Flight Came On The 100th Anniversary Of The Accomplishment
In 1913, just 10 years after the Wrights' first flight at Kitty Hawk, NC, 21-year-old Logan A. (Jack) Vilas was the first person to fly an airplane across Lake Michigan. The flight took place on July 1, and it was the first time most people in Chicago had ever seen a seaplane. Vilas was only the sixth person in the U.S. to obtain a seaplane rating.