Eugene Ely: Pioneer of Naval Aviation

John H. Zobel

Naval Institute Press, Oct 15, 2023 - Biography & Autobiography - 392 pages

The story of Eugene Ely’s life is the stuff of myth and legend. Much of what has been written about him relies on sensationalized newspaper accounts from an era when early twentieth century reporters unabashedly fabricated stories to increase newspaper circulation. Those accounts portray Ely as a reckless daredevil and are essentially historical fiction. Eugene Ely: Pioneer of Navigation cuts through the sensationalism by relying on primary sources and photographic records and triangulating multiple sources to arrive at an honest portrait of the man and his legacy. The result is the story of a quiet, self-effacing Iowan who did extraordinary things. Ely’s measured approach and calculated demonstrations of the potential of military aviation ultimately pointed the way to today’s modern aircraft carriers, over a century later.

Contents

• introduCtion: 1
• son of York: 5
• rise of tHe WHeelmen: 11
• fire And eArtH: 24
• into tHe Air: 37
• roAd to tHe skY: 53
• flYinG lessons: 71
• outlAW: 83
• on tHe teAm: 92
• loftier GoAls: 103
• endurAnCe: 115
• tHe WAr in tHe Air: 129
• Belmont stAkes: 143
• tHe rACe WitH tHe floAtinG Zoo: 154
• sHiP to sHore: 164
• stArdust fAllinG: 172
• tHe dove to tHe Ark: 183
• WAter And Air: 197
• tWists And CorksCreWs: 204
• WAr mACHine: 215
• sPirAl Glide: 237
• full meAsure: 256
• tHe World Before Him: 269
• Notes: 283
• Selected Bibliography: 323

About the author

John Hiller Zobel was an author, recovering attorney, and accomplished athlete. John practiced law for twenty years in Seattle before becoming a full-time writer and parent in 2007. His first book, A Slight Change of Plans, published in 1998, was a P.G. Wodehouse-style romantic comedy. He earned a B.A. in English from Harvard College in 1981 and received his law degree from Stanford Law School in 1985. He died unexpectedly on the summit of Aconcagua in Argentina in January 2017.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Eugene Ely: Pioneer of Naval Aviation
• Author: John H. Zobel
• Editor: LaVerne Woods
• Contributor: Bob Coolbaugh
• Publisher: Naval Institute Press, 2023
• ISBN: 1682478394, 9781682478394
• Length: 392 pages
• Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Aviation & Nautical; History / Military / Aviation & Space; Transportation / Aviation / History