13 Facts About Tom Gunn

Tom Gunn popularized passenger flight in Hawaii and became the head of the Chinese air force.

Tom Gunn had at least three sisters and at least one brother.

Tom Gunn attended the Oakland Polytechnic High School.

On February 19,1912, Tom Gunn made his first public flight at the international aviation meet in Emeryville, California.

Beachey and other pilots were apprehensive because Tom Gunn was relatively inexperienced, but he landed safely.

On February 22,1912, Tom Gunn's plane crashed at the Emeryville meet, dropping 150 feet to the ground.

Tom Gunn was taken to the Oakland Central Hospital, where his doctor described his chance of recovery as good.

Tom Gunn officially received his pilot's license on June 19,1912.

Tom Gunn left San Francisco for China in June 1913, but promised to return for Tong at the end of eight months.

On June 10,1913, Tom Gunn arrived in Honolulu, where he planned to stay for a month before traveling to China.

Tom Gunn had been offered a commission as a captain in the Chinese army, though he intended to spend his first six months in the country making freelance exhibition flights.

However, new president Yuan Shikai, fearing that Tom Gunn intended to side with his political rivals, put a bounty of 5,000 dollars on his head.

Tom Gunn traveled to the Philippines instead, where he was credited with introducing air mail.