The Harvard Aeronautical Society was organized on November 11, 1909 . Membership was open to any present or former member of Harvard University. The Society began with 250 charter members; three months later they had an active membership of 360, including undergraduates, graduate students, alumni, and faculty. Abbott Lawrence Rotch was the founding president. In 1910, the Society incorporated and became officially affiliated with the Aero Club of North America. The Society was organized as an educational and scientific institution. It established a library, sponsored lectures, featured exhibits, and hosted both international and intercollegiate aviation and glider meets. Members built their own glider and bi-plane, the latter named Harvard I . In 1910 and 1911, the Society sponsored the Harvard-Boston Aero Meet (also known as the Harvard-Boston Aviation Meet ); the third Harvard-Boston Aero Meet was held in 1912. The Society was especially active between 1909-1911 and 1919-1920.
An aviation club was revived at Harvard with the establishment of the Harvard Flying Club, an organization of Harvard undergraduates founded in March 1925. It is unclear whether or not the two organizations were related.
From the guide to the Records of the Harvard Aeronautical Society, and, 1909-1911, 1946, 1959, 1986., (Harvard University Archives)
