Ralph Johnstone

Biography Johnstone was born on September 18, 1880, in Parsons, Kansas.

Johnstone started as a vaudeville trick bicycle rider who performed a midair forward somersault. He became a Wright exhibition team pilot. On August 17, 1910, he survived a crash at Asbury Park, New Jersey.

On October 27, 1910, the International Aviation Tournament was held at the Belmont Park racetrack in Elmont, New York. The meet offered $3,750 for the highest altitude, another $1,000 for a world record and a $5,000 bonus for exceeding . Johnstone set a new American flight altitude record of . During the flight, a gust of wind forced him to fly backwards, and he landed near Artist Lake in Middle Island, New York.

Johnstone died on November 17, 1910, in Denver, Colorado, in an air crash. He was a friend of Archibald Hoxsey and rival Curtiss team member Eugene Ely.

Legacy A New York State Historic Plaque at Artist Lake along New York State Route 25 in Middle Island commemorates Johnstone's landing at the lake.