Download or read book Eugene Ely, Daredevil Aviator written by William M. Miller and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2014-09-24 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.