Eugene Ely, Daredevil Aviator: First Shipboard Landing and Takeoff

by William M. Miller

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476617985
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	09/24/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	344
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

A one-time historian with the Southern Oregon Historical Society, William M. Miller is a former reporter and history columnist for the Medford Mail Tribune. He lives in Shady Cove, Oregon.
A one-time historian with the Southern Oregon Historical Society, William M. Miller is a former reporter and history columnist for the Medford Mail Tribune. He lives in Shady Cove, Oregon.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Preface
1. Homecoming
2. Macon, 1911
3. The Old York Hills
4. A New Century
5. Scorching Through the Countryside
6. The City of a Hundred Hills
7. 5:12 a.m.—April 18, 1906
8. Native Son and Daughter
9. Driving the Right People
10. Racing ­Cross-Country
11. Challenging the Wrights
12. Dominguez
13. Wemme Wants a Prizewinner
14. Crowds Will Flock
15. “I was fascinated with the idea of flying”
16. On the Road to Curtiss
17. O, Canada
18. “Scrape that golden lining”
19. “A warm corner in the heart of Father Knickerbocker”
20. “Plucky pioneer conqueror of the air”
21. “There’s your trouble, Gene”
22. “The ease of a swallow and the speed of an express train”
23. Bleak Days at Belmont
24. A Little Man with an ­Aero-Eye and the Plucky Little Woman Beside Him
25. “He flew off with the greatest ease”
26. Balmy Southern Skies
27. Scientific Suicide
28. A Platform for the Pennsylvania
29. Two Days Out of Ten
30. Waiting for a Rainbow
31. “Easier than I thought”
32. “Best girl”
33. “The noble art”
34. Good Luck Charm
35. Land of Salt and Snow
36. Flitting Along
37. The Wayward Winds
38. Sailing Air and Sea
39. Redemption on an Oregon Trail
40. Over the Rockies
41. A Very Busy Month
42. “We are merely circus performers”
43. Not for $50,000
44. “Fate handed me this bump”
45. “He was just Ely”
46. Beginning the Afterlife
47. “They’re all gone now”
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index