Wea all almost missed a milestone

[The Inspector]

Since it's still Nov. 14th it's almost too late to point out that on Nov. 14, 1911 some guy named Eugene Ely flew a collection of sticks and curtain material off a pile of lumber mounted on the turret of some naval ship or other

[JDK]

And we all know Eugene only did it so our own Baldeagle could look good dressed in an inner tube a century later...

[Baldeagle]

Thank you James, I don't know about the "looking good" part, but telling the story anyway...

Here's Bob in costume aboard the USS George H. W. Bush last November 15 (2010), the 14th was on a Sunday so we had to do it a day later-



The November flight was actually in 1910, a take-off from the USS Birmingham at Hampton Roads near what is now NAS Norfolk, so this was the 101st anniversary of that flight. It was January 18, 1911 that Ely landed and took-off on the USS Pennsylvania in San Francisco Bay, which was really the beginning of US Naval Aviation.

Interesting side light-- we just flew our last show of the season at NAS Pensacola (I hope I can eventually post some photos from the A2A shoot we did with Otto the helicopter as camera ship over the base, should be some spectacular stuff) and while driving home we stopped at the Southern Museum of Flight in Birmingham, Alabama. In the museum they have a section of the ship that Ely launched from in November of 1910, the part with the name "Birmingham". Apparently when it was scrapped in the 1930s (I think) a dock worker from Birmingham managed to save that part and send it home. At the museum they also have a nice model of the ship with platform and Curtiss, displayed next to the original section.


(Also, for those who haven't heard the story, no, they wouldn't let him launch, even though it would have been a piece of cake and Bob is an experienced carrier pilot, and the weather was perfect, Navy Office of Risk Management said "no". The Curtiss was craned on and off just for the photo shoot.)

More stuff at http://elycurtisspusher.com/



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[RickH]

Frickin' lawyers !

[the330thbg]

I say he should have just ran her up and away he would go!!!

Course they would use the Phalanx to bring him down..,

[tom d. friedman]

herr inspector, i must admit you are very good with aviation dates & milestones!!! you announce these dates that i wouldn't think of in a thousand years, albeit the no brainer dates such as the wrights 1st flight, etc. that's quite a knack you have!!! ....by proxy.... ( i'm sure fellower wixers will agree) i here by promote you to father time of the board. vote 1 -yes

[JOMiller]

I was at the airshow in P'cola for two days and REALLY
enjoyed seeing the pusher fly. I can't wait to see the
video shot from Otto the chase helo and to see the
Curtiss up close in NNAM. Thank you sooo much for
bringing it!!!

[The Inspector]

tom,
Thanx for the 'attaboy' It's all just a part of my compost heap of trivial stuff