The Bourdon/Viking Kitty Hawk & Viking
(Schreck) Flying Boat Story

     As with many historical studies, and after years of collecting, by the time this writer was ready to put it all on paper, the key people in the original story were long gone, and in many cases it has been difficult to find, make contact, and interview their survivors. When any type of contact was made, there was no guarantee that historically significant photos or other documentation would be found, if in fact any such material did survive and does in fact
exist.
     When I recently took on this study again, to do a final writing on the subject, questions arose that I did not think of many years ago when I was in contact with the people who were involved with Bourdon and Viking. Now after intense and painstaking research I realize that some of these questions may never be addressed or answered. I am therefore hoping that somewhere out there in the AAHS community, the answers to some of these questions will be
found.
     This is a first attempt at telling the story of Bourdon and Viking, so one has to begin somewhere. We will start with some background details on some of the people involved during the early stages of
development.

SETTING

     This story begins in Rhode Island. The state capital, Providence, is the second largest city in New England and was founded by Roger Williams. The city lies at the head of Narragansett Bay, about 40 miles southwest of Boston,
Mass.
     Providence was founded in 1636, and became the capital in
1900.

LOCAL AIRPORTS IN 1928

     On the north shore of Greenwich Bay, in Warwick near Nausauket, there was a flying field known as Pothier Field, at the summer community of Buttonwoods, about eight miles south of the city of Providence. It is a small community of beach cottages, small year-round homes mixed in with a few larger well-maintained
residences.
     Pothier was named after former Governor of Rhode Island, Aram J. Pothier, and had one hangar in 1928, as seen in photographs, showing a Bourdon Kitty Hawk sport biplane there at that
time.
     About seven miles northeast of Providence, in the town of Pawtucket, on Newport Avenue, was What Cheer Airport in 1928. It was owned and operated by a Mr. Bertucci. The site eventually became the Narragansett Race Track, so well known in this part of the country. Part of the old racetrack can still be seen there, but nothing of the old airport can be found. The one hangar was torn down a number of years ago. The airport was located close by the Central Pond of the James V. Turner Reservoir, just to the east of the airport
. . . .