William J. Purvis and Charles A. WIlson, Goodland William J. Purvis and Charles A.

Wilson were from Goodland, and were inventors who came up with a two-story vehicle designed to take off and land vertically (todays helicopter). The center shaft was to be 20 feet tall and made from cast iron. They filed an application for a patent in March 1910. They then formed the Goodland Aviation Company, sold stock, and had good publicity but they did not achieve flight. They did build a model that flew; the full-sized product was supposed to "rise, then remain stationary, then descend, then be propelled and finally, be guided" but it only remained stationary. It was reported that Purvis and Wilson abandoned their project and returned to their previous jobs of railroad mechanics by the time the patent was issued in 1912. While the project was unsuccessful, its concepts were the first to be patented in the United States. Further development of their ideas in the 1930s led to the building of successful helicopters.