Matchbox Miniature Large l Flying Fish

We were very eager to tell the story of early aviation on our beloved Plum Island - so set to creating a 3-dimensional piece that illustrate the pioneering work of Marblehead's W. Starling Burgess. 

We found a wonderful production partner in Rhode Island to bring this idea to life. Each piece is precision crafted wood and 6" x 4" & 1 7/8" in depth. 

About W.Starling Burgess, The Flying Fish & the Birth of Aviation in New England

Starling Burgess was born in Boston in 1878. He was innately gifted in mathematics and a brilliant student in engineering. Married at 26, he & his wife established their home in Marblehead, where Burgess opened a shipyard to design yachts.

In 1908 he witnessed Orville Wright fly in Washington DC & was so captivated by the technology ~ he rotated his promising maritime career to powered flight. In support of this fledgling industry, Burgess partnered with Augustus Herring , who brought experience in early plane design & construction techniques.

His first aero-plane was built in 1910 at his workshop on Marblehead Harbor. After its first flight test was conducted on the frozen Chebacco Lake in Hamilton. Burgess looked for a more permanent place to hold his tests. He settled on Plum Island, because its long expanse of flat land & distance from settlement made it a prime location for flying.

The new plane, called the Flying Fish for the fin-like structures on top of its wings, made three short flights on Sunday, April 17, 1910. His flight trails on Plum Island became an event for national news.

"Breaks World’s Record

Great Feat Of Burgess Aeroplane In Its Initial Flight

     Newburyport, Mass., April 18. – Three successive aeroplane flights by A. M. Herring of New York and W. S. Burgess at Plum Island aviation field Sunday created a record for heavier than air machines when the big machine started on each one of its three flights by its own power in skids while resting on the ground.

     The successful flight is the culmination of three years steady planning by the two inventors who made the flights, which marked the opening of the aeroplane era in New England."

Burgess continued to make innovative new planes, including the first seaplane used for military purposes.  In 1918 after  the end of WW1 and the contracts they provide, a fire consumed his main production plant. Rather than rebuild – he choose to return to his passion for yacht design where he built two America’s cup winners in the 1930s