1890-1962 AKA Lin Fuyuan & Arthur F. Lyn |
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Collection of Patti Gully, 9-3-09 |
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via email from Patti Gully, 9-3-09 I had been meaning to write and inform you about an eminent early aviator named Art Lym (Lin Fuyuan), who is listed in the Aero Club records as Arthur F. Lyn (no. 245), but I wasn’t sure if you were interested in commemorating folks who weren’t actual members of the Early Birds organization. He was a Chinese American and a childhood friend and colleague of Tom Gunn. They both emigrated to China to inaugurate the Canton Air Force, and during WWII, Art rose to become Chief-of-Staff of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek’s Chinese Air Force. At the behest of Art’s daughter, Renee Lym Robertson, I am currently writing his biography. |
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Collection of Renee Lym Robertson Courtesy of Patti Gully, 9-3-09 |
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Art was born in San Francisco in 1890, and in 1913, he took flying instruction from
Glenn Curtiss at North Island in San Diego. In early June 1913, Art took his test for the FAI, and under the
supervision of his official examiner,
John D. Cooper, he passed with flying colours. As part of his final exam, Art was required to describe ten
figure-eights in the air, and then land within a prescribed distance of a set mark. He accomplished the
figure-eights in twenty-four minutes, and as a grand finale, established a record for the school when he cut his
motor and glided to a landing within three feet, six inches, of the set mark. On 13 June, he became only the
second aviator of Chinese descent to be licensed by the Aero Club of America. Normally unforthcoming,
Glenn Curtiss was effusive in his compliments and declared that Art was one of the most brilliant pupils of the
school. Please find attached a photo taken by Glenn Curtiss that Art used in his Aero Club license. (courtesy of
Renee Lym Robertson) In 1954, Art was contacted by his friend and flying instructor, Theodore C. Macaulay (the second last letter is an “a”), and invited to join the Early Birds. This letter is still in Renee’s possession. The then-President, Clarence A. De Giers, approved of his admission to the club, writing, “Arthur F. Lyn is listed under the FAI as having License No 245, which, if this is the same person, makes him eligible without further ado, however we should have details pertaining to his early work in aviation (and subsequent career in aviation) for Early Bird archives and publication in Chirp…” Apparently, General T. Dewitt Milling, then the oldest Early Bird, was lined up to sponsor his application, but according to Art’s daughter, her father wasn’t well, and he never got around to filling out the forms. September 21, 2009 will be the 100th anniversary of the flight of the first Chinese aviator, Feng Ru, and a group of us are celebrating this event on 19 September 2009 at Laney College in Oakland, CA, the site of Feng’s one-time workshop. A monument of Feng, the gift of the people of China, will be unveiled, and all are invited to attend. (Librarian Steve Lavoie, who was one of your informants on your Feng Ru page, is one of those involved.) However, the occasion will also be used to celebrate America’s second and third Chinese aviators, Tom Gunn and Art Lym, and all others who struggled against the odds to make their dreams come true. In advance of this, I prepared a brief timeline of Art’s life – please find this attached. I don’t know if you wish to include Art Lym in your website, but you seem to be a keen collector of aviation material and I simply forward this information for your personal interest. If you have any questions about him, please do not hesitate to ask. Regards, Patti Gully |
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via email from Patti Gully, 9-3-09 |
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(9-14-09), you will find about ten links, several of which are helpful. Five of the links are in Chinese and the translated versions are a bit confusing, if intriguing. |
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Art Lym died on August 3, 1962 from Patti Gully, 9-3-09 |
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If you have any more information on this pioneer aviator, please contact me. E-mail to Ralph Cooper |
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