Did you know that California’s first recorded flight started on an Irvine bean field in 1909? Young aviator Glenn Martin (pictured right) lifted up just eight feet during that 12-second flight. Three years later, he broke an American over-water record by flying 68 miles from Newport Beach to Catalina Island and back. In 1913, he thanked his early supporter, James H. Irvine (left), with a 20-minute flight over The Irvine Ranch. On landing, Irvine said he had “never seen so much of his land at one time before.” (Visit irvinehistory.org for more Irvine history.)
