Lyman Gilmore, (June 11, 1874 – February 18, 1951), was an aviation pioneer. In Grass Valley, California, USA, he built a steam powered airplane and claimed that he flew it on May 15, 1902. Due to the requirement of a heavy boiler and the dependency on coal as a power source the flights would have only been short. Potential proofs of his claim was lost in a 1935 hangar fire. June 11 is the 162nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (163rd in leap years), with 203 days remaining. ... 1874 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... February 18 is the 49th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1951 was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... ... There also is Grass Valley, California, a city in Nevada County, California, USA and Grass Valley, Oregon, a city located in Sherman County, Oregon. ... State nickname: The Golden State Other U.S. States Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) Official languages English Area 410,000 km² (3rd)  - Land 404,298 km²  - Water 20,047 km² (4. ... May 15 is the 135th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (136th in leap years). ... 1902 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

any remaining proof was lost when he was forcfuly deprived of his trench coat for a delousing of some sort and it was subsequently burned along with all the papers he carried in it.

There exist photographs from 1898 showing Gilmore's machine, but none showing it in the air. He was in contact with other flight pioneers like Samuel Langley and eventually the Wright Brothers. In 1902, Gilmore was granted two patents on steam engines, the first of which was granted in 1902. He invented in other areas too, for example a rotary snowplow. On March 15, 1907 Gilmore opened the first commercial airfield, Gilmore Airfield. Samuel Pierpont Langley (August 22, 1834 in Roxbury, Massachusetts near Boston, – February 27, 1906, Aiken, South Carolina) was an American astronomer, physicist, inventor, aeronautics pioneer and aircraft engineer. ... The Wright brothers, Orville Wright (August 19, 1871 - January 30, 1948) and Wilbur Wright (April 16, 1867 - May 30, 1912), are generally credited with the design and construction of the first practical aeroplane, and making the first controllable, powered heavier-than-air flight along with many other aviation milestones. ... 1902 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... March 15 is the 74th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (75th in Leap years). ... 1907 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

After the fire in his hangar Gilmore began mining for gold and died as a poor man in Nevada City. Nevada City is the county seat of Nevada County, California. ...

External links

• http://www.ncngrrmuseum.org/gilmore/gilmore.htm
• http://www.goldnuggets.com/Gilmore/Gilmore.html