The first successful transfer of fuel in mid-air. On November 12, 1921, while circling over Long Beach, California as wing walker Wesley May climbed from the wingtip of a Standard J-1 biplane to a Curtiss JN-4 “Jenny” biplane with a five-gallon can of gasoline strapped to his back and successfully poured the gas into the Jenny’s fuel tank.
The J-1 was piloted by Frank Hawks and the Jenny was piloted by Earl Daugherty. The first transfer of fuel using the more conventional fuel hose system took place in 1923.