ellyson

San Diego, California Sunday January 29, 1911 Lt. Theodore G. Ellyson First flight **** " the flight was short but successful, and is the first ever made by a Naval officer" ( New York Times January 30, 1911) ****"..the flight was witnessed by a large crowd at the Coronado Country Club" ( New York Tribune January 30, 1911) *** ".. witnessed by 10,000 persons on the polo field of the Country Club of Coronado" " Ellyson rose to a height of 15 feet... but only covered about 200 yards." " .. speed estimated at 35 Miles per hour,.." ( San Francisco Call January 30, 1911)

All below from wikipedia: Theodore Gordon Ellyson, USN (27 February 1885 - 27 February 1928), nicknamed "Spuds", was the first United States Navy officer designated as an aviator ("Naval Aviator No. 1"). Ellyson served in the experimental development of aviation in the years before and after World War I. He also spent several years before the war as part of the Navy's new submarine service. A recipient of the Navy Cross for his antisubmarine service in World War I, Ellyson died in 1928 when his aircraft crashed over the Chesapeake Bay. [ed. note: Three army officers, First Lieutenant Paul W. Beck, Signal Corps; Second Lieutenant G.E.M. Kelly, 30th Infantry and Second Lieutenant John C. Walker, Jr., 8th Infantry joined Ellyson to form the first military aviation school in the United States, under the training of the Glenn Curtis School of Aviation in San Diego]. John Henry Towers (January 30, 1885 – April 30, 1955) was a United States Navy admiral and pioneer naval aviator. He made important contributions to the technical and organizational development of naval aviation from its very beginnings, eventually serving as Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics (1939–1942). He commanded carrier task forces during World War II, and retired in December 1947. He and Marc Mitscher were the only early Naval Aviation pioneers to survive the extreme hazards of early flight to remain with naval aviation throughout their careers. He was the first naval aviator to achieve flag rank and was the most senior advocate for naval aviation during a time when the Navy was dominated by battleship admirals. John W. McClaskey, a retired US Marine lieutenant, was the chief of flight instruction for the Glenn Curtis School of Aviation in San Diego.

Seated, l to r: Paul W. Beck (1876-1922), Lt. John H. Towers (1885-1955), Lt. Theodore G. Ellyson (1885-1927) - Naval Aviator No. 1