Eugene Ely Daredevil Aviator

Eugene Burton Ely was buried the day after his 25th birthday, less than a half-mile from where he was born. No sooner had he captured the world's eye and gained the fame he sought, than he crashed into the earth. Until 1911, the last year of his life, hardly anyone knew his name. More than a century later, nothing has changed. An Iowa farm boy afraid of heights, Ely was the first to land an airplane on the deck of a ship. To some, he is the father of naval aviation, the inspiration behind today's nuclear aircraft carriers--but many details of his life have been lost until now. This book seeks to fill this void.

Eugene Burton Ely was buried the day after his 25th birthday, less than a half-mile from where he was born. No sooner had he captured the world's eye and gained the fame he sought, than he crashed into the earth. Until 1911, the last year of his life, hardly anyone knew his name. More than a century later, nothing has changed. An Iowa farm boy afraid of heights, Ely was the first to land an airplane on the deck of a ship. To some, he is the father of naval aviation, the inspiration behind today's nuclear aircraft carriers--but many details of his life have been lost until now. This book seeks to fill this void.

The story of Eugene Ely’s life is the stuff of myth and legend. Much of what has been written about him relies on sensationalized newspaper accounts from an era when early twentieth century reporters unabashedly fabricated stories to increase newspaper circulation. Those accounts portray Ely as a reckless daredevil and are essentially historical fiction. Eugene Ely: Pioneer of Navigation cuts through the sensationalism by relying on primary sources and photographic records and triangulating multiple sources to arrive at an honest portrait of the man and his legacy. The result is the story of a quiet, self-effacing Iowan who did extraordinary things. Ely’s measured approach and calculated demonstrations of the potential of military aviation ultimately pointed the way to today’s modern aircraft carriers, over a century later.

The story of Eugene Ely's life is the stuff of myth and legend. Much of what has been written about him relies on sensationalized newspaper accounts from an era when early twentieth century reporters unabashedly fabricated stories to increase newspaper circulation. Those accounts portray Ely as a reckless daredevil and are essentially historical fiction. Eugene Ely: Pioneer of Navigation cuts through the sensationalism by relying on primary sources and photographic records and triangulating multiple sources to arrive at an honest portrait of the man and his legacy. The result is the story of a quiet, self-effacing Iowan who did extraordinary things. Ely's measured approach and calculated demonstrations of the potential of military aviation ultimately pointed the way to today's modern aircraft carriers, over a century later.

Discover the daring aviation pioneers who made the dream of powered flight a reality, forever changing the course of history. Aviator Lincoln Beachey broke countless records: he looped-the-loop, flew upside down and in corkscrews, and was the first to pull his aircraft out of what was a typically fatal tailspin. As Beachey and other aviators took to the skies in death-defying acts in the early twentieth century, these innovative daredevils not only wowed crowds, but also redefined the frontiers of powered flight. Higher, Steeper, Faster takes readers inside the world of the brave men and women who popularized flying through their deadly stunts and paved the way for modern aviation. With heart-stopping accounts of the action-packed race to conquer the skies, plus photographs and fascinating archival documents, this book will exhilarate readers as they fly through the pages.

There have been many books about the Women Airforce Service Pilots of WWII (WASP); however, hardly any about the 38 women who lost their lives while flying for the Army Air Corps. This book tells their story. When the war began, the men called these women "girls." They didn't believe this grand experiment could ever work-that the women of America-sisters and wives-could fly Army airplanes all over the country. Yet, these women were patriots and all they asked was a chance to do something that would help win the war. Of the 1,074 who flew as a WASP, 38 young women never came back-never had a future, and never heard their country say, "Thank you." Here, we remember them.

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1920 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER XV OVEB THREE STATES--AND HOME! AND now comes the day of the great tristate race, a day that was to be tinlike any I had ever lived through before. I was to watch Ovie sail away out of my sight, knowing that he would be far above the clouds for hours and that I could only follow him on the map. More perfect weather for an airplane race could not have been ordered, for no one would have known how to improve it. The sky was deep blue, clear as crystal, with a few light clouds. There was the tang of early September in the air, a hint of the coming fall. Long before noon, the time which had been set for the start, the largest crowd that had ever gathered on the aerodrome at Squantum packed the grand-stand and overflowed into the bleachers. The surrounding country was fairly black with people, and even the harbour was speckled with heavily laden boats. I was told that over in Boston the roofs were covered with men, 158 women, and children, all with eyes turned toward the aviation field. For this was to be the greatest cross-country race ever held in America, and, indeed one of the most notable events in the early history of aviation. The course was from Boston to Nashua, New Hampshire; to Worcester, Massachusetts; to Providence, Rhode Island; then home again to Boston--just a hundred and eighty-six miles as the crow flies. There were two divisions, one for monoplanes and one for biplanes. The prizes totaled seventeen thousand five hundred dollars, the prize for the winning monoplane being ten thousand. There were less than a dozen flyers at the Squantum meet, but among them were Harry Atwood, Tom Sopwith, the reckless daredevil Beachy, who was later killed in California, and Eugene Ely, his pal, also killed shortly afterward during...