James Stephen Krull (2/14/1889 - 1/21/1978) enlisted in the aviation section of the Signal Corps on July 25, 1914, and was assigned to the Army Flying School at North Island, Coronado, California. There he did general repair work on airplanes and engines. He passed the Junior Military Aviator's test in late 1916 and was put in charge of the repair and maintenance of aircraft for the enlisted personnel in the flight training section. In January 1917 he became a dual flying instructor at North Island, then discharged and employed by the Army as a civilian flying instructor. He was transferred around to different military flying fields as a flight instructor. In September 1918, he was commissioned First Lt. Air Service, R.M.A. (Reserve Military Aviator). On May 27, 1919, he became the first person to fly an airplane over and land in Yosemite Valley. The plane was a Curtiss JN-6HG, no.45263. The photographs in this collection are from this time period during his lifelong career as an aviatior.