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Eugene Ely, daredevil aviator : first shipboard landing and takeoff / William M. Miller.
Van Pelt Library TL540.E6325 M55 2014
Available
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Miller, William M., 1946- author.
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Ely, Eugene.
- United States. Navy.
- Air pilots--United States--Biography.
- Air pilots.
- Distinguished Flying Cross (Medal).
- Aeronautics--Competitions.
- History.
- Aeronautics.
- United States.
- Test pilots--United States--Biography.
- Test pilots.
- United States. Navy--Aviation--History--20th century.
- Aeronautics--Competitions--History--20th century.
- Distinguished Flying Cross (Medal)--Biography.
- Genre:
- Biographies.
- Physical Description:
- vi, 367 pages ; 26 cm
- Place of Publication:
- Jefferson, North Carolina : McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, [2014]
- Summary:
- 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. Book jacket.
- Contents:
- 1 Homecoming 3
- 2 Macon, 1911 8
- 3 The Old York Hills 12
- 4 A New Century 17
- 5 Scorching Through the Countryside 20
- 6 The City of a Hundred Hills 23
- 7 5:12 a.m.-April 18, 1906 27
- 8 Native Son and Daughter 31
- 9 Driving the Right People 35
- 10 Racing Cross-Country 39
- 11 Challenging the Wrights 46
- 12 Dominguez 52
- 13 Wemme Wants a Prizewinner 56
- 14 Crowds Will Flock 60
- 15 "I was fascinated with the idea of flying" 65
- 16 On the Road to Curtiss 70
- 17 O, Canada 77
- 18 "Scrape that golden lining" 83
- 19 "A warm corner in the heart of Father Knickerbocker" 87
- 20 "Plucky pioneer conqueror of the air" 95
- 21 "There's your trouble, Gene" 103
- 22 "The ease of a swallow and the speed of an express train" 112
- 23 Bleak Days at Belmont 116
- 24 A Little Man with an Aero-Eye and the Plucky Little Woman Beside Him 122
- 25 "He flew off with the greatest ease" 130
- 26 Balmy Southern Skies 140
- 27 Scientific Suicide 149
- 28 A Platform for the Pennsylvania 157
- 29 Two Days Out of Ten 164
- 30 Waiting for a Rainbow 169
- 31 "Easier than I thought" 176
- 32 "Best girl" 188
- 33 "The noble art" 195
- 34 Good Luck Charm 201
- 35 Land of Salt and Snow 204
- 36 Flitting Along 211
- 37 The Wayward Winds 220
- 38 Sailing Air and Sea 226
- 39 Redemption on an Oregon Trail 232
- 40 Over the Rockies 240
- 41 A Very Busy Month 246
- 42 "We are merely circus performers" 256
- 43 Not for $50,000 267
- 44 "Fate handed me this bump" 272
- 45 "He was just Ely" 280
- 46 Beginning the Afterlife 292
- 47 "They're all gone now" 298.
- Notes:
- Includes bibliographical references and index.
- ISBN:
- 9780786496778
- 0786496770
- OCLC:
- 882191768
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