenceau Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna Nicholas II Aleksei Brusilov Herbert Henry Asquith Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Paul von Hindenburg Reinhard... Air racing is a sport that involves small airplanes and is practiced around the world each year. ... The United States Army is the largest branch of the United States armed forces and has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... James Harold Jimmy Doolittle, Sc. ... It has been suggested that Aerial warfare be merged into this article or section. ... Seal of the U.S. Congress. ... Test pilots work on developing, evaluating and proving experimental aircraft. ...

In September of 1923 Wead was a member of the United States Navy team that traveled to Cowes England to compete in the Schneider Cup Race (Jacques Schneider Maritime Seaplane Trophy). The Schneider Cup (or Schneider Trophy), which was named for the French aviation enthusiast, started in Monaco in 1913. This most prestigious seaplane racing cup resided in Europe until 1923 when Lieutenant David Rittenhouse won the race and brought the cup home to the United States for the Navy team. 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Cowes High Street Location within the British Isles Cowes Esplanade and Cowes Castle (home of the Royal Yacht Squadron) Cowes from sea Cowes is a seaport town on the Isle of Wight, an island due south of the major southern English port of Southampton. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ... This article or section is missing references or citation of sources. ... 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... European redirects here. ... 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

On the 22nd and 23rd of June 1924 in Anacostia, D.C., as a lieutenant, Wead along with Lieutenant John Dale Price, using a Curtis CS-2 with a Wright T-3 Tornado engine, would set new Class C seaplane records for distance (963.123 miles), duration (13 hours-23 minutes-15 seconds), and three speed records (73.41 mph for 500 kilometers)(74.27 mph for 1000k)(74.17 mph for 1500k). Lieutenants Wead and Price would strike again on the 11th and 12th of July 1924, with new Class C seaplane records for distance (994.19 miles) and duration (14 hours-53 minutes-44 seconds) using a CS-2 with a Wright Tornado engine. In order to set these records, Wead and Price had to exchange positions at the controls, as the aircraft had only one set of controls. One of the pair would leave the navigator/spotter position, climb out of the plane and slide along the hull on a small rail. The two would both occupy the pilots seat as one slid into place and the other slide out, then exited the aircraft and moved to the navigators position. Map of Washington, D.C., with Anacostia highlighted in red Rowhouses in Anacostia. ... ... A DeHavilland Single Otter floatplane in Harbour Air livery. ...

Wead would have no doubt continued to be an excellent naval aviator, as a squadron commander, had it not been for a tragic accident. In April of 1926 he was resting upstairs and heard one of his daughters scream, he then rushed downstairs and tripped breaking his neck. The fall resulted in paralysis. While convalescing, at the encouragement of his Navy friends, Wead began writing.

Writing would turn into a second, and even more important, career for him. It would be the promotion of naval aviation through the pen and screen. This second, unforeseen, career would be his true position of importance in promoting Naval aviation, far more important than his endeavors as a pilot. Wead's writings would lead him to Hollywood and the eventual friendship and collaboration with director John Ford. Wead would receive two Academy Award nominations in 1938, one for Best Original Story for Test Pilot and a second for Best Screenplay for The Citadel. ... John Ford (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973) was one of the most accomplished American film directors of the 1930s to 1960s, known particularly as a director of the Westerns, although his tributes to the veterans of World War II and Americana are also equally effective. ... Test Pilot is a 1938 film that tells the story of a test pilot and his wife, who try unsuccessfully to keep their best friend, another test pilot, from drinking. ... The Citadel is a novel by A. J. Cronin, first published in 1937, turned into a 1938 film, with two 1960 US and another 1983 BBC television adaptations. ...

Wead also wrote for leading magazines (The Saturday Evening Post and The American Magazine), and he was published writer of at least two books, including: "Ceiling Zero" (1936), and "Gales, Ice and Men" (1937). He later adapted Ceiling Zero into both a Broadway play and a feature film. He befriended writer Jack Woodford when they were both under contract at M.G.M. in Hollywood. A cover of the Saturday Evening Post from 1903 The Saturday Evening Post was a weekly magazine published in the United States from August 4, 1821 to February 8, 1969. ... Jack Woodford (1894–1971) was a successful pulp novelist and non-fiction author of the 1930s and 1940s. ...

Wead returned to the Navy during World War II and helped integrate the use of escort carriers to support the main battle line and beach landings. Frank Wead died in 1947. 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ...

John Ford would eventually be persuaded to make a movie about Wead, The Wings of Eagles (1957), and would cast John Wayne to play the part of Commander Frank "Spig" Wead. John Dale Price was played by Ken Curtis. Ward Bond would play director Ford in the character of John Dodge. Mrs. Minnie "Min" (Bryant) Wead (Frank's wife) is played by Maureen O'Hara. John Ford (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973) was one of the most accomplished American film directors of the 1930s to 1960s, known particularly as a director of the Westerns, although his tributes to the veterans of World War II and Americana are also equally effective. ... The Wings of Eagles is a 1957 film about Frank Spig Wead and US Naval Aviation from its inception through World War II. The film is a tribute to Wead from his friend, director John Ford. ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... John Wayne (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), popularly known as The Duke, [1] was an Academy Award winning, American film actor whose career began in silent movies in the 1920s. ... Ken Curtis (born July 2, 1916; died April 29, 1991), Singer-Actor, best known as Festus of Gunsmoke fame. ... Ward Bond (April 9, 1903 - November 5, 1960) was an American film actor. ... Maureen OHara Maureen OHara (born Maureen FitzSimons) on August 17, 1920 is an Irish film actress. ...

Frank A. Andrews book "Dirigible" (New York: A. L. Burt Co. 1931), is based on the Columbia Picture screenplay by Lieut. Commander Frank Wilber Wead.

Partial Filmography:

• They Were Expendable - 1945
• Destroyer - 1943 at the Internet Movie Database
• Destroyer - 1988 This film not written by Frank Wead. This link should be removed from this page...
• Dive Bomber - 1941 at the Internet Movie Database
• Dive Bomber - 1941
• The Citadel - 1938
• Test Pilot - 1938
• Ceiling Zero - 1936 at the Internet Movie Database
• Ceiling Zero - 1936
• Hell Divers - 1931

They Were Expendable is a war film released in 1945. ... 1945 (MCMVL) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about actors, films, television shows, video games and production crew personnel. ... Destroyer is a 1988 horror/action film starring retired football lineman Lyle Alzado. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about actors, films, television shows, video games and production crew personnel. ... This article is about the year. ... The Citadel is a novel by A. J. Cronin, first published in 1937, turned into a 1938 film, with two 1960 US and another 1983 BBC television adaptations. ... 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Test Pilot is a 1938 film that tells the story of a test pilot and his wife, who try unsuccessfully to keep their best friend, another test pilot, from drinking. ... 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about actors, films, television shows, video games and production crew personnel. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Hell Divers is a 1931 movie starring Wallace Beery and Clark Gable as a pair of competing chief petty officers on board the USS Saratoga (CV-3). ... 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1931 calendar). ...

See also

• Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company

Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company was an American aircraft manufacturer that went public in 1916 with Glenn Curtiss as president. ...

External links

• IMDB: Frank Wead
• Yahoo! Movies: Frank Wead