Early Bird Aviator H. Roy Waite Signed 1912 Cliftondale MA Exhibition Flyer For Sale

Early Bird Aviator H. Roy Waite
Signed 1912 Cliftondale MA Exhibition Flyer
The exhibition handbill of a documented Early Bird of Aviation who ran his own New England flying schoolDESCRIPTIONThis is an original early 1900s exhibition handbill advertising passenger flights and flying lessons with H. Roy Waite at Cliftondale Aviation Field in Cliftondale (Saugus), Massachusetts, home to one of New England's earliest civilian flying schools.The single printed sheet is headed "Take a Flight in an Aeroplane" and features a period photo of Waite's Burgess-Wright biplane in exhibition flight, an oval portrait of Waite seated at the controls in full flying gear captioned "H. Roy Waite, Licensed Pilot," and a photograph of the field's hangar with a "Passengers Carried" banner and a parked biplane.Waite is a documented "Early Bird of Aviation" (the honor society limited to pilots who flew solo before December 17, 1916), and his WWI-era draft registration lists him as an aircraft inspector for the United States Navy.He took over the Cliftondale flying school in 1912 after its founder, Harry Atwood, left to pursue exhibition flying full time.The handbill is signed in period ink across the lower photograph, "H Roy Waite," with a handwritten notation reading "FAI - 156" beneath it.An identical leaflet with a matching hand signature is documented in the online Early Birds of Aviation archive, where a fellow collector recorded receiving his copy directly from Waite at a speaking engagement in Norwood, Massachusetts in the early to mid 1970s and confirmed the signature as genuine, supporting authenticity for this example as well.The images were scanned at 600dpi. Every effort is made toward fact checking and provenance, including background research through news and historical archives.If any listing is incorrect in any way and you're unsatisfied with the item, please connect with me and I'll make it right.Orders placed before Noon CDT ship same day via Ground Advantage with tracking. Returns accepted on all items exceeding $25 in cost. All shipments receive rigid, professional packaging, sealed and protected in acid free sleeves. Shipping is free and already built into the price, so the BIN price is exactly what you pay, no surprise shipping costs at checkout.CONDITIONOriginal period exhibition handbill on cream and ivory card stock, printed on one side only with the reverse blank. The sheet shows scattered light age spotting and toning consistent with a piece of ephemera over a century old, along with light edge wear; no tears or losses are noted. The hand written signature and "FAI - 156" notation are rendered in purple ink. Card measures approximately 4 1/4 x 6 1/2 inches. A well preserved example of early New England exhibition aviation ephemera.