Burt Eugene Skeel

Background

He was born on May 5, 1894 in East Cleveland, Ohio, to Frank E. and Artemisia Edgerton Skeel.

Career

Skeel commanded the 27th Pursuit Squadron of the First Pursuit Group at Selfridge Field in Mount Clemens, Michigan. Instead, he was killed on October 4 when the wings of his Curtiss broke away from the fuselage when he was still at 2,000 feet (615 m), and he went into a dive at about 275 mph (440 km/h). Camp Skeel in Oscoda, Michigan was named in his memory.

Achievements

• On October 6, 1923, Skeel won the second running of the Mitchell Trophy Race in Saint Louis, Missouri, with his Bachelor of Medicine-3A reaching a speed of 161 mph (258 km/h). Skeel had boasted that he intended to win the Pulitzer Trophy Race at Wilbur Wright Field in 1924.