Canton’s Pioneers in Flight

Canton boasts a rich aviation heritage, reaching back to the earliest pioneers of flight. Local resident Frank S. Lahm founded the Aero Club of Ohio here and his son Frank P. Lahm worked with the Wright brothers on some of their earliest test flights. William Martin’s monoplane, the first single-wing airplane in the world, was invented here. Other Canton firsts include Martin’s wife Almina, the world’s first female airplane pilot; Bernetta Miller, one of the first women to earn a pilot’s license; and Louise Timken, the first woman to own and operate a private jet. The Timken Company developed a steel alloy here that allowed planes to fly at higher altitudes.