On February 13, 1917, he flew an N-9 over the Gulf of Mexico off Pensacola, Florida, and began attempts to loop it. He succeeded on his fourth try, becoming one of the first persons ever to loop a seaplane (the first pilot to loop a seaplane was Polish aviator Jan Nagórski on 17 September 1916 in Grigorovich M-9 flying boat).
On February 13, 1917, he flew an N-9 over the Gulf of Mexico off Pensacola, Florida, and began experimenting with looping the aircraft. He eventually achieved success after four tries, making him one of the first people to successfully loop a seaplane (the first pilot to do so was Polish aviator Jan Nagórski on 17 September 1916 in Grigorovich M-9 flying boat).