Ray Page

Ray Page: Born in Friend, NE on August 16, 1881 - Died on March 17, 1933

Ray's life began on a farm in Friend Nebraska. Later, he was an auctioneer, worked in the advertising department for the Nebraska Farmer, was a car salesman, and eventually was an airplane manufacturer.

Ray & Ethel Page

With his wife Ethel, he took over an existing aircraft manufacturing company in 1920, renamed it the Lincoln Standard Aircraft Company, and became the CEO. They also opened a pilot training school at the same location.

* Helped put Nebraska on the international map as a center of manufacturing, education and promotion of aviation in the 1920s

* Constructed one of the first commercial airfields in Lincoln

* Produced and sold airplanes around the world which made Nebraska the third largest manufacturer of airplanes in the entire United States during the 1920s. It was said they could produce a plane a day!

* Developed an exciting aviation environment and opened a pilot training school which attracted the young Charles Lindberg to Lincoln where he enrolled in the Flying School in 1922 and learned to fly

Self-Guided Tour of Ray Page Historic Sites

Some models manufactured were the Lincoln-Standard and Lincoln-Page (both 3-place), Lincoln-Page LS5 (5-place), and one model for assembling at home. Page’s “Link-up-with-Lincoln” civic boosters, flying Standards, in 1925 carried greetings to Oklahoma, Texas, and California. Daredevil fliers of the Page Aerial Pageant advertised Lincoln across Mid-America.

Ray was recognized by Charles Lindbergh in his book "The Spirit of St. Louis" which told the story of his becoming the preeminent aviation figure when he completed the first nonstop transatlantic flight from New York to Paris in 1927.

Ray Page was laid to rest in the Andrew Cemetery in Friend. At the cemetery service, two large airplanes circled over the cemetery as a mark of respect for his aviation legacy. His was a life well lived and inspires us all to pursue our interests and strive to make a difference for others.

Ray Page was installed into the Nebraska Aviation Hall of Fame in 1993