Eugene Ely Accomplishments

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Eugene Ely “Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything” - Plato. This means that you can always do what you want to do like fly for instants. You can sit and imagine flying but some other people get up and actually fly. In this essay I am going to explain Eugene Ely’s childhood, the beginning of his career, his significant accomplishments, and the impact he put on the world. In Eugene Ely’s childhood when he completed 8th grade he graduated from DavenPort Grammar School four, in January 1901. In 1904 he was employed as a chauffeur Rev. Fr. Smyth, a catholic priest in Cosgrove Iowa. Him being a chauffeur increased his love for fast driving in Father Smyth's car. He went so fast he set a record between Iowa city and Davenport. His career started in 1904, right after he received an engineering degree in Iowa State University. The careers he participated in was being a salesman, mechanic, and a racing driver. In 1910 he started his flying career by teaching himself how to fly a plane. Once he taught himself how to fly, it was clearly shown he had natural talents of becoming an aviator. He was well know so it didn't take him a while to join the Curtiss Exhibition Team. In fall of 1910 Washington I. Chambers realized that he needed to make sure the plane …show more content…

The light cruiser ship called the “USS Birmingham” was readied Norfolk, Va, with a wooden platform attached to it. The platform was approximately 80 feet long. The plane Eugene Ely was flying was called the Curtiss D-III Headless Pusher which was equipped with floats under the wings. Ely barely succeeded from taking off the ship. He rolled off the platform and kind of skipped on water which damaged the propeller, but he was able to pull through. Ely was able to stay airborne for 2 and a half miles to land on the nearest island called Willoughby

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