Eugene Burton Ely
Videos
Eugene Burton Ely was an American aviation pioneer, credited with the first shipboard aircraft takeoff and landing.
Eugeneely
Pilot license for Eugene Ely, No. 17, Aero Club of America, 1910
Ely takes off from the USS Birmingham, Hampton Roads, Virginia, November 14, 1910.
First fixed-wing aircraft landing on a warship: Ely landing his plane on board the USS Pennsylvania in San Francisco Bay, January 18, 1911.
USS Birmingham (CL-2)
Videos
USS Birmingham, named for the city of Birmingham, Alabama, was a Chester-class scout cruiser, reclassified a light cruiser in 1920. Entering service in 1908, the ship became known for the first airpla
Eugene Burton Ely
…This led to two experiments. On November 14, 1910, Ely took off in a Curtiss Pusher from a temporary platform erected over the bow of the light cruiser USS Birmingham. The airplane plunged downward as soon as it cleared the 83-foot (25.3-metre) platform runway; and the aircraft wheels dipped into the water before…
USS Birmingham (CS-2), 1908
Pilot Eugene Ely takes off from USS Birmingham, Hampton Roads, Virginia, 14 November 1910