Navy's first carrier

[Ken from PG]

I don't think I would want to try this one!

[Ken from PG]

Re: Navy's first carrier

Here's the rest of the pix

[Low-n-Slow]

Re: Navy's first carrier

Aw c'mon, he's wearing a helmet AND a flotation device (well, a couple of bicycle inner tubes, they likely float). What could possibly go wrong, go wrong, go wro... .

A VERY brave pilot!

cheers
Low

[h34race]

Re: Navy's first carrier

NO goggels and a leather helmet,How he find's pants that fit ball's that big is a real chore,OOO and a engine that makes maybe enough HP to get air bourne and not too much more, were do I sign up

[W J Pearce]

Re: Navy's first carrier

I think....

First post pictures 1-6 show Eugene Ely taking off from the U.S. cruiser Birmingham in Norfolk on Nov 14, 1910.

First post pictures 7-10 and all second post pictures show Eugene Ely on the U.S.S. Pennsylvania on January 18, 1911 in San Francisco. Ely landed (using an arrestor hook and cables) and took off from the U.S.S Pennsylvania that day.

Both flights where in the Curtiss Hudson Flier powered by a Curtiss E8 (water cooled v-8 of 100 hp).

Good stuff!

[Ken from PG]

Re: Navy's first carrier

Thanks Bill for providing details. I only got the pictures.

[W J Pearce]

Re: Navy's first carrier

And thank you very much for posting. It was the first take off, and then the first landing/take off of a plane on a ship. So both events have historical significance. Glenn Curtiss, along with William Moffet, have been called "The Father of Naval Aviation".

The landing that was done on the U.S.S. Pennsylvania, the sand bags have ropes tied to them across the deck and that was what the arresting gear snagged to slow the plane down. You can actually see in picture 10 of the first post Ely has snagged the the rope and the bags are being pulled behind, right above the inboard section of the wings. That is a great "action shot" of him making the landing.

Where did you get the photos?

[JET1]

Langley...piece of cake!

especially if you are flying a string bag that can only go 30 mph! (famous last words! )

[MMPerk]

Re: Navy's first carrier

My hat is off to those that led the way.

[Ken from PG]

Re: Navy's first carrier

Where did you get the photos?

A guy I work with sends stuff like this to me every once and a while. I have no idea where he gets it from. If I get the chance I will ask him...better than that, I'll send him this link.

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: Navy's first carrier

Pretty sure there are some reasonably hard to find archival online photo stuff within the .gov and .mil realms where this stuff is stored and available for public consumption. I've seen video of some of the first carrier ops and it was a pretty sporty event, indeed!

Imagine bein there the birth of this concept, knowing you had the tiger by the tail and that the battlewagon commanders who led the current Navy thougt you and your cohorts were just plane nuts!

Look where their effrorts and courage (not just physical, many had careers that did not fare too well from their efforts within this progressive, officially unpopular venture)

Where might we be without visionaries with the courage to do what they knew had to be done!