Thomas E. Selfridge
Thomas Etholen Selfridge (born February 8, 1882 in San Francisco , California , † September 17, 1908 in Fort Myer , Virginia ) was an American officer and the first casualty in motorized aviation .
Life
In 1903 Selfridge closed the Military Academy in West Point as a second lieutenant from. That same year - December 17th - the Wright brothers made the first powered flight, and aviation was Selfridge's focus. So he got in touch with Alexander Graham Bell , who was experimenting with flying machines. Bell campaigned for Selfridge to be placed on his side as an official military observer for the US government, which was what happened. On October 1, 1907, the two founded the Aerial Experiment Association in Halifax , Nova Scotia , Canada together with Frederick Walker Baldwin , Glenn Curtiss and John Alexander Douglas McCurdy in order to develop new aircraft in a targeted manner. In early 1908, Selfridge designed the company's first powered aircraft, the Red Wing , so named because of its red fabric covering. This was followed by the White Wing , with which Thomas E. Selfridge completed his first powered flight in May 1908 as the first US officer.
In August 1908 he was sent to Fort Myer, Virginia, to evaluate airships for the US Army Signal Corps . The Wrights then presented their aircraft there: On September 17, 1908, Orville Wright took off with his two-seat Flyer A , Selfridge sat next to him. Before that, O. Wright had a new, longer propeller installed, which he expected to improve flight performance. After four traffic laps the propeller broke and the aircraft fell to the ground from a height of around 25 meters. While Orville Wright got away with a few broken bones, Thomas E. Selfridge died a few hours after the accident of his severe skull injuries. This makes him the first victim of motorized aviation and the first aviation death in the United States.
The crash site is only a few meters from Arlington National Cemetery , where he was buried with full military honors on September 25, 1908. In his honor, a US Army airfield located north of Detroit , Michigan , was named after him in 1917 , Selfridge Field , now Selfridge Air National Guard Base .
Web links
- Pictures and reports on Thomas E. Selfridge (English).
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Selfridge, Thomas E. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Selfridge, Thomas Etholen |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American aviation pioneer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 8, 1882 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | San Francisco , California , USA |
| DATE OF DEATH | 17th September 1908 |
| Place of death | Fort Myer , Virginia , USA |