On this day 18 January - aviation history is made

[7eat51]

Eugene B. Ely



The Pennsylvania Being Fitted with Platform

On the 18th of January 1911, Eugene B. Ely made aviation history when he landed a plane on a ship. Having taken off from Tanforan racetrack (another source has Selfridge Field) just before 11:00 a.m., Ely flew a Curtiss pusher biplane to the San Francisco waterfront where the U.S. Pacific Fleet armored cruiser, Pennsylvania, was waiting to receive him. The Mare Island Navy Yard built a temporary landing platform, measuring 120 ft. by 30 ft. Ely and his crew designed a stopping mechanism for the plane; they utilized a series of ropes, weighted at each end with sandbags, that ran the width of the platform. They attached hooks to the plane that would catch the ropes, bringing the plane to a stop. A canvas safety barrier was erected along the edges of the platform to catch the plane if the hook-rope mechanism proved insufficient.

The Landing and Subsequent Takeoff

As Ely approached the ship, his plane caught an updraft off the platform, but his swift reaction enabled him to catch the ropes midway down the platform, landing the plane safely. Captain Charles F. Pond, Commanding Officer of the Pennsylvania, held a lunch immediately afterwards. During the lunch, a crew prepared the platform and plane for Ely to take off. Ely made history almost two months earlier, when he took off in a Curtiss pusher from an 83 foot-long platform mounted on the U.S. light Cruiser, Birmingham.

Taking Off from the Birmingham

References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Burton_Ely
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/e...911/ely-pa.htm
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/p...s-e/eb-ely.htm
http://www.usni.org/magazines/procee...e-eugene-b-ely

[Naharaht]

Thank you for this, Eric. I thought the British were the first but obviously not.

[Blackronin]

Amazing images! Thanks, Eric.

[Lt. S.Kafloc]

A brave man in a not too small plane. Well done for this amazing find Eric.