Today in History - 1911

Eugene Ely was the first pilot to successfully land and take off on a Naval vessel. At 11:59am he completed the first successful Naval trap. After a long pause of silence, the impact of the achievement settled in and wild cheering broke out. The exuberant shouting cascaded from the Pennsylvania, over to the surrounding boats, and all the way to the shore. Ships' whistles streaked and sirens in the city began to blare.

The ropes were loosened from around Eugene and his plane. As he rose, his wife Mabel rushed to him crying, "I knew you could do it." Capt. Pond shook his hand vigorously while photographers clicked away. Capt. Pond proclaimed, "This is the most important landing since the dove came back to the Ark."

Capt. Pond then guided the group to the quarterdeck. Before entering his cabin, he turned to his officer of the deck and ordered, "Mr. Luckey, let me know when the plane is respotted and ready for takeoff." The reference "respot" in this command was destined to become a byword used in carrier aviation today.

As Ely was strapping in again for takeoff, thoughts of the USS Birmingham swept through his mind. He recalled the frightening dip toward the sea. But his confidence returned to him once again and he chased any doubt away. He revved the Pusher engine and climbed away. Less than 15 minutes later he was safe again on the ground at Tanforan Field.