The 1914 Ingram/Foster Biplane - Albuquerque, NM

On my way home from Arizona, I got stuck in the Albuquerque, New Mexico airport for about three hours. But it turns out the Albuquerque airport isn't that bad a place to be stuck. There are tons of historical exhibits and artwork for the stranded traveler to enjoy, like the 1914 Ingram/Foster Biplane

(By the way, I asked security before I took this picture. I don't recommend taking unauthorized pictures in airports unless you want to get tackled by TSA).

According to the Albuquerque Museum: "While on a business trip to Dallas, Jay Ingram, a Ford dealer from Decatur, Texas, met Charles A. Foster, an exchibition flier. Foster's flying stories spaarked Ingram's imagination, and the two men struck a deal. Foster would come to Decatur, build aeroplanes, and together they would from the Pioneer Aeroplane Exhibition Company."

"In six months, Foster built a copy of a Curtiss pusher that was sturdy enough for limited aerobatics. The wheels, tires and many fittings were purchased from mail order aeroplane supply houses. The ribs, interplane struts and wing sections were custom-made from raw lumber. The wings were covered with cotton or linen fabric and painted with a varnish made from cellulose dissolved in ether. The eight-cylinder Roberts engine was rated at 100 horsepower."

I don't know enough about aviation or airplanes to be appropriately impressed. But I do know enough to think it was a very cool looking biplane and its was fascinating to learn a little bit about aviation history while waiting for my modern flying tin can to finally show up.