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Naval History and Heritage Command

NH 77588 Aviator Eugene B. Ely

Photo #: NH 77588 Aviator Eugene B. Ely
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Title: Aviator Eugene B. Ely
Description: Stands by his Curtiss pusher biplane, just before taking off from USS Pennsylvania (Armored Cruiser # 4) to return to land, 18 January 1911. Earlier in the day he landed on the ship's deck, the first time an airplane had alighted on a warship. Pennsylvania was then at anchor in San Francisco Bay, California. Note the light emergency floats under the plane's lower wings and Ely's flying attire, including rubber inner tubes worn around his shoulders as a life preserver. The hooks on the bottom of the plane's undercarriage were used to catch lines placed across the ship's landing platform in order to bring the aircraft to a stop. Photograph from the Eugene B. Ely scrapbooks. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph.
Catalog #: NH 77588
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