18
18
0
Eugene Ely and the Birth of Naval Aviation—January 18, 1911
by: Peter Jakab Chief Curator
In 1909, military aviation began with the purchase of the Wright Military Flyer by the U.S. Army. The Navy sprouted wings two years later in 1911 with a number of significant firsts. The first U.S Navy officers were trained to fly, the Navy purchased its first airplanes from Glenn Curtiss and the Wrights, and sites for naval aircraft operations were established at Annapolis, Md., and at North Island, San Diego, Ca. But the most dramatic demonstration that the skies and the seas were now joined occurred on January 18, 1911, when Eugene Burton Ely made the first successful landing and take-off from a naval vessel.
After receiving an engineering degree in 1904 from Iowa State University, Ely began a career in the fledging automobile industry as a salesman, mechanic, and racing driver. He taught himself to fly in 1910 and never looked back. He had natural skills as an aviator and quickly became a well-known pilot with the Curtiss Exhibition Team that toured all around the county. In the fall of 1910, the Navy identified Captain Washington I. Chambers “to observe everything that will be of use in the study of aviation and its influence upon the problems of naval warfare.” Chambers quickly realized the most important first step to prove that the airplane could operate at sea was to show that landings and take-offs from ships were possible. Chambers attended one of the first major flying meetings, being held at Belmont Park, NY, in October 1910. He met Glenn Curtiss and Eugene Ely at the competition and made a proposition. If he would supply the ship, would they make the attempt to land on board? Ely was excited at the prospect and agreed.
On November 14, 1910, the light cruiser USS Birmingham was readied at Norfolk, Va., with a wooden platform erected on the bow, approximately 80 feet long. Ely’s Curtiss Pusher aircraft (similar to the Curtiss D-III Headless Pusher on display at the National Mall Building), equipped with floats under the wings, was hoisted aboard and the ship moved off shore. Ely succeeded in making the first take-off from a ship, barely. The Curtiss rolled off the edge of the platform, settled, and briefly skipped off the water, damaging the propeller. Ely managed to stay airborne and landed 2 ½ miles away on the nearest land, called Willoughby Spit.
Taking off a ship was one thing. Landing on one was quite another. Despite the somewhat harrowing flight off the Birmingham, Ely was ready to try. With Ely and the Curtiss team scheduled to fly in San Francisco in January, Chambers made arrangements for the attempt on the west coast. The armored cruiser USS Pennsylvania was prepared and anchored in San Francisco Bay. This time a longer platform was in place, 120 feet, along with ropes and sandbags stretched across to serve as a crude arresting system for landing. There was also a canvas awning at the end to catch the airplane if the ropes and sandbags were not sufficient. With longer wings and hooks on the landing gear, and Ely donning a padded football helmet and bicycle inner tubes around his body in case anything went awry, all was ready on the morning of January 18, 1911. Crowds lined the shore and boats collected in the harbor to witness the daring flight. At 11:00 a.m., Ely took off from nearby Tanforan Race Track and headed for the Pennsylvania. To the delight of thousands of spectators, Ely made a safe landing, the arresting equipment working perfectly. After lunch with the ship’s captain and a few photographs, the platform was cleared and the Pennsylvania was pointed into the wind. Ely took off, flew past the crowd, and landed safely back at Tanforan. Naval aviation was born.
The attention bestowed upon Ely after the successful Pennsylvania flights made him an even bigger star with the Curtiss Exhibition Team. He toured all over the United States during the remainder of 1911. Sadly, as was the fate of so many of these early show pilots, Ely lost his life in a crash during a performance in Macon, Ga., on October 19. He was formally recognized for his seminal contribution to naval aviation in 1933, when the Navy posthumously awarded him the Distinguished Flying Cross.
https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/eugene-ely-and-birth-naval-aviation%E2%80%94january-18-1911
https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1981-01/short-eventful-life-eugene-b-ely
http://www.nationalaviation.org/our-enshrinees/ely-eugene/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Burton_Ely
Additional video footage :
https://youtu.be/1kT18DdtZCQ
https://youtu.be/5qTXKlyRz-E
@ col mikel COL Mikel J. Burroughs @ ltc stephen LTC Stephen F. @ ltc wayne LTC Wayne Brandon @ ltc frank LTC (Join to see) @ maj william Maj William W. 'Bill' Price @ capt marty Maj Marty Hogan @ smsgt doc SMSgt Minister Gerald A. "Doc" Thomas @ tsgt joe TSgt Joe C. @ sra christopher SrA Christopher B. @ msg andrew MSG Andrew White @ ssg david SSG David Andrews @ ssg robert SSG Robert Webster @ sgt jim SGT Jim Arnold @ sgt randy Sgt Randy Wilber @ sp5 mark SP5 Mark Kuzinski @ cpl dave CPL Dave Hoover @ spc margaret SPC Margaret Higgins @ po1 chip PO1 William "Chip" Nagel @ po1 tony PO1 Tony Holland Alan K.
by: Peter Jakab Chief Curator
In 1909, military aviation began with the purchase of the Wright Military Flyer by the U.S. Army. The Navy sprouted wings two years later in 1911 with a number of significant firsts. The first U.S Navy officers were trained to fly, the Navy purchased its first airplanes from Glenn Curtiss and the Wrights, and sites for naval aircraft operations were established at Annapolis, Md., and at North Island, San Diego, Ca. But the most dramatic demonstration that the skies and the seas were now joined occurred on January 18, 1911, when Eugene Burton Ely made the first successful landing and take-off from a naval vessel.
After receiving an engineering degree in 1904 from Iowa State University, Ely began a career in the fledging automobile industry as a salesman, mechanic, and racing driver. He taught himself to fly in 1910 and never looked back. He had natural skills as an aviator and quickly became a well-known pilot with the Curtiss Exhibition Team that toured all around the county. In the fall of 1910, the Navy identified Captain Washington I. Chambers “to observe everything that will be of use in the study of aviation and its influence upon the problems of naval warfare.” Chambers quickly realized the most important first step to prove that the airplane could operate at sea was to show that landings and take-offs from ships were possible. Chambers attended one of the first major flying meetings, being held at Belmont Park, NY, in October 1910. He met Glenn Curtiss and Eugene Ely at the competition and made a proposition. If he would supply the ship, would they make the attempt to land on board? Ely was excited at the prospect and agreed.
On November 14, 1910, the light cruiser USS Birmingham was readied at Norfolk, Va., with a wooden platform erected on the bow, approximately 80 feet long. Ely’s Curtiss Pusher aircraft (similar to the Curtiss D-III Headless Pusher on display at the National Mall Building), equipped with floats under the wings, was hoisted aboard and the ship moved off shore. Ely succeeded in making the first take-off from a ship, barely. The Curtiss rolled off the edge of the platform, settled, and briefly skipped off the water, damaging the propeller. Ely managed to stay airborne and landed 2 ½ miles away on the nearest land, called Willoughby Spit.
Taking off a ship was one thing. Landing on one was quite another. Despite the somewhat harrowing flight off the Birmingham, Ely was ready to try. With Ely and the Curtiss team scheduled to fly in San Francisco in January, Chambers made arrangements for the attempt on the west coast. The armored cruiser USS Pennsylvania was prepared and anchored in San Francisco Bay. This time a longer platform was in place, 120 feet, along with ropes and sandbags stretched across to serve as a crude arresting system for landing. There was also a canvas awning at the end to catch the airplane if the ropes and sandbags were not sufficient. With longer wings and hooks on the landing gear, and Ely donning a padded football helmet and bicycle inner tubes around his body in case anything went awry, all was ready on the morning of January 18, 1911. Crowds lined the shore and boats collected in the harbor to witness the daring flight. At 11:00 a.m., Ely took off from nearby Tanforan Race Track and headed for the Pennsylvania. To the delight of thousands of spectators, Ely made a safe landing, the arresting equipment working perfectly. After lunch with the ship’s captain and a few photographs, the platform was cleared and the Pennsylvania was pointed into the wind. Ely took off, flew past the crowd, and landed safely back at Tanforan. Naval aviation was born.
The attention bestowed upon Ely after the successful Pennsylvania flights made him an even bigger star with the Curtiss Exhibition Team. He toured all over the United States during the remainder of 1911. Sadly, as was the fate of so many of these early show pilots, Ely lost his life in a crash during a performance in Macon, Ga., on October 19. He was formally recognized for his seminal contribution to naval aviation in 1933, when the Navy posthumously awarded him the Distinguished Flying Cross.
https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/eugene-ely-and-birth-naval-aviation%E2%80%94january-18-1911
https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1981-01/short-eventful-life-eugene-b-ely
http://www.nationalaviation.org/our-enshrinees/ely-eugene/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Burton_Ely
Additional video footage :
https://youtu.be/1kT18DdtZCQ
https://youtu.be/5qTXKlyRz-E
@ col mikel COL Mikel J. Burroughs @ ltc stephen LTC Stephen F. @ ltc wayne LTC Wayne Brandon @ ltc frank LTC (Join to see) @ maj william Maj William W. 'Bill' Price @ capt marty Maj Marty Hogan @ smsgt doc SMSgt Minister Gerald A. "Doc" Thomas @ tsgt joe TSgt Joe C. @ sra christopher SrA Christopher B. @ msg andrew MSG Andrew White @ ssg david SSG David Andrews @ ssg robert SSG Robert Webster @ sgt jim SGT Jim Arnold @ sgt randy Sgt Randy Wilber @ sp5 mark SP5 Mark Kuzinski @ cpl dave CPL Dave Hoover @ spc margaret SPC Margaret Higgins @ po1 chip PO1 William "Chip" Nagel @ po1 tony PO1 Tony Holland Alan K.
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 11
Posted >1 y ago
A terrific piece of naval aviation history; especially the film of the first landing on a ship!
I had the distinct privilege of having a neighbor who had served as a Navy aircraft mechanic from 1917 - 1918.
Julius Schneider was a Seaman 2nd Class who originally enlisted to be a ships fireman but found himself assigned to the aviation section as a mechanic. He explained that the role of the mechanic was not only to keep the planes in good operating order, but also to test fly them following their repair efforts. That way if something went wrong the Navy didn't lose a valuable pilot and only had to replace a mechanic which was easier to find and less expensive to train. (They were expendable)
About a year before his passing he presented me with a gift of what he called his "Ditty Box".
It was a wooden box with a hinged top and a tray sitting inside and displaying his unit insignia on the top.
He explained it was used to keep things like shoe laces, brass buckles, awards and other small items while on board ship.
Julius passed away in 1986 at the age of 94 but I still have that ditty box and one day will take a photo of it to post to this site.
Thanks for posting this video, John and have a great day!
I had the distinct privilege of having a neighbor who had served as a Navy aircraft mechanic from 1917 - 1918.
Julius Schneider was a Seaman 2nd Class who originally enlisted to be a ships fireman but found himself assigned to the aviation section as a mechanic. He explained that the role of the mechanic was not only to keep the planes in good operating order, but also to test fly them following their repair efforts. That way if something went wrong the Navy didn't lose a valuable pilot and only had to replace a mechanic which was easier to find and less expensive to train. (They were expendable)
About a year before his passing he presented me with a gift of what he called his "Ditty Box".
It was a wooden box with a hinged top and a tray sitting inside and displaying his unit insignia on the top.
He explained it was used to keep things like shoe laces, brass buckles, awards and other small items while on board ship.
Julius passed away in 1986 at the age of 94 but I still have that ditty box and one day will take a photo of it to post to this site.
Thanks for posting this video, John and have a great day!
(6)
Comment
(0)
SGT John " Mac " McConnell
6 y
This was a fun one to share LTC Wayne Brandon . Looking forward when you takes some pictures of that ditty box. Thanks and have a great day my friend.
(0)
Reply
(0)
Posted >1 y ago
SGT John " Mac " McConnell good day my friend, awesome share on Naval Aviation. Stay warm down in Texas and I really enjoyed this share my friend.
(5)
Comment
(0)
Read This Next